The eighth wonder of the world
Cambodia is a country of amazingly beautiful children!! ! You look at them and barely hold back your hands so as not to pick up everyone and shower them with caress! Now I understand why many stars adopt children from this region.
In general, the country both attracts and repels. Although the second feeling arises only when you find yourself in places of trade: bazaars, souvenir shops, markets. In Cambodia, one can feel the spirit of the first years after the collapse of the USSR: everyone looks slyly, assessing what and how much can be forced out of you... Probably, only this atmosphere can spoil the overall impression of the country. But Cambodia has what we lack: dense tropical trees, a warm and humid climate, delicious fruits, a wide selection of beers from all over Asia, small family restaurants... It's all worth trying and seeing.
The purpose of our trip to Kampuchea was the complex of ancient temples of Angkor. We never heard of him, just one day we saw a few photos on the Internet. That was enough to make them sick. Before that, we were intrigued by the film "Lara Croft - Tomb Raider", where the plot with a temple in Cambodia is so beautiful that it is hard to believe that this palace actually exists.
So, despite all the fears and worries about the “post-war situation and the mafia” of the country, we took a chance and flew to see the ancient Khmer empire of Angkor.
It is located near the city of Siem Reap. If I say that the infrastructure of this city is underdeveloped, I will hit the nail on the head. The asphalt road is only in the center, and stretches only to the airport and Angkor. Power went out from time to time. Chickens run through the streets. Sometimes we saw cows. But these "nuances" did not bother us, because. literally at five in the morning the next day after arrival, we went to the "temple-mountains".
I will not tell you about the history of this complex. This is long and not for those who are not interested in remembering some dates and confused names of rulers. Those who are interested can look it up on the Internet. There is enough information about Angkor and it is easily written. In a nutshell: it is fantastically majestic and very beautiful. We travel a lot, but this is the first time we have seen this. The restored palaces are amazing, and those that are not cleared of tropical thickets are amazing.
The territory of this complex is 5 km. But to go around it all, or only a part, is up to you. The temples of this majestic city (in Khmer "Angkor" - city) are similar to each other, but at the same time they are quite different, as they were built in different centuries. Repeating deities, snakes, elephants, inscriptions on walls and columns are made with such accuracy that you can hardly notice the differences. If it were not for the gray color of the stone buildings, then some of the flowers and leaves on them would seem real. The smiles of the guardian statues on the towers are at first intimidating, but upon closer inspection, it seems as if they are saying: “Welcome! But leave evil outside the city, and then nothing bad will happen to you. ”
Separately, I want to mention temples that are not cleared of trees. You just lose the power of speech when you see on the wall or roof of the palace, a tree whose height is from an 11-storey building. And the roots of this tree, like a giant octopus, stretch to the ground from the roof to eat and have support. It's unforgettable. You feel defenseless next to these giants.
You can talk about Angkor endlessly. As separately about each building, and about the whole city. I advise everyone to see this eighth wonder of the world. Even the most captious skeptic will not become indifferent.
