CAMBODIA-ANGKOR WAT -ANGKOR THOM-TA PROHM

We reached Cambodia in 3 hours with a connecting flight from the Cayman Islands. We plan to stay here for a while. Visiting the Angkor temples will only take us 3 days. Angkor Wat Temple, located in Siem Reap, Cambodia, is one of the world's most iconic and breathtaking ancient temples. Built in the 12th century by Khmer King Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat is a stunning example of classic Khmer architecture and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Khmer Empire constructed the Angkor temples in the heart of Cambodia's lush forests approximately 900 years ago, right as a religious transition from Hinduism to Buddhism began. It is the largest religious complex in the world. Angkor Wat is designed as a terrestrial model of the cosmos—with its center tower rising approximately 60 meters, it is a stone miniaturized copy of the universe. The outer wall corresponds to the mountains at the edge of the world; the 5-kilometer moat surrounding it symbolizes the oceans beyond them.

Angkor Thom is a 700-year-old temple built after Angkor Wat. It was the last capital of the Khmer Empire. It is believed that the temple, adorned with bas-relief images of good spirits and demons, was built upon the ruins of the ancient capital Yasodharapura, which was destroyed during a war at that time.

Ta Prohm is the most intriguing temple in Angkor. It became one of the most recognized temples when Angelina Jolie used it as a film set in the Tomb Raider films.