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The Angkor temples are spread over a huge area just north of siem reap. The first were built by Jayavarnum II (J2) in 9thC and Hindu but added to over the next 4 centuries and became Buddhist temples. We started our day at 5 but sunrise was 6.30 so we were early for once! Our guide majored on the political situation in Cambodia and little attention was paid to the buildings themselves, although the sheer size and intricacy was a lot to take in.
It was a day of high emotion, principally because our guide (who really wasn't very good at being a guide) chose to share his family history with us. It seems that, at the age of 7, he saw his mother and sister murdered by Pol Pot thugs; his father and brother had been killed some time before.
He was then forced to join the perpetrators, the Khmer Rouge. After a year he escaped by walking for 3 days without food. He was taken in by an orphanage but now has no emotional energy to rebuild his life without an extended family & so at 39 lives with monks in a pagoda.
Temple highlights to follow .....
- comments
Naze Fascinating story, sounds a lot like one published in a book called 'The Killing Fields'. I hope you're feeling better now dad, Love you lots xxx