Temples of Angkor - Angkor Thom (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

After visiting Ankgor Wat, I headed immediately to Angkor Thom. The walls of the fortified city of Angkor Thom stretch more than 12km and are 6m high and 8m wide every step of the way. Angkor Thom was built by Angkor's greatest king, Jayavarman VII (1181-1219). The important mouments here are Bayon, Baphoun, Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. At Bayon, there are 37 standing towers with 216 gargantuan faces watching over the temple - hopefully you can make these out in the pictures above. Who the faces represents a matter of debate but they may be Loksvara, Mahayana Buddhism's compassionate Bodhisattva or perhaps a combo of Buddha and Jayavarman. Bayon also contains 1200m of bas-reliefs incorporating a staggering 11,000 figures.

Temples of Angkor - Angkor Wat (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

WARNING - the next few blogs with pictures may cause a sudden desire to hop on the next plane to asia to check out the Temples of Angkor. If you have ever had the desire to play on an Indiana Jones or Laura Croft Tomb Raider movie set for days (and if you are male, you have had this desire), then this is the place for you.

Angkor was the capital of Cambodia's ancient empire, the Khmer empire. Between the 9th and 13th centuries, the Cambodian god-kings tried to better themselves in size, scale and symmetry culminating in the world's largest religious building, Angkor Wat. The Khmer empire once stretched from Burman to Vietnam and the city at its zenith boasted a population of over 1 million, impressive especially when you consider London at the same time had approximately 50,000 residents.

I arrived early Monday morning at Siem Reap, checked into my hotel, called my mom for mother's day and then was off to explore the temples. My first stop was the namesake Angkor Wat. The coolest thing about these monuments is that you can pretty much climb all over them with few exceptions. Climbing to the top of Angkor Wat was actually fairly difficult (signs everywhere climb at your own risk!) and required all fours if you know what I mean. Coming down was no picnic either. Angkor Wat was built by Suryavarman II (1112-52) to homor the Hindu god, Vishnu and for use as his funerary temple. It was constructed as a Hindu temple but has served as a Buddhist temple since Buddhism became Cambodia's dominant religion in the 14th century. The central temple is one square km and consists of three elaborate levels, each which encloses a square surrounded by intricately interlinked galleries. The walls of the temple are covered inside and out with bas-reliefs and carvings - almost 2000 aspara carvings. Rising 31M above the third level and 55M above the ground is the central tower. Angkor Wat is surrounded by a moat and an exterior wall measuring 1300 meters by 1500 meters. Simply amazing.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

I arrived in Phnom Penh Saturday night via plane from Saigon. I only gave myself one full day (Sunday) in Phnom Penh which is all you really need. My first stop of the day was the Killing Fields. It is about 12km out of town and an eventful tuk tuk ride. This is obviously a really sad place. The killing fields were used by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge regime to terrorize the Cambodian people from 1975-1978. Approximately 17,000 Cambodians were killed here and buried in over 129 mass graves. My next stop was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum or better known as S-21. A former school, this facility was used for the systematic torture and interrogation of the Cambodians before they were sent to the killing fields. During 1977, S-21 claimed a terrifying 100 victims per day. The buildings are full of cells and torture instruments and pictures of the various residents - men, women and very young children. Very similar feel to concentration camps. After a rather morbid morning, I visited the Russian Market and then off to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda.

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam

I finally arrived in Saigon on Wednesday evening after a short diversion to Cambodia due to weather. It is the wet season in the south and it has rained every day. On Thursday I took a day trip down to the Mekong Delta. The Mekong river originates in the Tibetan plateau, flowing 4500 km through China, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Mekong Delta yields a majority of Vietnam's rice production. And since over 70% of the working population in Vietnam is involved in the rice process that makes the delta pretty darn important. On Friday I took a half-day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels. At one point the Cu Chi tunnel system stretched from the South Vietnamese capital to the Cambodian border; in the district of Cu Chi alone there are over 250 km of tunnels. We did get to crawl through several tunnels and I got to realize my life long goal of firing an AK47 for just a few bucks. Friday afternoon I visited the Reunification Palace (the fomer HQ of the South Vietnamese Government) and the War Remnants Museum (formerly named the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes). As you can imagine in a communist state, the information is slightly slanted in favor of the Vietnamese. If you ever find yourself in Saigon, I suggest the Rooftop Bar at the Rex Hotel and Saigon Saigon at the Caravelle Hotel for nightlife.

Hoi An, Vietnam

I arrived in Hoi An on Sunday early afternoon, flew directly from Hanoi to Da Nang. Then took a quick hotel shuttle about 30 minutes to Hoi An. Hoi An was one of Southeast Asia's major international ports from the 17th to 19th centuries. And from the 2nd to the 10th centuries it was the heartland of the Kingdom of Champa. Several remarkable facts about Hoi An - in the late 19th century, the Thu Bon River, which linked Hoi An with the sea, silted up and it was the first place in Vietnam to be exposed to Christianity. Also, the city was completely undamaged by the "American War." Hoi An is also near the UNESCO heritage site, My Son, the ancient capital of the kingdon of Champa. Today Hoi An is a charming riverside town that is primarily known for one thing - tailor made clothing. On Tuesday I met up with Michael and Thomas from my SaPa trek and then departed Wednesday mid-day for Saigon (HCM City).