Amazing Angkor Wat - by Karsten

Angkor Wat at a distance. The height of the highest tower is 60 meters
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Siem Reap, Cambodia

February 4, 2007

It was a good thing that we hired a tuk tuk for the day to take us around because every temple you go to is at least 1 kilometer apart.

Angkor Wat

Ascending the stairs to the upper floor of Angkor Wat temple
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Anybody who comes to visit Cambodia has to see Angkor Wat. It is the world’s largest religious building. It was built between the 9^th and 13^th centuries by Suryavaman II to honor Vishnu his patron deity and for use as his funerary temple. Actually Angkor Wat is only one temple of many other temples and buildings in this achaeological area around Siem Reap. It was a good thing that we hired a tuk tuk for the day to take us around because every temple you go to is at least 1 kilometer apart. The whole thing is spread over many square kilometers. In 1992 this complex of many temples and buildings a UNESCO World Heritage site.

You are a long ways up once you have ascended the stairs
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As soon as I stepped out of the tuk tuk at Angkor Wat everything was truly amazing. The mote that is around it is like a big river. You would need to have a navy in additional to an army to try to invade it. The buildings are massive with huge stones stacked on top of each other and carved in great detail. The carvings that are on the walls are so detailed and so precise. They do such a good job telling the story it makes you feel like you are part of the story. It is funny that in some places the rock is shiny and at other places the rocks are still very dusty. Why? Because people touch them so many times in just one little area.

Roots intertwined with stones - the sheer size cannot be visualized without the people standing there
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Other temples (Ta Prohm for example) still have trees growing out of them. Some of the trees have just lifted up the huge carved rocks from the ground or flowed over the sides of the walls. The roots of the trees look like a huge piece of ginger resting on the stone walls. The jungle has tried to swallow up these huge buildings and they were hidden from man for many years. It is so amazing what nature can do.

The scariest thing that I did here is climbing up the steep stairs of Angkor Wat. These were not just any stairs; these were big stairs. Climbing up to the first floor of the temple was scary! One slip and down you go. It is so high and the stairs are at such a steep angle it feels like you are climbing straight up a wall. The worst thing is that there is no hand rail. You basically crawl up the stairs using your hands and feet. It was a big risk for me. But once you reach the top it is a whole new world with many rooms to explore and a great view of the whole courtyard.

Barb discussing geography with the street vendors - Ottawa is the capital of Canada
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Another thing that grabbed my attention is that there are kids selling you things at every temple you go to. They stop right in your path and shove some postcards or anything else they have right into your face. These children speak very good English and they all have the same whiney voice. We found that the best thing to do was to try to have a conversation with them rather than just say that you do not want to buy their cheesy products. They always asked us where we were from and when we told them Canada, they all told us “Ottawa is the capital”. When we asked them how old they are, they always told us an age that was way older than they looked, but always said “we are small in Cambodia”. If we said that we had already bought some postcards, then they said “but you didn’t buy them from me”. Sometimes Mom gave them Canada stickers on their hands and they were happy with that and left us alone.

Detailed intricate carvings can be found in abundance
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This is one place that I will never forget. Angkor Wat is a very special place!