Angkor; Can I get a Wat, Wat?

One of my favorite shots (notice the shadow of the face)

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I don't know if I'm eloquent enough to describe what we saw at the Temples of Angkor (you really should just go there yourself!).  They were astounding!  (Having just recently seen an article about the new seven wonders of the world, I wonder why Angkor Wat wasn't included).  It truly is amazing what motivated kings with tons of manpower and lots of time accomplished.  We spent three days wandering the complex.  Some of the temples had steep stairs that we had to climb up on our hands and knees, others lay in ruins (incredibly the city was abandoned for centuries) forcing us to climb around piles of boulders.  A few were being swallowed up by nature with trees and giant root systems growing over, around and thru the sturctures creating some of the most dramatic scenery in the area.  Many of the temples had intricate, detailed stone carvings, often running along the facade of an entire complex.    Some of the bas relief was incredible, telling stories of battles or of Hindu or Buddhist legends.  In Indy Jones fashion alot of the temples had been looted of their artwork.  Sometimes there were so many tourists it was impossible to get a photo but other times we were completely alone.

Kids on the side of the street...

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Our favorite temple was Bayon at Angkor Thom.  It is made up of 54 pillars.  On each pillar there are four faces (one in each direction).  The faces were made of interlocking bricks (almost like a jigsaw puzzle) and it was amazing that despite the creases, moss and decay the faces retained an eerie realism.

As much as we loved the achitectural aspect of Angkor Wat, just as interesting were the locals who lived and worked there.  In all the Wats you could find nuns with bald heads, wearing all white.  They would sit by Buddha statues, begging for money and encouraging visitors to light incense.  One of the nuns had a wicked sense of humour.  She'd crouch down behind a wall and jump out, scaring whoever was walking by.

The children of Angkor were amazing.  They'd run to us, beckoning us to buy food, water or souvenirs.  They'd ask where we were from and then rhyme off facts about our countries.  A few were near fluent in English and could give their spiel in many other languages as well.  They had hilarious little personalities and were fun to chat with.