Traveling in Southeast Asia

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Tuesday, 14 February 2023 - Woke very early to secure tickets and then visited Angkor Wat at sunrise, explored the extensive temple complex with its intricate bas-reliefs and towers, and spent the day photographing the ancient ruins and surrounding jungle in beautiful light.

southeastasia2023 — The sunrise was not all that great - but it was special to see the temple towers in the rising sunlight.

southeastasia2023 — Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world at 402 acres. Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire by King Suryavarman II during the 12th century, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century, so it is a "Hindu-Buddhist" temple.

southeastasia2023 — One of the causes for its fame is Angkor Wat's extensive bas-relief friezes. The inner walls of the outer gallery going around the entire structure bear a series of large-scale scenes mainly depicting episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

southeastasia2023 — Very pleasant as the sunlight was playing with the courtyards.

southeastasia2023 — The rising sun, in a bit of clouds, over Angkor Wat.

southeastasia2023 — Decoration of dancing women over a door.

southeastasia2023 — One of the four corners of Angkor Wat. It is shaped with a central tower and then four corner towers in a square around the central tower.

southeastasia2023 — The "dancing girl" or apsaras were everywhere - there are 1,796 various depictions of dancing/standing women.

southeastasia2023 — Looking down from the central tower on the inner courtyard. We had entered the complex from the passageway on the top right.

southeastasia2023 — Viewing the upper level of the complex and the Cambodian jungle surrounding the temple complex.

southeastasia2023 — Buddha in the central tower.

southeastasia2023 — Apsaras on higher walls of the central tower.

southeastasia2023 — One of the corner towers of the complex.

southeastasia2023 — The main entrance at the top of some very steep steps - the journey up is hard to represent the difficulty of reaching heaven.

southeastasia2023 — There are two libraries inside the main temple area on either side of the courtyard.

southeastasia2023 — Two more libraries are on the outer courtyard - which is very large.

southeastasia2023 — One of the outer libraries photographed behind a Naga (a snake like creature typically with several heads). The Naga are found along stairways.

southeastasia2023 — Virginia Ann at the main entrance to the outer courtyard of Angkor Wat.

southeastasia2023 — The outer wall of Angkor Wat which is 2.2 miles long.

southeastasia2023 — Ta Reach Statue at Angkor Wat, an eight-armed is found in the outer wall temple.

southeastasia2023 — Next was Baksei Chamkrong, a small Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. In 944 it held a golden statue of Shiva.

The name "Baksei Chamkrong" means "The Bird Who Shelters Under Its Wings" and comes from a legend. In it, the king tried to flee Angkor during a siege and then a huge bird landed and sheltered him under its wings.

southeastasia2023 — Virginia Ann and Cal outside Baksei Chamkrong temple.

The temple was one of the first made of a durable material like brick.

southeastasia2023 — The view of Angkor Thom South Gate across the moat. Angkor Thom is a quadrangle of defensive walls totaling 7.5 miles that once protected the Khmer capital of the same name (Angkor Thom means 'Great City').

Many of the temple areas had huge moats around the outside parameter of the city built around the temple area. The effort to have dug the giant moats is phenomenal.

southeastasia2023 — On each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. On the left side of the moat, 54 'devas' (guardian gods) pull the head of the snake 'Shesha' while on the right side 54 'asuras' (demon gods) pull the snake's tail in the opposite direction.

southeastasia2023 — Cal posing with the 'devas' or guardian gods.

southeastasia2023 — In the center of Angkor Thom is the buddhist temple Bayon built in the late 12th or early 13th century.

Within the temple itself, there are two galleried enclosures (the third and second enclosures) and an upper terrace (the first enclosure). All of these elements are crowded against each other with little space between.

southeastasia2023 — A lion protecting the temple entrance.

southeastasia2023 — The always present dancing girls - this time with a band.

southeastasia2023 — The outer wall of the outer gallery features a series of bas-reliefs depicting historical events and scenes from the everyday life of the Angkorian Khmer.

southeastasia2023 — The outer gallery encloses a courtyard in which there are two libraries. Originally the courtyard contained 16 chapels, but these were subsequently demolished by the Hindu restorationist Jayavarman VIII.

southeastasia2023 — The inner gallery is nearly filled by the upper terrace, raised one level higher again. The lack of space between the inner gallery and the upper terrace has led scholars to conclude that the upper terrace did not figure in the original plan for the temple, but that it was added shortly thereafter following a change in design.

Very hard to get great pictures of the towers as they are so close to the walkway of the inner gallery.

southeastasia2023 — The Bayon's most distinctive feature are the over 200 of serene and smiling stone faces of Brahma on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak.

Typically there are 4 faces on each tower facing in the four cardinal directions.

southeastasia2023 — Buddha protected by the 7 headed Naga in the main entrance of the temple.

southeastasia2023 — In the eastern gallery, a land battle between Khmer and Cham forces, both of which are supported by elephants - the Khmer appear to be winning.

southeastasia2023 — The view into the Bayon Temple.

southeastasia2023 — Our next temple was Preah Khan built in the 12th century. Once again a bridge across the moat surrounding the temple complex.

This temple is not being restored but simply maintained.

southeastasia2023 — These little guys are holding up the statues across the causeway.

southeastasia2023 — Gods engaged in Churning of the Ocean.

southeastasia2023 — The temple is still largely unrestored: the initial clearing was from 1927 to 1932, and partial reconstruction was carried out in 1939.

Preah Khan was built on the site of Jayavarman VII's victory over the invading Chams in 1191. The temple's name means "holy sword".

southeastasia2023 — Guard at the temple's first courtyard.

southeastasia2023 — A small carving in the sandstone.

southeastasia2023 — Virginia Ann waiting (impatiently) for Cal to catch up with her exploration of the temple.

southeastasia2023 — The ruins piled into the room through doors and windows.

southeastasia2023 — The Hall of Dancers.

southeastasia2023 — Many stone carvings as we moved through the ruins.

southeastasia2023 — Dancing girls over the door

southeastasia2023 — The jungle comes up to the temple - without maintenance it would take over.

southeastasia2023 — The next temple was after lunch - Ta Prohm

The temple is referred to as the "Tomb Raider Temple" or the "Angelina Jolie Temple" due to its depiction in the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001).

southeastasia2023 — The temple was built without mortar and, after it was abandoned, trees took root in the loosened stones. The trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of the most popular temples with visitors to the area.

It has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1992.

southeastasia2023 — In 1186, Jayavarman VII embarked on a massive program of construction and public works. Rajavihara ("monastery of the king"), today known as Ta Prohm ("ancestor Brahma"), was one of the first temples founded pursuant to that program. The stele commemorating the foundation gives a date of 1186 A.D.

southeastasia2023 — After the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 15th century, the temple of Ta Prohm was abandoned and neglected for centuries. When the effort to conserve and restore the temples of Angkor began in the early 21st century, the decision was made that Ta Prohm would be left largely as it had been found, as a "concession to the general taste for the picturesque."

southeastasia2023 — Tetrameles nudiflora grows as a large deciduous tree, capable of growing over 90 feet with a spread of over 30 feet.

southeastasia2023 — Stone carving near a window with pieces of building crumbling through.

southeastasia2023 — Detail of figures over a door.

southeastasia2023 — The trees growing right into the stone are impressive.

southeastasia2023 — Ruins slowly being covered by the trees.

southeastasia2023 — Virginia Ann and Cal posing in front of the trees embracing Ta Prohm.

southeastasia2023 — Very difficult to get the entire tree in the picture as they are huge.

southeastasia2023 — Great trees leaning into the temple from their perches high on the walls.

southeastasia2023 — A satellite temple away from the main structure. Note all the stones in disarray - which belong to some structure.

southeastasia2023 — Virginia Ann on the boardwalk through the temple complex.

southeastasia2023 — Looking down one of the galleries surrounding the main temple.

southeastasia2023 — An apsara next to a window.

southeastasia2023 — Ornate decoration over a door

southeastasia2023 — Officially done for the day at 3:00 pm we headed back to the hotel - our guide asked if anyone wanted to revisit Angkor Wat as our tickets were good for 24 hours.

Cal was the only one who wanted to go back. As we were hiking to the temple we spotted a monk out for a hike.

southeastasia2023 — We entered through the East Gate which was the opposite side from our morning excursion. The main entrance is on the west side so no people!!!

southeastasia2023 — Carving of Vishnu Churning the Sea of Milk - the subject of many of the causeway statues we saw all day.

southeastasia2023 — One of the two inner libraries.

southeastasia2023 — Two monks move through the inner courtyard with the towers of Angkor Wat rising over their heads.

southeastasia2023 — The main entrance to the central tower with one of the corner towers in the background.

southeastasia2023 — More dancing girls or apsaras.

southeastasia2023 — There are four basins creating a cruciform cloister structure (cross like covered structure). The basins we probably filled with water - creating a temple-tank which was common in Hindu temples.

southeastasia2023 — The painted ceiling in the cruciform cloister.

southeastasia2023 — Monks collecting donations near a very large buddha.

southeastasia2023 — The first level of the temple on the west side of the complex.

southeastasia2023 — The towers of Angkor Wat towering over the walls and palm trees.

southeastasia2023 — The central tower of Angkor Wat as seen through a gap in the columns of a library in the outer courtyard.

southeastasia2023 — As we were leaving there was a troop of monkeys moving around the outer wall and entertaining the tourists.

southeastasia2023 — Part of the reconstruction is a replication of the Naga at the west entrance to Angkor Wat.

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