Angkor Thom & Angkor Wat


My parents and I traveled from Vietnam to Cambodia. We were only in the country for a few days; and what I remember most is Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, which we did on a day trip.

I’m an art history buff and have always been fascinated by other religions, so these 2 sites sated both interests.

Angkor Thom was the last capital of the Khmer empire in the region and was established after Angkor Wat. It’s a bit of a mystery to historians as to what purpose the carved faces serve, and what or whom they represent. They aren’t really typical to temple construction of the time, and are quite surreal.

They reminded me of the bodhisattvas and buddhas sitting in meditation at Borobudur in Indonesia (which I’ve only studied, rather than visited):

angkor-thom-faces

Angkor Thom I almost liked better because it showed it’s age a bit more, with trees going through the stone structure and all that. Plus, it’s one of the locations used for one of the Lara Croft movies, specifically the Bayon temple and Ta Prohm. I’ll freely admit that fact made me feel badass walking around the ruins.  

angkor-thom
looks a bit familiar, doesn’t it? Just add Angelina Jolie…

Looking back at my travels, I really am grateful to my parents, who, more often than not, indulged my art historical bent and probably went to places they wouldn’t have gone otherwise because they knew I’d enjoy it, if I didn’t bitch too much about going.

Cambodia, while I was only there briefly, was beautiful, I remember that much.


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