Angkor

Well I wasn't going to go all the way to Vietnam and not take a puddle-jumper flight to get a look at one of the world's most magnificent wonders - the ancient remains of Angkor in Cambodia. I went with four other friends from the photography group who also had decided to extend their stay in the area. Luckily for us, visiting Cambodia was one of the absolute highlights of the entire trip. We had a wonderful guide who was flexible in letting us deviate from the "ABT" itinerary (another Buddhist temple) - so we got to see not only the impressive and important temples of Angkor, but spend time in the charming city of Siem Reap, visit the countryside, and take a boat tour of a floating village on Ton Le Sap Lake - highlights all! We even managed to make time to lounge around the resort's pool - a true luxury on a journey that was go go go the entire time.

If you're not familiar with Angkor, here's what Wikipedia has to say:

"Angkor ("Holy City") is a region of Cambodia that served as the seat of the Khmer Empire, which flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries. The temples of the Angkor area number over one thousand, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat, said to be the world's largest single religious monument. Many of the temples at Angkor have been restored, and together, they comprise the most significant site of Khmer architecture. Visitor numbers approach two million annually. In 2007, an international team of researchers using satellite photographs and other modern techniques concluded that Angkor had been the largest preindustrial city in the world, with an elaborate system of infrastructure connecting an urban sprawl of at least 390 square miles to the well-known temples at its core."

Or in a word: Amaze!

The temples all were constructed as Hindu temples, but throughout the centuries, Buddhism gained favor and was practiced as well. Today, a mix of both religions are represented.

As I'll probably state throughout this blog, however, photographing buildings and landscapes are not my forte. That pretty much sucks when all of Angkor is just that - buildings and landscapes. Throw in some brutal light conditions (hot temperatures, flat hazy skies), and the majority of my images are not going to do this spot in the world much justice. But it's impossible to capture everything anyway, since the region is so vast (I was similarly overwhelmed when attempting to photograph Bagan in Myanmar last year). But here goes!

Temples include: Angkor Thom, Bapuan, Bayon, Banteay Srei (pink sandstone), Angkor Wat, Pre Rup (for sunset), Ta Prahm (with the crazy tree roots). I think. :)