Images of Siem Reap

I have fallen behind on my blogging schedule and so I apologize to be honest though we have been running around non stop for over a week now and fatigue is really catching up to me, it caught up to my mom and sister a few days ago.  

Today I'm actually blogging out of the gorgeous city of Malaka in Malaysia, a far cry from where this entry took place but that just goes to show you how amazing our world is right now.  You can be in one spectacular place one day and be in another one a thousand miles away the next.  Anyhow to make it easy for not just myself but for you guys to enjoy it (I hope) I am going to try something new with this one, I'm just going to let the captions speak for themselves, so please enjoy.

Waiting for our 13 hour bus ride, check out the baggage!!!

Bus-made Banh Mi, it wasn't half bad!

Our second leg bus, it LITERALLY had motorcycles in the baggage compartment. 

Made it to Siem Reap! Bumpy roads + tuktuk = picture above.

My Return to Molly Malone's and Pub Street! My selfclaimed 7th home, or in the top ten anyway.

All good and fun getting there, a ton of good food the following day also but it was on day 2 and 3 in Siem Reap that we finally made it to the temples and this is what we have to show for it. 

Our FIRST balloon ride, and its to get a Khmer Sunrise on CHRISTMAS DAY! Merry Christmas family! 

Angkor Wat in the morning haze and surrounded by vegetation, I can only imagine what it looked like in its golden age.

The sunrise view from the balloon ride. 

The sunrise view from the front bridge of Angkor Wat.

My sister and her cheeks.

The Great Angkor Wat undergoing restoration to restore some of its splendor, though it doesn't serve short in that department by a long shot.

Worn out pillars and stone floors of Angkor Wat.

Makes me wonder if my sister isn't as yellow as I thought she was.

The Reclining Buddha at the center of Angkor Wat, a small tidbit is that the temples in Angkor serve several religions, that is two forms of Buddhism and one form of Hinduism. (Ahhh...)

My favorite shot this trip so far, I was able to catch these monks at a door sill off guard and I think it just works.

The sun is high in the sky already but we can still get awesome shots, check out the little birdies if you can find them.

I will eventually compile photos of me like this in a set I'll call "Drop Dead Gorgeous" this is one of my better entries in to that coming collection. 

Check it, I found a Vietnamese Monk in a Cambodian Temple. =P

I'm in LOVE with these temples! It seems to work here there will need to be a sudden influx of Filipino tourists so that I may apply as a Filipino Tour Guide, COME ON PHILIPPINES!!!

I'm thinking of getting this one printed. What do you think?

Apologies for the watermark, this one should be A.Marga SNAPSHOT. =P
You're getting there little sis.

Here's another angle of the Southern gate, pretty good considering the amount of tourists fighting for angles.

Even today descendants of the Khmers who lived here continue to live in the land of their forefathers.

For love of Elephants. 

For hate of shear tourist numbers, well not totally hate considering I am one of them, but still LOOK AT THIS! 

The faces of Bayon.

The set of Tomb Raider! Mom was going nuts knowing Angelina Jolie was here. 

Checking out the oldest tree in the compound, 400 YEARS OLD!!! 

Mom and her pink temple, though it wasn't really pink, it was more of a very light and muddy orange at the same time I think. 

The very light and muddy orange temple is known for its VERY INTRICATE DETAILING.

Still trying to figure this one out but it was at the Pink Temple.

This is Banteay Srei the Pink Temple in on itself. 

Mom doesn't like this photo, but I do so it is here. =P 

Lining up at Phnom Bakheng hoping to catch the sunset of our last day at Siem Reap.

Family didn't even bother lining up when they saw the line, and figured my lining up was in vain.

BUT LOW AND BEHOLD I WAS THE LAST ONE TO MAKE THE 5:30 CUT OFF!!! WOOT WOOT!!! I LOVE SIEM REAP AND CAMBODIA!!!

It just WANTED me to see this on my last day here! I LOVE IT!!!

Tried my hand of getting the temples in the foreground and this was the best I could do. 

Check out the number of people up here, and there's "supposed" to be a 300 person temple capacity to keep it intact.  

There's that balloon I rode the day before.

Two new random friends, Georgina and Juan, the three of us were the last to make the cut off queue.  Saying that it was our last day in Siem Reap totally did it I think.  I hope you two are safe wherever the world takes you, and sorry the photo couldn't be any better (taken from a phone).

That is Siem Reap in a nutshell, minus the food that is but rest assured I am going to work on that next because the food in Siem Reap IS AWESOME!!!  This was the best leg of our SEA trip so far and I'm willing to bet it will stay that way!  This was the first christmas that did not feel like christmas but tops all christmases by far!  Merry Christmas everyone!

Photos are Copyright MGAntonio