Superb Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor.

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We left Phnom Penh and travelled west to the city of Siem Reap. In the past Siem Reap was a sleepy little town that no one rarely cared to much about then suddenly one day the world woke up realised the largest religious building in the world was 14 kilometres away and now Siem Reap attracts over four million visitors a year.
The reason all these people come to Siem Reap is to visit the temples of Angkor and specifically Angkor Wat which is the largest religious building in the world and was built in the 12th century by the Khmer empire. The temples of Angkor are such a source of pride to Cambodians that Angkor Wat adorns the national flag and Angkor beer is regarded as the best in Cambodia.
We arranged ourselves a tuk-tuk driver to take us around the temples and the next day we set off to see Angkor Wat at sunrise. The site of Angkor Wat is truly phenomenal and it ranks up there with some of the best sites that we have seen on our travels. Alongside places such as Machu Pichu and Petra.
The sheer size of the temple complex is astounding, there are two recommended tracks around the temples of Angkor, one is 14km long and the other is 28km long. We ended up going out to different temples three days in a row and not visiting the same temple. Many of the temples are adorned with beautiful carvings in the stone which have survived for all this time and are remarkably well preserved.
As with many other similar sites it is impossible to describe what it is like and hopefully the photos will do it some justice.

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Photos

Bridge
The Bridge into Angkor Tom, the is adorned with Buddha statues.

Mischevious monkeys
We watched monkeys pull this sign down where they celebrated by jumping up and down on it

Land mines
We visited the land mine museum. Cambodia is one of the heaviest mined countires in the world which has caused many problems to the cambodian people. Amputees are a common site.

Tintin in Cambodia
Despite the obvious tragedy caused by landmines to the Cambodian people; they have still managed to retain a sense of humour.

Tha Prohm
This temple has been consumed by the jungle and much of it is covered with roots.