Cambodia - Angkor Wat temples

June, 2019 The part of the temple complex that interested me was Ta Prohm which has the banyan trees embedded in the rocks of the buildings. They are destroying the buildings. They have made great efforts to keep the banyan trees established but reinforce the structure so that it doesn't collapse. The buildings create dark shadows which make high contrast with the beating, glaring sun. It makes it hard to get a good camera exposure. Also the flora growth on the stones darkens the surface of the stones and absorbs light. Some of the photos show the extremely steep staircases. Tickets are expensive to enter the park. You can get a room in town for $2.50 a night, but the one day entrance fee is $32 I believe. A three day ticket sets you back about $63. They prefer to get US dollars. Most places list prices in dollars. It was rare to see prices in Cambodian riel.

The dedication of the folks who built this complex of temples over the years was enormous. The civilization must have been rich and powerful. Then millenia later to discover these buildings in the jungle must have been mind boggling. What really made me think of this as a destination was the Disney movie Jungle Book which featured this setting as the background. Now as a tourist destination it is a money maker. They have dedicated some funds to preserving and rebuilding some of the ruins. They organize visits well to minimize impact. We were out at the site before first light to try and get the spectacular sunrise through the trees and reflected in the lake.

FAVAngkorWat_8250.jpg	FAVAngkorWat_8258.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8271e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8273e.jpeg
FAVAngkorWat_8274e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8276.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8277.jpg	FAVAngkorWat_8290.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8291.jpg	FAVAngkorWat_8303.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8308e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8309.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8311.jpg	FAVAngkorWat_8312.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8313.jpg	FAVAngkorWat_8314.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8315.jpg	FAVAngkorWat_8316.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8317.jpg	FAVAngkorWat_8319.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8321e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8325.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8326.jpg	FAVAngkorWat_8330.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8332.jpg	FAVAngkorWat_8335e.jpeg
FAVAngkorWat_8339e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8345e.jpeg
FAVAngkorWat_8348e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8352e.jpeg
FAVAngkorWat_8357e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8384.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8396.jpg	FAVAngkorWat_8410.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8411e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8416e.jpeg
FAVAngkorWat_8433e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8434.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8439e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8440e.jpeg
FAVAngkorWat_8443e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8444e.jpeg
FAVAngkorWat_8446e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8447.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8451e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8457.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_8471.jpg	FAVAngkorWat_8478e.jpeg
FAVAngkorWat_8488e.jpeg	FAVAngkorWat_8494.jpg
FAVAngkorWat_2187e.jpg	FAVAngkorWat_2192e.jpg