Cambodia

Cambodia
3rd Leg - "Send Lawyers, Guns, & Money" Tour 2001

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Since I couldn't trek in the north of Thailand due to severe flooding, I booked a ticket to Siem Reap ("See-yem Ree-yep") Cambodia. No hotel. No clue. All I knew was that the ruins of Angkor Wat were around there. The first day, I booked a helicopter and took a tour of the area. For the next three days, I toured the different ruins with a girl from Australia and three folks from Singapore. It was utterly amazing, and is well worth the trip for fans of history or architecture. Or fans of Angelina Jolie, since this is where they filmed lots of the insipid film "Tomb Raider".

Angkor Wat from the air. It's hard to believe that people could dig that moat. Angkor Wat again. The true scale isn't apparent from the air. A smaller ruin in the middle of rice paddies.

On the long causeway. Same place, but a bit closer to the main ruins. On a hill overlooking Angkor Wat (in the jungle).

Uh, oh! That looks like rain! Yup. A 15-minute tropical teaser. Man, did it come down hard. Walking to the inner ruins after the rain passed.

Some of the inner ruins. Looking through a passage in the outer wall toward the inner ruins. Walking up the steps in the middle. Evidently, there is no liability insurance.

Looking at the outer walls from across the moat. Inside the outer walls, looking at the inner ruins. The inner ruins, reflecting in one of the small ponds.

In the walled city of Angkor Thom, one of the main temples was the Bayon. The king who built it liked the look of his face. It's carved over 200 times in the Bayon! Here you can see the faces, one on each side of each tower.

The Terrace of the Elephant King, in Angkor Thom. View of the countryside from one ruin. Standing on the stairs of one of the other ruins.

One of the amazing things is how the jungle re-captured the ruins. Many of the ruins were overtaken by the jungle. Here is a sponge tree growing through the walls of some ruins. I'll have to scan some of my other shots. It's really wild how the tree roots grow through the stones of the ruins.

Look out for the elephants!!! The last night the group gathered at The Red Piano, one of the local ex-pat haunts.


Angkor Wat from the air. It's hard to believe that people could dig that moat.	Angkor Wat again. The true scale isn't apparent from the air.	A smaller ruin in the middle of rice paddies.


On the long causeway.	Same place, but a bit closer to the main ruins.	On a hill overlooking Angkor Wat (in the jungle).


Uh, oh! That looks like rain!	Yup. A 15-minute tropical teaser. Man, did it come down hard.	Walking to the inner ruins after the rain passed.


Some of the inner ruins.	Looking through a passage in the outer wall toward the inner ruins.	Walking up the steps in the middle. Evidently, there is no liability insurance.


Looking at the outer walls from across the moat.	Inside the outer walls, looking at the inner ruins.	The inner ruins, reflecting in one of the small ponds.


In the walled city of Angkor Thom, one of the main temples was the Bayon.	The king who built it liked the look of his face. It's carved over 200 times in the Bayon!	Here you can see the faces, one on each side of each tower.


The Terrace of the Elephant King, in Angkor Thom.	View of the countryside from one ruin.	Standing on the stairs of one of the other ruins.


One of the amazing things is how the jungle re-captured the ruins. Many of the ruins were overtaken by the jungle.	Here is a sponge tree growing through the walls of some ruins. I'll have to scan some of my other shots. It's really wild how the tree roots grow through the stones of the ruins.


Look out for the elephants!!!	The last night the group gathered at The Red Piano, one of the local ex-pat haunts.