Monday, April 22, 2013

Angkor Wat at sunset

Forget the mystics. Stop calling the psychic hotline.  Hang  up your crystals. If you want to feel real magic. True majesty.  An aura of silence.  Mystical Feng Shui.  A peace that settles into your soul… go to Angkor Wat at sunrise. It is …. indeed…. a wonder of the world. Truly awe-inspiring.





And to think it was all built more than 10,000 year ago before the invention of any mathematical tools, not even the ruler or a basic level or any machinery to move multi-ton rocks.
Even though there were tons of people there at sunrise. And many were talking. There was still an aura of quiet. Of serene.



We spent some time in the Angkor complex walking around and learning the history.  




Two beautiful photos of my Booth (and yes, before you ask, he does basically wear the same shirt every day. It is his favorite shirt. Heidi made it for him before the India Tuk Tuk race and he loves it. But he DOES wash it every night.. I promise). 






I also  loved  the Bayon: as I  am fascinated by the giant faces created solely from the specific and careful placement of stones. Little else.



 The heads face N-S-W-E.

I like this photo of Jordan as the two heads behind him seem to be staring at him.



This photo captured one of the faces  peeking into a hallway behind me...


We even got to visit with some Buddhist monks



And to climb all over Ta Prohm: a place where the jungle over-ran the temple for centuries and literally "grew into" the temple's walls. It makes for some fantastic photos






And the roots create a curtain backdrop for a great photo op



Amazingly, this tree grew over the wall and - by magic or divine intervention of just dumb luck - it branches right at the correct moment so the face could peek out.



Jordan LOVED the fact that you could climb all over every piece of every temple.




While in Siem Reap, we also got a fish pedicure…. Where you literally stick your feet into an aquarium of fish that rush at you to eat the dead skin from every square inch of your appendages.  Here are Jordan’s feet being attacked by the school.  It  is definitely a weird sensation: like being eaten by piranha (although I have no actual knowledge of what such an event would feel like).  



The last scavenge before check-in:  Breakfast at the Butterfly Garden Restaurant 


At check-in we found out that our next destination is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  This leg is only a Par 2 so we’ll be in Malaysia no more than a day and a half.  Our team (Lawyers Without Borders) is still in third place (Yeah) so we'll be working hard to try and keep (or exceed) our ranking. 



4 comments:

Heidi said...

I try again tleave a comment. I try everyday and sometimes they posts and other times they disappear.
Cambodia.....I am so jelous. It is one of the countries on my bucket list...not sure if I will ever get there as Chloe ( my most likely peron to accompany me) as been there already.
Once again you r doing a great job with the blogs.
Jordan seems to be enjoying it....hopefully Mum is handling it OK.
Heids

Heidi said...

WOW it worked. Seems like I can only post comments if I use my notebook!!! Now I know the trick

Chloe said...

I love cambodia! And I especially love Ankor Wat! I spent an entire day there going through all the different areas, and I'm glad you got to see it at sunrise too. Just breathtaking.. I am starting to get very nostalgic for my SAS trip as you have so far been everywhere that I have. It is definitely inspiring me to want to take another trip out to South-East Asia.. next time you are headed out that side you should take me! :)

J. Gerald said...

Hi,

Which part of Angkor Wat did you go to see the sunrise? How did you get to that? Hired a tuktuk or joined a tour so u can see the sunrise?

Thanks. like your pictures.

 

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