Pictures were taken during a trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia to see the ancient temples and a cruise down the Mekong River with many stops from Siem Reap to Saigon.. One photograph of mine was used for our tour guide's website.
Overview
We visited Angkor Thom Temple (12th-13th century), Angkor Wat Temple (12th century), and the Bayon Temple, (12th century). The Angkor Was Temple complex is the largest religious monument in the world. It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple of god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire gradually transforming into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century
Features
- An eight day cruise down the Mekong River
- Two expeditions daily from the boat
- Visits to rural market places, elementary schools, fishing villages and temples.
- Educational visits to the Killing Fields and the largest prison once operated by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, (chilling)
The Monks
We were fascinated by the many interactions with monks.They were welcoming and smiling but often times quite young. Our understanding was that becoming a monk as a young boy helps with education which is not guaranteed for children if the family can not afford the books and uniforms. Monks may choose to leave that vocation if they so choose. We noticed that they love their cell phones but put them away if someone is taking a photograph.