Angkor Wat

Friday morning, December 8

I flew back to Bangkok yesterday afternoon. This the entry about my last day in the Angkor area.


Angkor Wat is the most famous and most photographed ruin. It is also on the Cambodian flag as a symbol of the former grandeur of this recently war troubled country. It was built over 30 years in the early to mid 12th century. The central temple tower is about 65 meters (200 feet) high and the outer wall is 1300 x 1500 meters. It is surrounded by a wide moat. And has extensive bas-relief carvings. There are 3-levels and an outer wall.

The central temple tower:
The climb up the central tower:

An example of the bas relief carving:
The moat surrounding the entire Ankgor Wat complex:



A lily pond in the extensive front courtyard lawn:

In the afternoon we visited a couple of more ruins
All of these buildings in Angkor were temple complexes used by priests and monks and built using slave labor by the various kings over 3+ centuries. The houses of the common people living here in the capital city were built of wood and have decomposed and disappeared over the years. At it's peak it is believed that almost a million people lived here.

During the 13th century the Thai people from the west invaded and caused the abandonment of this area and the capital moved south to the Phnom Penh area. The jungle invaded and it was rediscovered in 1860.



Here's a picture of my guide and the driver with "our" car during the last 3 1/2 days in Siem Reap/Angkor area: