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Caption: Siem Reap History that lingers
Caption: After a long career, earlier this year I decided to embark on a sabbatical (duration to be decided).
The goal was to reconnect with old friends and to discover new lands. Most importantly, to spend more time with my family and my lovely wife.
Siem Reap was one of those destinations. And while I loved the experience at the time, I have been a bit surprised by how powerfully it has continued to linger with me.
I have been asking myself why and I think the answer is this: it is a monument to both a powerful and often generous civilization (one king created 52 free universities). One that was both powerfully industrious and yet human. It's past endures and lingers with travelers.
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Caption: Banteay Srei Where history will not be ignored
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Caption: Banteay Srei. The king that built this temple used a harder limestone than was used at other temples. As such it has literally weathered the ages better than the other Siam Reap temples.
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Caption: No other temple has quite
this level of detail.
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Caption: Ta Prohm Where nature embraces history
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Caption: The trees and their roots that have wrapped themselves around this temple over the centuries, now literally hold it together. Perhaps the hardest temple to restore because if the trees are removed the inner structure
may crumble. But it's nature' embrace that also makes walking this temple
so magical.
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Caption: Angkor Thom The city with a million faces
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Caption: Bayon Temple The Temple of
Angkor Thom
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Caption: Bayon features 54 towers. Each individual tower has four faces. Each one different. None of the 216 faces are alike (it was thought to be a celebration of this king's people). This temple made of stone is incredibly human.
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Caption: One of the gates leading into Bayon.
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Caption: Sunrise at Angkor Wat What it awakens
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Caption: It is fairly common knowledge that one of the best ways to beat the crowds that stream into Angkor Wat is to go at sunrise.
But that diminishes the experience. To watch the sun come up over the temple is to see all of its glory in silhouette. It is then you quietly realize the power of its architecture. To see the temple mirrored in its ponds is to see its glory.
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