Images of Cambodia---2002

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This would be my second guided tour since retiring in the Fall of 2000.  I toured three SE Asia countries with Cambodia as the first country.  See-through my eyes as I went on a Wilderness Travel adventure to see The Images of Cambodia during March 2002.  

Cambodia, the heir to Southeast Asia’s mighty Khmer Empire, is a country of palm-fringed rice paddies, thatched huts, and wonderful temples.  Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion, and Khmer is the official language.  For over a century, the second language of choice was French, which is still spoken by many people who grew up before the 1970s.  English has recently surged in popularity.   

While Angkor Wat is a tourist attraction it is still a place of worship for others including monks, nuns, and other pilgrims. 

Angkor Wat is also a beautiful backdrop for wealthy Cambodians to have weddings as this couple I met have done.

Cambodia’s classical dance is highly stylized.  I have included a short clip of my adventures I have made it the backdrop to some wonderful still pictures of the Angkor Wat temple images that I took. The dances I videoed at the Sofitel Royal Angkor Hotel include an orchestra and some vocals.

The Angkor Wat complex of temples are covered with intricate bas-reliefs and scattered widely across a tropical landscape.  They are lasting monuments to the glory of a bygone Khmer civilization.

The over 300 temples were built between the 9^th and 13^th centuries to glorify a succession of Khmer kings.  They are basically a vast representation of Hindu cosmology and the Hindu-Buddhist universe, with all its symbolism.  The grandest and most inspiring temple is the Angkor Wat itself, which one approaches on a road lined with huge, carved balustrades.

  

The Elephant Terraces are one of the areas that are being restored by various governments and non-governmental organizations including Japan, Germany, and UNESCO.

Most of Angkor was abandoned in the 15^th century, and efforts were undertaken to clear away the jungle vegetation that threatens to completely destroy the monuments.  The restoration by other governments and non-governmental organizations continues today.  

At Angkor Thom, you can see how the vegetation has almost engulfed the temples there making restoration a difficult challenge. 

Throughout the temple grounds, you find musicians playing for donations and many of them have been victims of land mines. 

This truck was loaded up after a day at the nearby market.

We stopped at this family compound where we were given a tour of their home which included a distillery where this woman gave us a taste of hard liquor distilled from coconuts.  Like rocket fuel!

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