Angkor Wat

Temples temples everywhere! And no, I am not talking about the type that we go to on the High Holidays...

Our voyages in Cambodia brought us to Angkor Wat, a place that probably means nothing in the minds of 98% of Americans (maybe more...), but should. To get a better history that the 2 seconds shpiel I'm going to write here, you should wiki it. Angkor Wat was long the capitol of the strong (and huge!) Angkorian Empire. With hundreds of temples abounding all built between the 10th and 14th centuries, it is a haven of architectural beauty, craftsmanship that words cant even describe, and history that is palpable. Pictures and descriptions don't do this wondrous place justice; a place that has yet to truly become victim to the horrors of being a tourist trap for Westerns. A place where you can literally climbs all over the crumbling ruins as if it were a playground and you were 5 years old (except these are the most ancient ruins in SE Asia and you are 24...)

Cambodians are INCREDIBLY proud of Angkor. It is everywhere - on their signs, on the beer, on their shirts, on their flag, on their passport, etc. Angkor, to them, is a reminder that in the past things were good. In the past, Cambodia and the Angkorian / Khmere Kingdom were successful and respected in the world. Angkor was the height of their success and respect, a time that Cambodians would desperately like to return to. But, alas, Angkor fell centuries ago and the wealth of Angkor is something that Cambodians cant even comprehend for the time being. So, for now, Angkor remains a desire and an aspiration for all Cambodians - a hope that one day they will rise to prominence again. In the mean time, the beauty of Angkor is a pretty good consolation.