Cambodia: Siem Reap, Friday

Our taxi driver, Sam-Ang, indeed showed up at 8:30am to pick up for our first of an expected three days of "temple-ing." Following a nice breakfast we set off for a day which would include five temple sites and the landmine museum.

The first site we visited was Banteay Srei which is a smaller site know for its well-preserved intricate carvings. We spent about 45 minutes strolling around the buildings that make up the site before stopping to listen to a musical group made up of landmine victims playing traditional Khmer music. Little did we know that we would come across these groups playing at all of the major temples we would visit - a rather sobering thought.

At the landmine museum, the inspiring life's work of a former Khmer Rouge child soldier, now mine clearer, is on display. Aki Ra has won international recognition for his work not only clearing landmines, but also educating the international community about their disastrous consequences. It is estimated that he has cleared 50,000 mines and other explosive ordinates in his lifetime - an incredible sum even considering the millions of  munitions that are estimated to still litter the Cambodian countryside. It was an interesting visit and something that we all agreed needed to be seen. <http://www.cambodialandminemuseum.org/>

After being "blessed" by a Buddhist gentleman at Banteay Samre, lunch, and a visit to Pre Rup we moved on to Banteay Kdei and Ta Prohm - two of the more popular sites in the area. At Banteay Kdei, a large, well-preserved site, contrasts that seen at Ta Prohm which has largely been swallowed by the jungle. Ta Prohm was made famous by the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. The site is large and a bit of a maze as the trees dictate the path which you can take. It was a nice capstone to the first day of temples.

After temple-ing, we took a dip in the pool and recovered in the A/C confines of our hotel room. The heat and humidity are pretty exhausting and after dinner it was early night to bed. Plus, Sam-Ang would be waiting in the morning for another day of sightseeing.

Banteay Srei

Incredibly intricate carving at Banteay Srei

Drew and Marta at Banteay Srei

Landmine victims and now musicians who play for the crowds at all of the major temple sites.

Landmine museum. Somber, informative and well worth the visit.

Joe being blessed at Banteay Samre, so no need to worry about him on this trip.

Local Buddhist who offers blessings to the visitors to of the temple.

Intricate stone pillars that adorned Banteay Samre.

Banteay Samre - a great site which we seemingly had to ourselves to explore.

A good little hike to the top of Pre Rup after lunch...ugh... The heat and humidity are indescribable.

Pre Rup from the top. So many of these sites look like rubble until you get up close to appreciate the detailed carvings.

Banteay Kdei - an impressive site that is in good repair except for this large tree near the western edge of the temple.

Banteay Kdei

Lookin' good Joe. This gives you some idea how hot it is as we were all sweating through our clothes by mid-afternoon.

Ta Prohm - the site made famous by Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Here, the jungle envelops the temple.

Marta Croft: Tomb Raider

Buddhist statue at Ta Prohm

Intricate carvings lurking around every corner at Ta Prohm.