The Mother of them All

The final stop on this day (which has lasted forever) was Angkor Wat. This is the flagship amongst a fleet of temples--every one unlike anything I'd seen. The sheer size of this place is staggering. It is one of the most famous ancient wonders of the world, and for very good reason. I very easily could've spent an entire day here, but as said before I had too much to see and too little time. Ironic, that I went back to the guest house after this, but one can only take so much of the heat. This picture I took is a familiar image in Cambodia, as it's printed on beer bottles, postcards, advertisements, in restaurants, in bars, and everywhere you might go.

This is one of two pictures I was in out of 400 plus. The other was taken in this same spot. I swapped cameras with a Korean tourist (funny how I gravitate toward Koreans in other countries) and we took each other's pictures. I was reticent to ask locals to take my picture, and if anyone had read the previous entries they'd know why. It's unfortunate again how I felt it necessary to avoid eye contact and conversation with the locals. I would've loved to have met some Khmers on a personal level and exchanged cultural information, but they're too desperate for money to think about that.

Like I said in another post, it's cool the way that tourists can climb and roam around these ancient historic artifacts. It's rather dangerous also. I walked clear around the temple on this ledge forty or fifty feet up, and never came across any kinds of barriers. The ledge was quite thick, and not so dangerous, but the stairs up were a different matter. I wanted to include a picture, but I had to be picky in choosing six out of seventy pictures. The staircase I climbed had a rope attached to the top that was used for safety. I opted to climb up and down the steep, narrow, and tall steps on my own, which was quite precarious. The Korean tourists were looking at me like I was crazy... which I probably was.
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I spent an ample amount of time sitting on this ledge, gazing into the jungle. I found a quiet, shady corner on the far end where I could sit and contemplate my time in Cambodia. I actually picked up a mild breeze at this spot, and would've had a picnic here had I been prepared. As for the structure in front of the jungle, it is an intricate maze of halls each laden with ornate carvings and statues. There's one wall in particular that is fifteen feet high and somewhere around 50 meters long that is engraved from top to bottom of an ancient battle scene involving chariots, swords, shields, and warriors. I had intended on showing pictures of it, but would've had to post another entry. Let's face it, I'm running out of steam on this Cambodia trip and need to get back to Korea.
I intend to do one final entry and am working on posting pictures online for all to enjoy. However, it won't happen this week as I have another vacation starting tomorrow. Nothing like the last Friday before a vacation! This vacation won't be too exotic, but I will see parts of Korea that I haven't seen before. It'll be reminiscent of the vacation I took last summer, where I went to Jeonju, Busan, Geojedo, Jinju, Haeinsa, Daegu, and then home. I have a pretty good idea of where I want to go, but it could change. Sometimes it's fun to go to a bus station and pick the coolest destination in the guidebook. We'll see what happens... I'm certainly excited.

Here's one last shot from the front ledge looking out. I don't really know why I chose this shot, as there are much better pictures. I don't always make the best decisions, though. The decision to visit Cambodia is not one that I'll ever regret, however. I will post some final thoughts and pictures soon and then tell all about my next trip.