Great Day at Angkor Wat

Well the title is not exactly true. There are many man temples in the area of Angkor Wat each with a different name. Early this a.m. we went to Ta Prom where Tomb Raider was shot. It was amazing. The Kapok trees have grown for 300 years on top of the structure with roots reaching down into the ground. It was an eerie kind of beauty but beautiful and exotic.

I am constntly amazed by the quality of relief work to be seen on the temples. The detail is impressive, even for 1,000 years ago.

The temples are all different qnd have a quality and character of their own. One that is called the women's temple is built of a pink limestone. No one seems to know where it was brought in from but the stone is beautiful as is the detailed carvings that you find everywhere.

I thought I would be most impressed by Angkor Wat which has been restored and preserved, but it is some of the other lesser known temples that really caught my attention, i. e., Bayon. Bayon has a real aura of mystery with dark narrow hallways and walls filled with detailed reliefs, i. e., carvings of religious themes on walls. All were impressed with it.

Today it rained on the way back out to the temples after lunch. None of the women chose to go, big surprise. Massages, pool, naps, and shopping got the better of them.

It was 30 km back out to the furtherst temple and it was a great ride through small village, rice fields, homes, and shops. The rain mercifully cooled things for the old guy.

Our tuk tuk drivers are wonderful. They are knowledgeable and kind and their English is good. We enjoyed teaching them such useful Americana as "hitch a ride", "whassup", "how's it goin". They seem to enjoy us and we have certainly become fond of them.

Cambodia seems to me to be in recovery mode. Nearly everyone I talk to here lost someone in the Pol Pot wars, as they call it. One of our guides' father was killed when he was four and our other guide vividly remembers the death and destruction of things as a child. It's only been since 1999 when the Vietnames withdrew which was not long after Pol Pot died. The Khmer Rouge killed everyone with an education in a paranoid attempt to create a totally agricultural society.

So, little things like garbage pick up, clean water, sewers, schools, etc. are a real mess. While I support American troops as the best and most honorable in the world our withdrawl created a vaccum which created the opportunity for Pol Pot. Cambodia will make it through their hard work and determination, but they have a long way to go. It' a good place though with friendly people and awsome culture, music, and food. I wish Americans and Cambodians could be better friends.