I

L O V E

Cambodia.

In Siem Reap, I was unprepared to be so overwhelmed by beauty. Even my mosquito bites were a curiously gorgeous shade of red. There is such poverty (our educated guide's day rate was only $25!) and there is a history of pain in this country, but the people are incredibly beautiful and kind behind weary eyes.

The food is wonderfully fresh and fruit filled, and the heat and humidity were significantly more bearable than Bangkok. The temples...well, they were all an incredible site, and the wonderment of Cambodia's history from past until present requires much hope for the future.

This one below is the first temple we visited.

Our trek generally started at 4:30AM each morning. In retrospect, not only was it considerably cooler at that hour, but our bodies thought it was afternoon in LA. The trees that grew here are survivors. It is profound to see the way the roots claim their space.

Angkor Wat was slightly smaller than I expected...

I'm only kidding!!

It is truly magnificent! And duly noted, it is the largest preindustrial city in the world (thank you jama for your wikipedia research). Apparently, Angkor Wat was a runner up as a wonder of the world.

(looking at the list, not only have i not seen any of these, but how did Angkor Wat not beat out Brazil's Christ???)

I can't remember the name of this one, but it was my favorite temple there. The faces carved in the stone are wonderfully peaceful, and the road of warriors and demons at the entrance was an awesome greeting.

The morning light was amazing, and the monks were so peaceful and kind. One of them had the most beautiful chest tattoo. It looked like a Buddhist story of a Dragon and Phoenix that seemed to be carved in the temple reliefs.

Ah...Cambodia.

Thank you for reminding me how my life is a blessing.