Monthly Archives: February 2012

A few more temples to go! Here are some glimpses of Thommanom, East Mebon, and another personal favorite, Preah Kahn. Dang, aren’t the names just cool in and of themselves?

We came to Siem Reap for Angkor Wat. We stayed in Siem Reap for a break from traveling. Spending an afternoon by the pool sounded like a good way to beat the heat. You can pay a few bucks to … Continue reading →

Ever since Karen and I walked the Killing Fields outside Phnom Penh, we have been researching and learning more about Cambodian history. How immediate are these events in today’s Cambodia? One morning on the hotel TV, we were startled to … Continue reading →

It’s one of the classic Angkor images: the tree that has grown right through a temple, asserting nature’s power and reclaiming the landscape from its former Khmer masters. We saw that iconic image and more, at Ta Prohm and Ta … Continue reading →

For our second day of exploring, we got up insanely early to catch the sunrise. The guidebook suggested watching the sun come up over the lake at Sras Srang. As the first rays pierced the morning sky, I turned to … Continue reading →

What comes after Angkor Wat…

After Angkor Thom spent the whole morning blowing our minds, it was finally time to head over to its more famous brother, Angkor Wat. Built by order of King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century, it started as a Hindu … Continue reading →

Imagine this: you’re on the Angkor Thom restoration team. There’s a slumping, overgrown pile of stones in the woods that used to be the Baphuon, an impressive temple. Your mission: restore it to its former grandeur. You carefully number each … Continue reading →

With many tourists starting their temple explorations at Angkor Wat, our tuk-tuk driver Fickry suggested we start with Angkor Thom. Good choice. The largest complex in the area, it wasn’t overly crowded. Approaching the south gate of Angkor Thom was … Continue reading →

It’s hard to say anything new about Angkor Wat. After all, people have been talking about it for nine centuries or so. People call it the “Eighth Wonder of the World” and dream of visiting. Heaps of those dreams become … Continue reading →