Monday Evening - March 1 - Thoughts about my trip

Today is our last in Cambodia and we depart for Thailand early tomorrow morning. We travel by private van to the Thai border...unload our bags....exit Cambodia...enter Thailand and switch to another private van...reload our bags......total trip time is 8 hours with a number of stops included. Dinner tomorrow night, March 2, and we officially disband on Wednesday AM, March 3. I depart for the USA at 6:30 AM on Friday, March 5, arriving at Dulles airport in Virginia at about 2:30 PM the same day.

After our last temple visit, we all crashed and burned. Into our swim suits and we laid by the pool...temperatures above 100F. Lunch, a couple of cold beers, swim, and a snooze does wonder for the soul. I traveled to old city Siem Rep via tuk-tuk and finished all of my BLOG reports and downloaded photos. Had dinner and a painful, invigorating one hour foot massage...$7 including tip. Now I'm back at the hotel, sipping a beer and submitting this last BLOG until I get back to the States. I plan on summarizing my trip and highlighting my experiences while describing what I found exciting about each country in my final BLOG.

The following are general comments...check back about March 8 for my final BLOG...

It has been an awesome trip.... gone for 5 weeks....trip lasted 30days......traveling through 4 different countries on 5 different modes of transportation (boat, bus, plane, train, van), experiencing cultures, sights and sounds that I had only read about or seen on TV, ate delicious SE Asian foods from curries to tarantulas to mango salad to noodle dishes to every type of rice dish. I swam in the South China Sea, experienced traffic that I could not have imagined and met many nice people for a very short period of time...especially the children. Buddhism is the same but different, Hinduism is to Buddhism as Judaism is to Christianity....I didn’t know that I knew so little. The advantage of traveling is that you learn from the experiences you encounter.....something that I love to do!!

First, I need to thank my Mom and deceased Dad for giving me the education and wherewithal to be in a position that I can experience these fabulous adventures that one dreams about. Secondly, and most importantly, I thank my darling wife, Ann Marie, who supports my wild ideas and encourages me to chase my dreams....she has never stood in my way. Until my final BLOG...Tom Worosz (Traveler)

Monday 10 AM to Noon - March 1 - Last Temple Visit Ta Phrom

The "Ta Phrom" temple receives many visitors because it is known as the "jungle temple". The jungle growth assisted by the massive trees have intertwined their root network with the temple's structure. Any attempt to remove the roots or kill the trees would destroy the temple. Its beauty is in its relationship with its surroundings. You might recognize some of these photos since major scenes of the movie "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" were photographed on this site.

The last picture is of musical group whose members have had serious injuries from land mines...they are making their living by using their talents and share all proceeds to support themselves.


We are exhausted...the temperature is over 100F...we are hungry, grubby, sweating and have enjoyed every minute of this trip...

Monday 6 AM to - 10 AM - March 1 - Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Up at 5:00 AM and depart for sunrise at Angkor Wat...there are about 2,000 cameras at the event along with their human interfaces...ready to see nature at its best combined with one of the wonders of the world. The pictures say it all...what you see in the foreground is the darkened silhouette of Angkor Wat...other pictures show AW's reflection in a lily pond that sits in front of complex.

After the sunrise, we spend the next hour touring the complex before breakfast. Pictures show various portions of AW including wall stone carvings. You see a picture of Buddha and another of the Hindu God Vishnu....other pictures show Hindu worshippers beginning a yoga session while Buddhist monks are on their daily alms solicitation. The picture of me was taken at what is considered the center of the universe at the time AW was built under direction of the King's astrologers.

Visiting this complex has been a dream of mine since I saw a model of Angkor Wat in Thailand's Wat Poh back in 1996....one should always have dreams of things they want to do...Right now I'm hungry and it's time for breakfast.. only one temple left to see..

Sunday PM - February 28 - More Temples including viewing sunset at Anghor Wat

Gosh is it hot, over 100F....we drive 20 miles to visit "Banteay Srey"" ---Citadel of Woman. Cambodians, according to our guide, hold women in high esteem. Woman is represented by the Lotus flower and in the Hindu version of Adam and Eve; woman is created before man and gives birth to the human race. The Hindu Gods aided by the sea serpent "Naga" churn the earth's milk (oceans) and when land appears their is the lotus flower representing the human race and the elephant as the 1st animal on earth. The 1st picture shows a woman riding a 3 headed elephant...underneath is a god devouring the moon...3 stupa like towers represent the Hindu Trinity...

After "Banteay Srey" we visit the Cambodian Land Mine museum which is supported as a NGO by the Australia government. 10,000s of land mines of various sizes, shapes and destructive power are spread throughout Cambodia. The VN war, Khmer Rouge regime and invasion by Viet Nam to destroy Pol Pot in the 1980s seeded this country with these destructive mines. A former Pol Pot soldier, Aki Ra, took it upon himself to develop an organization of locals to begin the process of finding and destroying mines. His work gained strength and now his foundation works across all of Cambodia. As you visit Cambodia, you see many people in wheelchairs, missing limbs, blind, etc...most injuries caused by the mines….. it is not safe to walk the Cambodian country-side in many areas. Check the Internet site for further information … www.landmine-relief-fund.com.

Last Temple visit of the day, Pre Rup. The purpose of visit is to watch the sunset over the Angkor Wat complex. We arrive at 5:15 PM...it is very hot, over 90F, sticky and we are exhausted...we must of walked 8 miles today...the temple areas are very large, with rough paths and steep steps leading to the upper levels of many of the temples. The sunset was OK with a hole in a large cloud that allowed the sun to peer through. I purchased a book on Angkor Wat with many, many pictures. The walk back down the stairs was a treacherous exercise. As we were approaching our bus, a group of kids approached us selling whistles, Jewish harps, books and post cards. Since I already had my books, I purchased some whistles....there was this young girl, about 5years-old, who was selling postcards...when I purchased 10 postcards for $1, her face lit up like a Christmas tree...all for $1....

After the picture taking, it was back the hotel for a much needed shower, change of clothes and shave. The dinner tonight was special because Elizabeth, a member of group, was celebrating her birthday...our guide, Thou, ordered a nice birthday cake and a bottle of wine which we all shared in.

Called my lovely daughter, Theresa, to wish her a happy birthday since today, Feb 28, was her welcoming day into this world a few years ago.

Goodnight...we are scheduled to get up a at 5:;15 AM so we can watch sunrise over Angkor Wat...zzzzz...am I tired...

Sunday AM - Feb 28 - The Tour of Anghor Wat Complex Begins

Our previous evening in Siem Reap was enjoyable. It is the 2nd largest city in Cambodia and is quite lively. With a large tourist and trekker influx, there are many restaurants, Dr. Fish locations, massage parlors and bars that serve $0.40/mugs of Angkor beer...quite refreshing.

I did not realize how large an area and the number of temple complexes that were located around Sien Reap. We arrive at the main entrance gate and obtain or ticket that allows you to visit all of the temples in the area for a period of 3 days...your picture is taken and embossed on your ticket...visiting the complex without a ticket can result in a large fine. It is already very hot at 8:30 AM with the temperature approaching 90 F. We have water, mosquito repellant and good shoes...ready to travel. We have a local guide named USHA, who is extremely knowledgeable bout Hinduism, Buddhism, Cambodian history and the highlights of each temple we visited.

I read about Angkor Wat (AW) prior to my visit and reference was made to the intersection of Hinduism and Buddhism within the AW's complex. I strongly suggest that you have a basic understanding of both Hinduism and Buddhism in order to maximize the value of your visit...the Cambodian civilizations started with Hinduism ---->Mahayana Buddhism ---->Hinduism ---->Theravada Buddhism.... today Cambodians honor both Hinduism and Theravada Buddhism. King Jayavarman VII built 49 temples during his reign to honor Buddhism with a touch of Hinduism...the following King, J VIII strongly supported Hinduism and had many of King J VII's Buddha images destroyed or chiseled out of the temples.

Our first temple is "Preah Khan" which is the King's palace built by King J VII. This temple had 375 rooms to house Buddhist monks and nuns. Being the first temple, we are impressed with its size and beauty of the stone carvings. We view the "Karosdna"-- stone carving of the sacred bird, trinity icons that represent Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, walk through small doorway that force visitors to crouch and bow before the gods, etc. This temple was one of two that was used in the Indiana Jones "Temple of Doom" movie. Notice that the Buddha heads are missing from the top of the “Naga”. The Vietnamese removed them as trophies after defeating the Khmer Rouge who were making their last stand in this area. We are drinking plenty of water and temperatures now exceed 100 F. Even some of the guys are using umbrellas for protection against the sun's rays.

As we walk through the destroyed Palace grounds we see numerous wall carvings, statues and one includes a depiction of two wrestlers and one with children swimming in the King's swimming pool...wish we could join them...it is hot, hot hot....

Our next stop is Angkor Thom (AT) also built by King VII. What the King did was to take existing temples, surround them with a wall and build his Palace and the Bayou temple within the walls. Much of the old temples are more than fallen walls with stone carving but one gains a sense of the immense size of Angkor Thom. The most amazing feature of AT is the "Bayou Temple"...absolutely immense, overpowering and beautiful. 100+ large Buddha faces cover the 49 towers within the temple. I hope the attached pictures convey the beauty of this temple which was once gilded in gold and held 1,000s of gems which enhanced the beauty of the interior. See me kissing one of the Buddha statutes!!!

As we walk through the destroyed Palace grounds we see children swimming in the King's swimming pool...wish we could join them...it is hot, hot hot....


Time for lunch and regenerate our power and rest our feet.