Angkor Thom

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August 17th: We decide to head out of Bangkok and are dropped at the Airport by the local hospital rep for Astra Zeneca. We took our chances to find a plane to Siem Reap. The latter is the second largest city in Cambodia and home to Angkor Wat a 1000 year old monument dedicated to Hindu and Buddhist spiritual traditions.
We secured a ticket the same day but only by delaying our departure to India. We left the same day at 730PM to arrive at Siem Reap at 9PM.

August 18th: Cambodia as we expected was very different. The airport looked immaculate but we (Sanjay) knew what to expect as Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world. We took a local cab ride costing $5. We lodged at the Angkor Diamond Hotel. We were told by the concierge that the only way to visit Angkor was with a cab. The next morning we arose at 6AM after a night of bed bugs and for Sanjay an awful fall in the bathroom due to a slippery and poorly constructed bath tub. We left for Angkor Archaelogical park in cab with a driver and a guide. Angkor Thom which is the entire township of Angkor containing several temples starting in the 8th century. Each temple is an independent walled township by itself and was believed to be supported by thousands of inhabitants. We started by visiting the huge temple of Bayoun with its famous smiling and enigmatic Buddha faces. This was followed by the Baphuon, Phimeanakas, the royal palace and the Terrace of Elephants. Each temple although still standing had evidence of extensive damage. Much to our surprise the damage for the most part was by the eroding effects of tree roots. There was also evidence of extensive defacing of statues due to vandals through the centuries.

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Photos

Angkor Thom
Arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia via Bangkok airline.

Angkor Thom
You can ride on an elephant through the temple for $15 U.S. dollars. We decided to walk.

Angkor Thom
One of the many tourists visiting Angkor.