A Charmed Life: Life's a Play!

an enchanted tourist

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"City Temple"



angkor = city wat = temple




(the name "Angkor Wat" was used since the 16th c. real/original name of the wat is not yet known, source: wiki)




The Cambodian flag derived its design from Angkor Wat

The temple Angkor at dusk

we are having refreshments of young fresh coconut after a hot day inspecting the ruins.

these are two koreans I met on the way to 'Siem Reap,' the town where the ancient temples are. we ended up staying in the same guest house and so we shared the same tuktuk in visiting the temples.







i visited a local modern temple and this monk apprentice volunteered to show me around and tell me the story of Buddha.







i was going to the middle of the lake where there is a tiny island with a temple ruin.







.~..~.


















The temple was popularised in the West only in the mid-19th century when a French explorer, Henri Mouhot published his travel notes. The explorer wrote of Angkor Wat: (source: wiki)








one reason why angkor wat was the most preserved of all the ancient temples in Siem Reap was because of this moat surrounding the temple. the moat inhibited the forest from reclaiming the temple site while all the other temples were claimed back by the dynamic jungle surrounding the area.
















bridge entrance,
and monk visitors from Thailand (joke)







beautiful devatas adorn the walls of the temple. "devata," does it sound familiar?
yes, it's the same with "diwata," its from sanskrit origin.








an animated devata having fun.






a window







artists, you take their photo, you pay donation







studying the bas-reliefs depicting episodes of the Ramayana and Mahabharata.







inner courtyard,





view from a distant hill







sunset viewing







the beautiful sunset over Angkor Wat




Travel time: Sept. 2004 and July 2008