Visit Angkor Wat - Completed 1/4/08

My parents and I planned a trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat and several of the other temples in the area. It was an amazing and inspiring experience. These temples were built close to 1000 years ago...out of lava stone, sand stone, and lime stone. The carvings are intricate and amazingly clear...and the structures have withstood the elements all these years. For more information: Angkor Wat










My dad and I standing in front of the famous Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, the temple complex covers 200 hectares and is the world's largest religious monument.











Bayon temple was built in the 12th to 13th centuries and is known for the 54 towers, each with the 4 faces of Buddha on them.











That's me peaking out a window in the Bayon temple.











Banteay Samre was built in the early 12th century and is known for it's pink-colored sand-stone and detailed carvings.











Neak Pean was built in the late 12th century and was an island temple, that you could only get to by boat. The entire temple centered around water and people would bathe themselves at the fountains at certain parts of the temple for good fortune and blessings. Here I'm standing under the "human head" fountain pretending to bathe.











This last temple is called "Ta Prohm," built around 1186 and was made famous by Angelina Jolie in "Tomb Raider." They actually filmed some scenes on site. It's been left as close to it's discovered state (by the French) with trees growing over it. That's my mom under one of the giant trees covering a wall of the temple.