Mar. 11 – Siem Reap, Big, beautiful, and bold

Today we drive an hour outside of town to the mountain called Phnom Kulen. At this mountain we see two eye-catching sites: 1) a giant reclining Buddha carved into the top of this huge sandstone rock, 2) a sprinkling waterfall that is heavier and stronger during the wet season, (we are entering the hot season, with the dry season to follow).

We also strain our eyes to see beneath the river (that flows into the waterfall) the carvings of Vishnu (the god of preservation) and the symbol of creation (a square with a circle inside, the square representing a man and the circle representing a woman). In ancient times, water that ran over these carvings was said to be holy. Today, locals and daring tourists can bathe in this water.

After this trip, we head to the temple, Banteay Srei. This temple is usually the favourite of tourists, because its deep, intricate carvings are the best in tact of all the temples here. While I concur that Banteay Srei is beautiful, loving our walk in and out of the picture frame doorways, I still love the smiles on the statues in the Bayon temple. Nonetheless, I take plentiful pictures here to remember this experience and share it.

Following the temple, we visit the land mine museum. The entrance sign shows that Canada has provided funds to support this museum and its founder. I am proud of my country! The founder of the land mine is one of the most interesting people I have read about here. His name is Aki Ra. At the age of five, the Khmer killed his parents and conscripted him into their army. As a member of the Khmer Rouge, he laid down hundreds and thousands of land mines. He eventually joined Vietnamese forces against the Khmer Rouge, and now has dedicated his life to removing the very land mines he helped to drop. I buy a t-shirt to support his efforts.