 |
| The bus left at 5am. We were awake before 4. |
 |
| Our friends, Yan and Chandy on the bus. They arranged for us to join their university field trip. |
 |
| The bus was equipped with a TV monitor Cambodian Karaoke played the entire trip All the songs are tear-jerkers |
 |
| Teacher of Khmer Studies giving trip details All in Khmer. I had no clue what he was saying, but it sounded important |
 |
| Pit stop. Guys & gals got out to pee in the bushes... And we got to watch the sunrise. Awesome |
 |
| Singing songs on the bus |
 |
| The class 'entertainer' - plays flute, sings, tells jokes |
 |
| Huts like these dotted the countryside on the way to the temple No electricity, no running water. |
 |
| Nearing the mountain. Preah Vihear is on top |
 |
| The bus only goes to the base of the mountain. We took 4WD trucks up the slope. 15 people per truck Gordon & I sat in the truck bed. Very bumpy ride |
 |
| Also a very STEEP ride! |
 |
| Near the top is an army encampment We gave food & treats to the soldiers |
 |
| Soldiers |
 |
| First set of stairs up to Preah Vihear Try to imagine these are about 1000 years old! |
 |
| Amazing carvings on the lintels |
 |
| The roof would probably have been made of wood |
 |
| Lintel carving of 'The Churning of the Sea of Milk' |
 |
| No Graffiti |
 |
| But there was lots anyway |
 |
| An exquisitely carved doorway |
 |
| The temple was scattered with soldiers |
 |
| An ancient 'soldier' guarding the temple doorway |
 |
| Soldiers in one of the doorways |
 |
| Vaulted ceiling all made of stone How did they ever do that? Amazing.... |
 |
| Monks bestowing a blessing on a petitioner The soft drinks and cigarettes behind belong to them I didn't know that monks smoked... |
 |
| This is where the stone for the temple was quarried right out of the mountain side Hard to imagine the manpower it took to build these temples... |
 |
| A soldier stands guard with his gun The Thais are only a few hundred yards away and conduct military 'exercises' regularly |
 |
| A small temple with a tree growing out the top The root system was all along the insides of the temple Fantastic |
 |
| Spetacular view from the mountain top |
 |
| Most members of the group posing outside the temple Can you pick out Gordon and me? |
 |
| At the army base below, there were warnings for landmines |
 |
| Gordon with the Colonel He painted his beard with shoe polish! (honestly) Cracked me up! |
 |
| Reservoir at the temple Dry season, so the water level is low Soldiers are using this as a water source |
 |
| Road construction going on up the mountain Many hairpin turns - quite a hairy ride Not for sissies.... |
 |
| On the return trip, we stopped at Tamok House Tamok was a Khmer Rouge commander Read about it here: http://www.cambodiatips.com/travelguide/oddor-meanchey/sightseeing/330-the_cultural_site_of_khmer_rouge_tamok_house.html |
 |
| Many intricate murals on the walls of the house Note the mural is painted right around the wood pillar |
 |
| Beautiful view from the 2nd floor of Tamok House |
 |
| The bus trip back was a riot Singing, drinking beer, karaoke, jokes All in Khmer. I had no idea what they were saying, but I laughed at their antics |
 |
| Singing the 'girl's part' of the song |
 |
| A good time was had by all! |
No comments:
Post a Comment