53-Angkor Wat

I've been to the Mayan temples of Tikal in Guatemala & Palenque in Mexico, the ancient India ruins of Hampi, & ruins in Thailand but the temple ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia are in a class by themselves.
Between the 9th and 13th centuries the Kymer empire was reknown for incredible achievements in architecture and sculpture. Angkor was a vast city which had a population of one million when London was a small town of 50,000.
If you ever get a chance to visit Cambodia you will surely want to visit Angkor Wat. A tourist pass costs one day/20$-three day/40 or one week/60...I got the three day pass & explored the temples by bike although most tourists opt for big bus tours or tuk-tuk drivers. The temples are a mixture of Hindu & Buddhist artwork as a later Kymer King was converted to Buddhism. Another interesting thing about the vast temple complex it that the Kymer people(Cambodians) are still living & working near the ruins. Active Buddhist temples are near several sites & huts are scattered throughout the forested ruins. Not only are there vendors of course selling everything from coconuts to books but it was intriguing listening to Cambodian guides speaking Japanese,German,French,Korean,etc as they led various tour groups. It was also nice to experience the silence & majesty of nature as most of the temples are surrounded by forest.
There are dozens of temple sites including Angkor Wat(built by Suryavarman II from 1112-52) and Angkor Thom, built by Angkor's greatest king, Jayavarman VII(1181-1219)
I could go into detail about all the ones I visited but better yet just to check out my pictures posted on my shutterfly site.
http://www.laughingmanlives.shutterfly.com (breathe)