Temple Touring

The road between the town of Siem Reap and the temples is beautifully maintained with trees creating an arched canopy overhead. You can tour the temples on a rented bicycle ($2 a day), the back of a motorcycle ($6 a day), a tuk tuk ( a motorcycle pulling a cart with a canopy) for $10 a day, or air conditioned cars for $25 a day. The elephant is $15 but they are not allowed inside the temples. A hot air balloon over the temples is $140 for 15 minutes.

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm - Next Star Trek Movie?

Ta Prohm Temple and the Tree War

This temple dramatically shows the war between the 1200 year old temples and the strangling fig trees that have to be consantly cut back. Almost every guide book on the temples has one classic picture of the head of a Buddha with the roots of a tree surrounding the head. It's a photo all the photogrphers hope to catch. Unfortunately, those roots were trimmed several months ago and it may take a few decades for them to grow back.

Monk Resting at Angkor

Angkor Wat - Siem Reap, Cambodia

The temple of Angkor Wat is famous for being the largest religious monument in the world, for being the eighth wonder of the world, and for being the greatest pride of the people of Cambodia. It is part of a massive collection of temples throughout Cambodia built by Kings between 800 and 1150 AD. The temples seem to be a combination of palaces, religious temples, and memorials. They combine both Hinduism and Bhuddism in inventive ways that even today is completely accepted by the Cambodians that I have talked to. The current religion is a little of everything and very tolerant of all.