Siem Reap is close to all the major temple sites of the ancient Khmer empire -- the economy up here is completely tourist-driven, but it gives us great opportunities to see some amazing places!
Angkor Wat is the main attraction, but before we went gallivanting around there, our professor thought we should get our feet wet by seeing pre-Angkor monuments. It's been really fun because we get to go through all the temples in chronological order.
Our first stop was Sambor Prei Kuk on the first capital of ancient Chenla, pre-Khmer empire. It was quite a journey getting there! We rented a car and a driver and drove about 2 hours east of Siem Reap. The city's access road brought us deep into a forest, and it was a bumpy ride! For 45 minutes we were tossed and bumped about in the back seat, rolling over potholes a meter wide and half a meter deep. It was like riding on a roller coaster!
The whole city of Sambor Prei Kuk spans many miles of forest and rolling hills, and there are 280 temples within the complex! Only half of them are still (or almost) standing today, and they are divided up into four groups (North - South - East - West) and each temple is built for a different Hindu deity. This city marks the beginning of a movement in the building of cities that focuses on Hindu worship. Here are some pictures from the visit!
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| Damage from bombs that the United States dropped at this site during the Vietnam War |
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| Prasat Nam Chii, built 7th century. The tree is over 300 years old! |
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| Restoration projects and archeological digs |
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| Here we are in front of Prasat Tao ('Lion Temple') |
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| Tim's a little hungry! |
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| An old man we met -- he was gathering medicinal herbs for his village |
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| ME! In front of South Temple 1 (some of them don't have names anymore!) |
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It was a wonderful visit because we could stroll along the paths leisurely. It was pleasantly cool as we were covered by trees -- a nice break from the heat! (It's still around 90 degrees here). I'm starting to get excited for snow and cold weather, I'm tired of sweating!
More very soon :)
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