Life is Not Measured

…by the breaths you take, but by the places and moments that take our breath away. The validity of these words are never more true than the moment you enter this wonder of the world…the ruins at Angkor Wat. They are stunning and majestic against the skyline and words or pictures can never capture all that is Angkor. When we were in Petra we felt the same way and the impression that these areas leave imprinted on your heart and soul are everlasting.

This area is a source of great pride for the Cambodians. It is more than outstanding architecture, it is their national symbol and the epicenter of their civilization. The history of this area is deep and has had many tumultuous times. We are just beginning to know it and find we have so much more to learn.

We have hired a tuk-tuk and driver for the next few days to drive us over to the Angkor Complex. It is a series of temples over 57 km area. Our driver is exquisite and familiar with this region and we are happy to be with him. His name is Talo and we have grown quite fond of him. We venture out early in the morning to beat the sweltering heat. This area has its daily rainfall in the morning so we are prepared. It is a nice reprieve from the heat which is ever present even in the early morning.

It is easy to get lost in your imagination as you head back to the ruins. The temple at Angkor was built during 1112-1152 as a Holy capital city and eventually the funerary temple of  King Suryavarman ll. We learned that one million workers labored over this monument for forty years before it was completed. It was grand in it's day and as we rode among the ruins we got lost in that bygone period. The cleverness and craftsmanship is profound. The surrounding area is well preserved and we are sure nothing much has changed since that day. It will take your breath away.

We bought a three day pass so we could meander over this area without feeling rushed. We wanted to take time to fully explore and savor it.  We averaged about ten miles of walking each day but woke the next morning excited to get up and explore. We have seen infamous sites that we had only seen in pictures before. The temples at Bayon  were one of my favorites. There are fifty four towers with a staggering 216 faces carved into them. It was incredible from every angle.

We went through the old bridge and  entered Angkor Thom. Herein lies Ta Prohm  which looks like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie.  It is a series of dark corridors and pillars that are seemingly held hostage by the gigantic roots of century old trees. It is like nothing we have seen before. We thought of our grandkids and what adventures they could have here.

We shoot picture after picture but find we can not capture all that is here. We climb up to the top a the hill one day just to watch the sunset at Phomn Bakheng. It was an arduous trek but the view was stunning and well worth our efforts.

We happened to be at the right place at the right time on another evening as the sun was setting over the temple at Angkor.  We met up with a group of physicians from Belgium and shared a glass of champagne with them as we watched the beauty at the end of the day. It seemed only fitting to watch the sunset in such a celebratory fashion.

We will take some time to meander around the Tonle Sap Lake area and get to know the ins and outs of Siem Reap. There is a lot to see and we are excited to discover more of this area. We will let you know...