Anchor Wat

I had an opportunity to visit on of the wonders of the world yesterday, Anchor Wat and the surrounding temples. They were built from1000AD to 1200AD. I just don’t know what to say that hasn’t already been written, Anchor Wat has stood the test of time incredibly well. The real disturbing thing we did see repeatedly, was the battle scars from the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese army. At the end of Pol Pot’s occupation the last battle played out in Anchor Wat, leaving bullet holes and blast damage from RPGs. The size of the Temple is incredible with a 600’ wide moat and numerous stone walls to get to temple and it was all done without mechanized equipment, we would have difficulty building such a complex and structure today. I found I enjoyed several of the other nearby temples just as much if not more. They were in much more advanced decay and just seemed much older. Rebecca’s father requested I take lots of pictures, so I did, although I didn’t have our good camera equipment. The next trip I want to spend at least one entire day shooting from pre sun up to sun down, this has to be one of the most incredible places to take photos I have ever seen. Ok here is something you don’t hear about too much; the children selling souvenirs. Out side each temple you are swarmed by children selling trinkets. The amazing thing is how the get you to buy. They’ll ask you where your from and then start quoting facts “of the United States of America, 280,000,000, 50 states, Washington’s capital is Olympia. Then they will trick you by challenging you to ask the any capital in the world and if the can answer you have to by something from them. They know their capitals!!!!! And if you say something like “you don’t even know where Madagascar is. They come right back with “off the west coast of Africa” (This is an 8 or 9 year old!) I don’t know what the education system is like here, but I don’t know a kid in the US that could hold a candle to the geography skills

Andy