The Temples of Angkor Wat
Visiting the temples of Angkor Wat was by far the highlight of the entire trip. The temple compound was built in the 12th century. There are numerous temples around the site, however Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world, is the best preserved and has had the most restoration work. It was originally Hindu, but was converted to a Buddhist temple over the years.
The day began at 5:00 am when we (Mary and I) left the hotel to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. The tour van stopped in front of the long stone walking bridge that leads up to Angkor Wat. It was dark and I couldn't see anything. I began to follow the stone bridge with the help of the guide's flashlight. The smell of incense hung in the air. As I walked through the main entrance to the grounds of the impressive temple I could see the outline, but no more.
I stood at the edge of the moat and as the day began, the details of the temple appeared in front me.
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| The outline of Angkor Wat early in the morning. |
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| The temple begins to appear. |
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| The moat and stone path leading to Angkor Wat. |
More pictures of and from Angkor Wat.
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| One of the six libraries at the temple. |
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| The tour guide! |
There were many other temples around Angkor Wat. Here are some of my favorite pictures from those temples. *Reminder- Clicking on the images will make them bigger.
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These are good gods using a giant snake for a tug-of-war
with the evil gods on the other side of the bridge. |
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| Close up of the good gods. |
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| The evil gods. |
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| Three-headed elephants. |
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| A five-headed horse. |
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| A dinosaur!?!? |
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