This exquisite hotel was our home for three nights.  From the lobby to our third floor room, it was lined with hand carved teak.  Including a full breakfast, it cost us $23/night!	What a treat--Glorine participated in a traditional Khmer Wedding. Here they are performing an elaborate cleansing and purifying ceremony which included this hair cutting ceremony.
Pictured are the bride on the left and her attendant.   Glorine was the bride's mother.  A traditional Khmer wedding can last from three days to a week with a variety of ceremonies such as a "Call to Ancestors", "Blessings from the Monks" etc.	This is an artisan trade school called Artisans Angkor for disadvantaged youth. You could watch students doing craving, painting, woodwork, pottery etc. Afterwards you can shop in their colorful store.
Mr. Menglim was our driver as we explored Siem Reap using this unique Tuk Tuk.  It is a wagon that can hold up to four passengers which is connected to his motorbike using a fifth wheel device.	This model of Angkor Wat is why we came to Cambodia. Built on a 400 acre site by the Khmer Empire over 1,000 years ago, it remains the largest religious complex in the world.
We started our two-day tour at sunset where we first saw Angkor Wat (City Temple).  It was the largest city in the pre-industrial world and used as their capital from 900 to 1500 AD.	It was initially built as a Hindu temple, but switched to Buddhism near the end of the 12th century.  To this day, 95 percent of Cambodians are Buddhist.
Estimates range between 5-10 million sandstone blocks were used to build this temple--each block weighing up to 3,300 pounds.  Both the interior and exterior walls were then hand carved leaving behind the most exquisite artwork.	We toured the Siem Reap's Killing Fields Memorial in tribute to the nearly two million people killed and buried in over 20,000 mass graves spread throughout Cambodia at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, which in French for Red Khmer.
Some Cambodians blame Richard Nixon and the secret bombing campaign following the Vietnam War, that destabilized an already weak government that led to a communist takeover by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 and lasted until 1999.	With the return of a free market economy, Angkor Wat now has over two million visitors each year.  Tourism is the largest employers in town. This bridge in downtown Siem Reap connects the night market to a lively downtown.
Pub Street is reminiscent of Bourbon Street in New Orleans.  It is two blocks long and lined with bars and restaurants.  Happy Hour lasts all day and the USD is the currency of choice in all of Siem Reap.	We were up at 4:00 a.m. to take in the sunrise of Angkor Wat and we were not disappointed. The central tower is much larger than it looks--it stands nearly 700 feet tall.
In addition to Angkor Wat, there is Angkor Thom (meaning great city) which had a population of 80,000-150,000.  The Bayon Temple is in the center of the city and has 54 towers.	Each of the 54 towers has the face of Buddha of Compassion on each of the four sides. We were told these faces also resembled the King who had the temple built.
The fine details of these dancers chiseled in this sandstone is stunning, but the fact they lasted all these years is as spectacular as is that the exact design is repeated.	This Hindu temple is part of the Royal Palace compound within Angkor Thom.  Beside this temple are the remains of two swimming pools.
This area called Ta Prohm "Tomb Raiders" was abandoned in the 14th century when it was raided by the Thai and the capital moved to Phnom Penh. In addition to age and tomb raiders, the jungle took its toll in its collapse.	These giant trees are said to be 300 years old. This structure is the only one remaining with all the tree limbs encircling it. The others are in various stages of restoration.  Tomb Raiders, staring Angelina Jolie, was filmed here.
We were simply amazed at all the stone carvings, even in buildings encased with trees.	Our tour guide, showed us some before and after pictures of the restoration.
As we walked back to our Tuk Tuk, we happened upon this baboon with her baby. They were among 20 some baboons running freely throughout  the jungle.	We finished our tour back in Angkor Wat, where we climbed all three levels of this massive complex and it is where we took the picture of the faces of monkeys along the roof line.
This is a close up of the monkey faces.	The great wall that surrounds Angkor Wat tells the story of Hindu mythology through these fine carvings in the sandstone blocks.
At sunset, we rode to the top of a nearby mountain and found yet another temple, in ruin.  This temple is being restore with funds coming from the USA, via UNESCO.	Toward the south we could see the great Mekong River delta.  To the north, this mountain was the beginning of several mountain ranges that stretch into Laos and Vietnam.

Our impression of Cambodia:

• The people are the kindest and most humble people we met in our three-month excursion. 
• Once a great empire, foreign interventions by neighboring Thailand, Vietnam, France, Japan, USA and China left this country in shambles, which it struggles with to this day.
• The command economy failed and now a new demand oriented economy is emerging.
• New construction sites are seen throughout the city and the quality seems to equal US standards. 
• Like most of Southeast Asia, it is hot and humid.  "Brutal" is the best way to describe the climate.
• Cambodia and Angkor Wat more specifically reminded us a bit of the great Mayan and Aztec civilizations with their great temples spread throughout Latin America.
• Thanks to UNESCO and their designation as a World Heritage Site, many countries are putting resources into the restoration of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. 
• Their currency is the Cambodian Riel and it takes 4,193 Riel to equal $1 USD.  However, the USD was accepted throughout the city. With the strong US dollar, it was a very inexpensive vacation. 

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