Siem Reap is clearly “Temple City” , the most significant (and well known) being Angkor Wat, a beautiful, large 3 level temple.  As expected, it draws large crowds even in the hot weather (“Real Feel” temperature was about 110).   All of the temples have detailed carvings covering substantial portions of the walls telling the stories of war, life and beliefs.  We would estimate that the carvings took longer to create than the actual building of the temple.

The temples were primarily built in the 10th – 11th centuries and were abandoned around the 16th century for 200 years.  They were rediscovered by the French beginning in 1860.  Most of the temples are under renovation plans funded by various countries under the UNESCO umbrella.

The Bayon temple (our favorite) is the “face temple”.  Large faces are carved into the towers as well numerous other story carvings.

At an exquisite gourmet dinner, we were treated to an hour of Khmer dancing.