So with Cambodia’s horrific recent history heavy on our minds, we journeyed to Siem Reap, where stand Cambodia’s pride and joy, the temples of Angkor Wat. These majestic stone temples, magnificent in size, design and detail, are remnants of the great Khmer empire, existing from 800 AD to 1432 AD. At a time when London’s population was 50,000, the Khmer empire, made up of the entirety of Southeast Asia, boasted one million inhabitants. It’s believed that the hundreds of temples still standing around Siem Reap today are but a skeleton of this civilization. The skill, organization and authority necessary to construct these gigantic works of art are a testament to the advanced condition of this empire. It’s a bit incongruous to imagine such splendor, such greatness, such power in a country so weak and damaged in
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