What a Wat!

Angkor Wat....whooo hoo!! It's huge, beautiful, and awesome. On the downside, it is swarming with herds of Japanese tour groups (I call them Agoraphobic sheep). Nevertheless, Sam and I were able to take great pictures and even find some very peaceful places to enjoy views of the surrounding forests. "Forests?", you ask. I was surprised too. While the temple itself is truly wonderful, the land it sits on is just as worthy of mention. The tranquil forests surrounding the massive temple is perfect for a quiet stroll when you've had enough of the throngs of tourists. Pehraps best of all, the $20 ticket gets you access to a number of other intriguing temples as well. Ta Phrom is perhaps one of the more well known, as it is the place where the creeping roots of massive trees are slowly tearing the ancient temple apart. You don't have to run off to your room to pack your bags in order to see the temple before it's gone though, because there is currently an ongoing project to restore much of the temple without destroying the enormous trees. According to the leaf-raker (who also became my guide for making great pictures), it should take about ten years to complete the rebuilding effort. Let's put it this way, I'd come back tomorrow to see it, so in ten years I'll definitely be ready to return.