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

angkor wat

Our last summer hurrah was Siem Reap. It was our first time to Cambodia and she did not disappoint. The main attraction is Angkor Wat and we quickly arranged a driver and tour guide via the hotel and headed out on our first full day. We did not arrive early enough for the ubiquitous sunrise photo, but it was amazing just the same. 

Angkor Wat is an UNESCO World Heritage site and built in the early twelfth century. During that time it was the capital of the Kmer Kingdom. Angkor Wat was built to symbolize the Hindu world. The moat represents the oceans. The towers symbolize the mountain peaks and the surrounding galleries depict the mountain ranges surrounding Mount Meru.  

One of the Angkor Wat entrances-- when arriving on elephants. 

Most of the Buddhas are headless due to war and pillaging. Many bas-reliefs have been pried off. Luckily, these five apsaras have weathered the test of time.

The view from the temple to one of the surrounding libraries. 

Smiling among the sandstone balusters. 

One of several courtyard basins used for religious bathing. 

There are many stories carved on the inside walls of Angkor Wat. The east gallery carving is the most famous. It depicts the story of milk churning. The story goes that the gods and apsaras rotated Mount Mandara with a serpent to churn the sea into the water of immortality. 

Looking out at Angkor Wat from one of the surrounding libraries. 

There's a reason Angkor Wat is so highly rated as a 'must see.' It is just amazing to think this massive city was built so long ago using thousands of elephants to transport the stones. It's so hard to believe even while walking amongst the halls. Tomorrow Angkor Thom...

xox, 

Christine