Cambodian Adventures Part III

The next day was the absolute highlight of our Cambodia trip and involved an all day trek through Angkor Wat.  "What is Angkor Wat? " some of you might ask.  Trust me that isn't a silly question because up until our move to Asia and our growing interest in Cambodia, my knowledge of it consisted mainly of its brief appearance in the movie Tomb Raider.  However as we discovered it deserves MUCH more notoriety than that.  We were blown away at these structures and the history found there.  I don't understand how this area isn't commonly mentioned in the same breath as the Pyramids or the Colosseum.

 Anyway, Angkor Wat is the common name for the Angkor Archaeological Park Complex located in Seim Reap, Cambodia.  It is a huge area of temples and giant tree forested areas that dates back to the 9th-15th century.  Although there was a lot of damage to the area due to some of Cambodia's recent tumultuous years  the ruins are still absolutely magnificent especially now that much is being done to restore them.  Our pictures simply cannot do it justice but here is a couple to give you an idea.  Don't worry next time we see you we will hold you hostage with a home movie slide show of all 762 pictures we took.  Just kidding!  We will cut it down to at least 400. :)

One of the temples popping out from behind the trees= breathtaking!!  Also, yes that is a wild monkey on the path!

And yes, that is Hubs feeding a wild monkey! 

I don't even know how to begin climbing this thing.

Probably the most widely recognized spot in the whole area thanks to the movie Tomb Raider.  Aren't those tree roots something else?!

Leave a boy unattended for a few minutes and next thing you know he has knocked down a temple wall. . .

 I think all this would be an amazing sight even if it was built in current times with all the modern day construction equipment, materials, and tools available.  It boggles my mind none of that was around when it was built.

The impressive part isn't even how big the temple looks in comparison to Hubs, it is that this is the 2nd or 3rd story up on the huge structure!!  They are so big it is almost impossible to capture them all in one shot.

If you look carefully at the stones above the arch opening there is a Buddha face looking down at the path towards the camera and one one either side as well.  

Little monks roaming around one of the active temples.

This place is awesome.  I wonder if I can just pick it up and take it home. . .. :)

Cambodian Adventures Part II

We spent the majority of the first day of our trip to Cambodian in Phnom Penh, the capital city.  We didn't have much time but we tried to make every minute count!


First stop was the National Museum which was filled with incredible artifacts, many of which were Buddha statues from varying time periods.  While Cambodia is a predominately Buddhist country they have had significant influence from Hinduism throughout the years.  We found we know remarkably little about either religion and it was interesting having a guide walk us through how to recognize some of the different types of Buddhas often distinguished by hand positioning or objects being held in their hands.  We couldn't take pictures inside the museum but here is a shot of it's beautiful architecture and courtyard.  The spiky curves on the roof were a reoccurring theme on many of the buildings and our guide told us they represented a dragon and symbolized protection.

Next step was the Royal Palace (don't you think that "The Kingdom of Cambodia" has such a perfect ring to it?!).  The King was out of town for a holiday so we didn't get go meet him (ha!) but we did tour a few of the public buildings and areas within his grounds. Here are shots of a temple and a former King's crypt in the Royal Palace area.

The pink flower on the Buddha statue's lap is from a special tree that produces beautiful new flower blooms each morning.  The flowers fall from the tree each day around 1 or 2 pm and then fresh ones bloom the next morning.  Our guide said these trees are considered to have religious significance and are usually found near temples and shrines.

And a close up!  So beautiful and fragrant!

Our last stop in Phenom Pen was a visit to the Genocide Museum.  As some of you may know Cambodia has a very tragic history of civil war in the late 1970s.  This museum was originally a children's middle school that was used as a prisoner camp and torture/interrogation area during this time.    

Over the past few months  we  have developed a real heart for the country and interest in it's history.  This time period is particularly heartbreaking and has resulted in many present day needs and ministry opportunities in Cambodia.  If you are interested in learning more about Cambodia's recent history, we recommend checking out the movie:  "The Killing Fields" and/or the book " First They Killed my Father".