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The Angkor Thom elephant gate.
It’s possible, to actually rent an elephant and ride it through the gate. On this occasion, only a coach of Japanese tourists is visible. |
| A base reflex of a mighty army heading into battle. |  |
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The elephant wall.
Its about 100m long, and has elephants carved into it. |
| One of the many amazing 3d carvings of the face of Buddha.
Originally a Hindu temple, it was converted to a Buddhist temple and the faces were carved over the Hindu symbols. |
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Angkor Thom, is not technically a temple, but is actually a city with temples contained in it. |
| Me sat enjoying the amazing atmosphere. |  |
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Another excellent find by our guide Mr Han.
Its possible in one obscure position, to see 3 contrasting faces, on 3 different monuments. I could have walked around there for days, and not found this spot |
| The city had many spectacular walkways.
Here, the roof has collapsed/been destroyed and only the supporting pillars are visible. |
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Two of best preserved serene faces of Buddha.
My guide book described it as “investigated with delight, and left with regret”. |
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The main walkway into At Prohm.
At the side of the path, some former beggars, had taken up playing music as a source of income. Many of them had lost limbs due to land mines, but they hadn’t lost any of their enthusiasm for music. |
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This is what I really came to the Angkor Wat to see !.
Originally built in 1186, it was hidden in the jungle for nearly a thousand years. Like the rest of Angkor Wat, it was discovered in the mid 19th century by Henry Mouhot a French explorer Briefly featured in the film Tomb Raider, there’s something magical about exploring lost cities. |
| Seeds contained in bird droppings had been scattered all over the city.
In the thousand years since, entire trees have grown up and literally merged with the buildings. Here a tree, has actually grown on top of one of the buildings. |
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Our guide Mr Han and I pictured next too one of the tree’s
The trees were Banyan, Kapok and Fig. The roots in the background, illustrate the sheer size of the tree’s. |
| A picture of the main temple, with the reflection showing on the small lake in front.
Our guide Mr Han, was excellent, and knew all the best places for Photographs, and how to avoid crowds. |
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One of the most famous scenes of the At Prohm.
Exploring a city lost in the jungle, one off the most amazing experiences of my life. |
| We later went to see an Artisan centre. where deaf people are taught to make natural crafts.
The people in the country are desperately poor, and we bought as many presents as we could afford. |
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