Ankgor Thom

Angkor Thom is often thought of as #2 to Angkor Wat for some reason. It came later and was built just next door but is actually an entire city with many religious sites. The king at the time was Buddhist, but was very religiously tolerant and left the Hindu Angkor Wat alone. Angkor Thom also has both Buddhist and Hindu religious themes. One of the best Hindu stories is depicted in the entrances and a relief--The Churning of the Sea of Milk, not shown here because--well, I'd been here before. Anyway, the king's tolerance was repaid by the afore-mentioned later Hindu king who went and defaced Buddhist icons all over the temples. Still, it's just enormous, and impossible to take in every site in one day, as I tried on two occasions. And you can ride an elephant through it, which is uncomfortable but pretty neat.

The locals call him "The Leper King," but actually his arms were seared during a battle with a huge venom-spitting cobra.

Don't know what this is, but we climbed the hell out of it.

The Elephant Pomade, or something.

A Garuda, one of my favorites.

Bayon temple is my favorite, though I'd be hard pressed to compare them all. It's well known as the one with many huge faces in 4 directions.
There's a lot of detail. You have to stop for a while until you can pick out the huge faces.


Most of the reliefs around Bayon temple are of Khmer, allied with the Chinese, against Cham invaders. The Cham invaded quite a lot, and at one point they took over for 4 years. Now, the Cham are reduced to small villages scattered around Cambodia and their old capital in central Vietnam, and for some reason converted to Islam.

This guy, with many umbrella carriers, is probably the king who built Angkor Thom.

Apsaras, virgin Cambodian dancers. A common theme in the temples and a common brand for anything Cambodian.

Khmer Budgies

Another good thing about having a guide is he will tell you all the usual places for great photos, like when two faces in profile are framed in a window.

This face is said to be the most beautiful because she's smiling the widest.