Saturday, October 24, 2015

The tired tried to get us! Siem Reip, Cambodia

I'm so late writing this post because I was almost sidelined by the heat.  This day was spent visiting both Ankor Thom in the morning and Ankor Wat in the afternoon.  Both involved lots of walking and stairs in 90+ degree heat with humidity so high my glasses steamed when I stepped outside.  Hot as it was, these places are not to be missed.  They are designated as one of seven wonders of the world with good reason. Both of these sites were built in th 15th century.  Ankor Wat is the largest Hindu temple in the world at 800 meters long. Both these sites were abandoned in the 16th century and totally grown over by the forest. They were lost and forgotten to be discovered centuries later and uncovered


The picture below shows how the trees took over the buildings while the temple was abandoned.  The roots held the buildings like snakes. 

Above a happy Buddha carved in limestone blocks.  Below kissing the Buddha. 

One of the last things we did at Ankor Wat was climb up the highest tower for a look at the whole complex.  It was worth the climb, because we both survived, as the view not only allowed us to see the whole layout, but to look into the jungle.  I was thinking about soldiers, and our fallen classmate Fred Heriaud, during the Vietnam war in those jungles with their heavy gear,the oppressive heat, and the task they were charged with.


This shot of my face at the end of the afternoon show how we were feeling. The next morning I woke up with a splitting  headache, a rash on my legs and an upset stomach. Betsy gave me two well aged pepto bismol which I chewed up and quickly threw up. I cautiously approached the breakfast and had dry toast and coffee.  Miraculously, as the day went on, I felt better and better.  We have a couple of times promised to take more time during the day to rest and get out of the heat. Ain't worked so far

No comments:

Post a Comment