I flew from Bangkok to Siem Reap the 2nd largest city in Cambodia and the gateway to the world’s largest temple complex, Angkor Wat (the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum ), which is about 30 minutes outside of the city by Tuk Tuk, my now preferred mode of transport I again felt immediately welcome-
Though I got an extensive tour of Angkor Wat and associated temples, including one apparently named after my brother in law, Tom (Angkor Thom), I found it quite difficult to capture the size and grandeur of the site in pictures.
These are just the best I could do on my visit-
It was originally founded as a Hindu temple in circa 1150 and still has some Hindu statutory vestiges remaining-
But since the 1500s has been a Buddhist temple. It was abandoned to the jungle around 1600 as the result of local wars until rediscovered by the French in 1867.
Close to Angkor Wat is the “Tree Temple” famous apparently for providing the setting of the movie “Tomb Riders” with Angelina Jolie and for its temple bound roots-
My guide insisted.i get photographed wherever A Jolie stood, tho I barely know who she is and have never seen the movie
Siem Reap is a lively city with a street with my mane on it (renowned in Cambodia)-
Happy Hour apparently had a strict shutdown between 2-3 am Maybe Happy Day is more accurate?
The next day I visited a lake village on stilts (to be above the monsoon floods in the rainy season) in the countryside on stilts with a tour-
The lake was huge (you couldn’t see across and is the largest in SE Asia) and evidently is one of the most fish producing in the world-
We visited a local school there where the kids were learning English. They wanted to practice it so we were encouraged to engage and I did. The 10 your old girls were ready with their questions-
What is your favorite fish? Sport? Food? Bird? Movie? Animal? Etc. Not to be outdone I fired back what is your favorite movie? Sport? Food? Bird? Fish? They had nothing on me in the English department. No mention of Shakespeare by either of us.
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