Angkor Wat/s-Day 1

Yesterday I flew into Siem Reap on this very funky little plane- not the really small kind that you can't stand up in, but close to it. The minute we left the plane the heat hit me hard and hasn't quite settled in. I am having a day of heat "sickness"today [my 2nd day in the Reap] but having a rest and hoping to recover.

A guide picked me up at the airport and we got stuck straight into it...going to a temple called Ta Prohm- where huge fig trees have merged with the temple, so they are now symbiotically living together for all of eternity-or until the stone blocks melt back into the earth, which does not look likely.

standing in front of a Fig which has swallowed the entrance to Ta Prohm

doorways of Ta Prohm

The trees here are amazing, and in many cases provide delicious shade and therefore cooler areas. There are of course, a squillion tourists here [+ me which = 1 squillion and one] and they are tromping all over the temples.

Looking ujp from the echo chamber

I thought Angkor Wat was the name of the whole place and it was a series of buildings all located in a common area- but it is spread over 250 sq kilometres and each set of temples has its own name, as all of them were built by different Kings and in different centurys.

Needless to say, over the years several things have affected the temples- meaning wrecked them- time, neglect, wars with other countries, US bombing of Cambodia in the 60's/70's etc. Some are being restored, but most are not. Each temple is made out of these enormous blocks and you can imagine how long it would take to restore a temple back to its original condition.

Here are some more snaps from my first day. Today my camera ran out of battery [dumb me not recharging!!] so I am going to cycle out there in a few days when I do not have the use of my guide [who I've hired for the next 4 days] as he is busy with another client- and then I will have some snaps to show. In the meantime, enjoy these ones.
Heat strokingly yours- Genie

Ta Prohm