As you walk along paths to different wats, you see many large bricks scattered on the ground with numbers written on them. Putting these relics back together must seem like a never-ending puzzle. Today, they have machinery to help with the process- hundreds (almost a thousand years ago for some) all they had was man power!
More remnants of war. In Cambodia, between four and six million land mines are still in the ground ready to explode. Hundreds of people die each year from land mines. If someone has survived, it is usually at the cost of one or more limbs. Some of the musicians here were missing arms and/or legs. Some had also lost their eyesight.
Check out the reflection. In person, with a light mist in the air, it takes your breath away.
Vishnu was actually front and center of this wat for many years until the religious climate changed and the temple became Buddhist. Vishnu now resides in a small temple off to the side of the larger wat- and is still impressive and beautiful to this day.
Angkor Wat was designed as a Hindu temple, in fact Buddha himself was Hindi and the 2 religions are closely related. Vishnu is one of the most important gods in Hinduism and she was placed at the center of Angkor Wat originally, but moved to the front outer wall by a later king and replaced by a Buddha statue. The Buddha statue is not there today because the center of Angkor Wat was dug out by thieves looking for treasures, but it is said that nothing was found.
Correction: Jesse could have spent months exploring them, the kids and I were good after two days!
