Siem Reap is the site of Angkor Wat, a huge temple that was the centerpiece the Khmer culture about 1,000 years ago. Ancient buildings include not only the main temple, but also palaces and lesser sacred spaces scattered about the area.
Across from our lovely colonial-era hotel is a public park.
Still celebrating the new year….
A group of Korean music teachers presented a music and dance program for hundreds of public school children.
The visit to Angkor Wat started with a reminder of the tragic civil war that devastated the country for years, killing and maiming many citizens. Millions of live land mines remain in sparsely-populated areas.
Often dreamed of, only a part of the complex was open…..
A pretty Japanese visitor….
Negotiations with a local urchin and a nun….
A boat ride to a village on one of southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lakes showed a sad resident population doomed by the degradation of the lake’s environment…
Exploiting a child, begging for dollars with a gentle but still enormous snake ….
And again on the flip side, a gorgeous finale at another ancient temple..
Hard to pass up a goofy photo op…
And now we’re going to Kathmandu! Can anyone in our generation hear that without also hearing the beat of the Bob Seger song?
Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands 