Trip to Angkor Wat
The team woke up bright and early to leave despite it being our first day off. The air was crisp and cool, a perfect morning to explore the ancient structures in Angkor Wat. Our tour guide Mr. Tolan was great, we all learned a great deal about the rich history of the temples.
The first temple was Angkor Wat. The building was surrounded by a large moat and luscious greenery. The walk across the stone bridge was mesmerizing as it overlooked the majestic temple. We continued our way through this temple passing a couple of libraries, markets and monasteries. Lucky for us, we got some added exercise since we had to walk up a long pile of stairs to the very top of the temple. By the time I got there I was huffing and puffing, but it was all worth it! The highest level of the temple was filled with intricate wall carvings, windows that overlooked the land and much more.
Mr. Tola then took us to Taphron temple. This was a sight to see! The building was quite different from Angkor Wat since according to the tour guide it was left abandon in the jungle for a long time. As a result, this provided a perfect opportunity for nature to take over the temple- for instance, there were gigantic trees took over walls. One tree had roots so large that it folded along the walls of temple appearing as a the tree was in a ‘lotus position’.
By noon we had lunch by Banteay Srey temple, which is distinctive because of its pink colour. Interestingly, the colour pink is associated with ‘women’ as it does back home. The name of the temple is translated to “citadel of women”.
Our last stop of the day was at the Landmine Museum. We learnt a great deal about landmines and the devasting impact it has on the people in Cambodia and all over the world. Contrary to the disheartning reality of land mines, we were given a tour around the orphanage as well. We were given the tour by Bill Morse and it it was amazing to see all the hard work that has been done by him, his wife and many others at the museum. The compound had added a few new structures, such as a playground and residence, and renovations to really make the place a wonderful home for the children.
