Today was another early morning wake up, and once again we were rewarded for our sacrifice of sleep. We visited the stunning Bayon temple complex located within the ancient city of Angkor Thom. Personally, I found the stunning sandstone towers of Bayon to be the most beautiful building we have visited this trip, even more so than its more celebrated sister temple Angkor Wat. We returned to the city via Tuc Tuc rides, a local transportation system we have all become quite fond of. After two weeks of local cuisine, our pizza and gelato lunch more than hit the spot. --Matt
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| Breakfast in front of Angkor Thom/Bayon |
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| Kissing Buddha |
After groggily waking up at the early hour of 4:15am, I soon found it was worth it to see the magnificent Bayon Temple that had to be one of the most beautiful and intricate pieces of architecture I'd ever seen. Because of my more than satisfactory, melatonin supplement-induced sleep, I shockingly had enough stamina to climb to the top of the temple and then subsequently be chased back down by a monkey. We then rode in my new favorite form of transportation, the Tuk Tuks, to lunch and then the new hotel where we will spend the next night before heading back to Pasadena!--Maya C
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| Bas-relief at Bayon depicting the 12th century tools |
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| Bas-relief at Bayon showing a pig roast |
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| Bas relief showing Mongolian community flirting with Angkor Women |
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| Ancient boar/pig fighting |
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| A woman giving birth with medical professionals |
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| Battle where Mongols/Chinese are defeated |
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| Zut teaches ancient Cambodian game |
Today we once again left in the wee hours of the morning and Tuk tukked to explore Angkor temples in the relative coolness of the morning. We all really enjoy riding in our Tuk Tuk "chariots," although as we found out the drivers seem to have a vastly different understanding of traffic safety principles, and we sat horrified through several close calls along the way. After the temples, we had a divine meal at a small Italian restaurant in Siem Reap, and following the delicious pizza and pasta meal, Mr Yut treated us with a trip to a equally delicious Gelateria next door. Mr Yut has proven to be a fantastic tour guide, especially in the culinary department thus far. --Will
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| Baphoun temple from 11th century |
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| In front of the Royal Palace |
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| Taking photos on top of Baphoun Temple |
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| Elephant sculptures at the Royal Palace |
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| Sleeping tuk tuk driver |
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| View from back of a tuc tuc |
