Dear Family and Friends,

By 8 am on Day Three, we had many Angkor must-sees left plus Theara had promised my friend that he’d take us to ride elephants. I silently wondered how we were going to do it all while my friend was greatly excited about the elephants. Never one to miss out, I had acquiesced to the theory that now that elephants are no longer used for logging, it is good for them to haul tourists. Granted, the elephants looked better fed than many countryside cows. To ride, we paid a friendly lady, gave Anne’s camera to Theara (I didn’t want shift my center of gravity to the point of reaching down to also hand my camera to him), and climbed wooden stairs to a platform that vaguely resembled the height of a child’s tree house. The elephant had a driver perched just behind its ears and a wooden platform that comfortably sits 2 – 4 on this back. I crawled on first, cautious regarding the gravity (I’ve been in shifting horse saddles and had no intent of creating a Bridget story involving me hanging off the side of an elephant) and then my friend climbed aboard. We then spent approximately 25 minutes riding around one of the most famous temples at Angkor Wat: The Bayon. I don’t truly know how our elephant felt about carrying us around, but if he was displeased, he had his revenge by making me queasy/motion sick for a few hours after we safely dismounted. My friend loved the elephant and could’ve gone for another 25 minutes but I was ready for some temples – which was good because, as mentioned, we had a lot to see.

Too many tourists were at the famous Bayon (the temple we had just circled) so we veered to the right, walked upon another causeway cupped by beautifully carved pillars to visit the middle of the 11th century Bapuon. Another NGO is in the process of reconstructing this temple so we observed beautiful carvings as well as cranes and workers from a distance. I loved the pillars and found the lawn outside the temple a veritable graveyard of gorgeous carvings. We next walked around a formerly grand palace and saw nice swimming ponds. It was hot and humid and I could feel the sweat trickling down my spine… so it took the really fantastic carving (yes, more!) of the Leper King Terrace to perk me up. This 13th Century massive stone terrace was named after the sculpture of a not-very-well-regarded king that resides on the top (actual leprosy isn’t apparent on the statue and history is vague on this point). The wonder of the terrace is the carving on the walls of multiple kings, dancers and animals… and that there is an inner wall with more of the same. If I were to show you all pictures of carvings, you’d be sick of them in an instant. But viewing these carvings in person, even after days of viewing carvings, remains simply wonderful – we never did take them for granted.

Next we walked by the Elephant Terrace… another terrace that abuts the Leper King Terrace with carved elephants and bedecked gorillas parading around its stone walls. Fun! Don’t think that my friend weren’t snapping pictures left, right, and center.

Finally, we walked up the stone steps and into the famous Bayon temple. From a distance, the Bayon looks like a bunch of piled rocks and even from the back of an elephant, it is not tremendously impressive – except that it is huge. BUT what makes the Bayon a marvel are the 37 towers of stone, each with up to 4 carved faces – while the huge central tower has many, many more faces. This temple could be a monument to a Khmer king’s ego (and beauty?) but the stone faces are beautiful and enigmatic. The temple is crowded with later additions and (more!) amazing bas-relief carvings. These carvings are not mere decoration but also appear to tell 13th century war stories or provide scenes of daily life. There are also the requisite Apsara dancers… but the story-telling carvings are most compelling. The Bayon was so fascinating that I forgot to keep an eye out for my friends as I wandered up and down and around… snapping pictures and making noises of inarticulate delight. Don’t worry, we found each other eventually.

After the Bayon, we took a break – Theara ate, we girls did not. We were too hot to be hungry. We were granted some time at the South Entrance of the complex that holds the Bayon, terraces, Bupoun and palaces – in sum called Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom is one of the largest ancient Khmer cities and built by the famed king Jayavarman VII – the chap behind all the wonders that I’ve just described. The South Entrance is crowned by an enormous face tower with a bridge lined with Nagas held by bad giants on one side and good warriors on the other side. Talk about a Kodak moment or 20…

Have I mentioned that I took 317 pictures during my week in Siem Reap? My picture taking style is akin to throwing Spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks so I’ve reduced this number to what looks good and/or tells part of travel story but… If I were all of you, I wouldn’t be in a hurry for my return – think of all the pics that you all will have to endure!