angkor thom

Our guide drove us to Angkor Thom right after Angkor Wat. Angkor Thom was one of the largest Khmer cities as well as the last capital of the Khmer empire. After the Khmer empire was defeated the capital was moved further south. The south entrance bridge is lined with gods on the left and men on the right. The theory behind constructing both men and gods was that having both would link men to the godly world inside. 

Can you see the faces? One facing in each direction.They are carved to resemble the first King to reside here, Jayavarman VII. 

Almost every temple at Angkor Thom has a buddha carved in the stone. There are several spots you can stand and photograph so it appears you are scratching a buddha's chin or kissing one. 

Depending on your level of interest you could spend several hours inside Angkor Thom. Our tour guide told us Angkor Thom was originally bigger than Angkor Wat. But they built it in a hurry and with probably inferior sandstone so much less remains. As you can see there's a lot of deterioration near this entrance.

After several hours at both temples the children had had enough. So we headed back to the hotel and relaxed in the pool. Tomorrow our Siem Reap foodie tour...

xox,
Christine