our very last day of the angkor temples

there were still a few temples, a little further out that i really wanted to see, and since brita and cege have left, i dragged the family along to the rolous group...
the first temple we headed to, preah ko, eijla was giving us the guided tour.
and she ended up being a bit of an attraction for the local kids hanging out there.
just nearby was workshops where they teach stone carving and shadow puppet (or leather silhouette carving). we stopped by and had a look, some of them were really talented. apparently they go to school part-time and apprentice part-time. but who knows all beggars and working children say they go to school, cause they know tourists will not buy from them unless they do.
then it was off to another temple, bakong this time, this one was a big one with a bit of a climb.
zoe gave me more of her top model posing...
then we headed the last temple, lolei, on my list (for this time). it was a small, nearly destroyed one, but there was a school for monks there, and they were quite the hosts.
super friendly and really wanting to practice their english.
on the way home we stopped by at an orphanage. the kids were amazing, they have nearly nothing and yet they were a joy. they loved eijla and zoe just as much as eijla and zoe loved them. we stayed for a couple of hours so they could play.
this one little boy really took a shining to thomas, he was so adorable. HIV pos and no mother or father, and still so full of life.
the kids were really an inspiration. and i think zoe really appreciated understanding how others live and lucky we are to have it so good.

last day of temples with the johanssons

so the 0530 sunrise was a bit early for the girls and thomas, so they took a day off to spend at the pool and have a little pappa daughter time. brita, cege, and i headed off in the tuktuk to watch the sunrise over angkor wat with about a million other people. it was beautiful, but yeah, well, i prefer the eeriness of being in the temples by ourselves (or at least not with huge groups of loud chinese).
then we headed off to preah khan, which ended up being one of my favorite temples. lots of corridors and amazing carvings, on our way in were were serenaded by a boy who, honestly most likely does not go to school, though they all pointed out that today was saturday!
my attempt a self portrait of sorts down one of the corridors...
preah khan was full of these beautiful figures as well as alot of trees doing their best to take over. it gave the place an amazing atmosphere...
then there was this little old monk lady. she was just so sweet and adorable, i could just feel the joy of life all around here. she sat near the middle of the temple and seemed like she just belonged there.
we visited a couple more temples, including ta som. more of the bayon faces which i find so fascinating. i wish i had taken this shot from a better angle but this tree grew up around the entrance creating a very impressive entry with the bayon face tower just behind it...
banteay samre ended up being an interesting temple as well (okay i admit it, they all were), so many carvings of so many crazy scenes, but what struck me here as i snapped this shot, is how much this temples mean to people now. the love with which these ladies touched the wall was, well, touching...
after the temples we met up with thomas and the girls to go out for a little traditional kmer dancing and dinner. zoe loved all the flowers, glitter, and dresses, but thought that the dancing was a bit too slow for her liking. i only had the itouch with so the pics are not too great. but you get the idea.

at the end of the show they invited people up on stage to take pics with them. cege did not hear the announcement and started screaming at the silly chinese tourists to get off the stage. it was so funny. but the girls got up and ran around. one of the girls thought eilja was going to fall off of the stage at one point and tried to run after her, but was a bit hard with headdress and outfit. poor girl she looked terrified!
and tomorrow the johanssons are back off to bangkok, they will be missed, but it has been a great trip. thanks for sharing it with us!

day two of the angkor temples

day two was no less impressive. we started out the day at the angkor wat temple, the most famous of the temples. wall after wall of amazing stone carvings from 1000 years ago, even eijla was impressed.
though zoe found her puppy a bit more interesting, she did enjoy the temples, though commenting that they weren´t that pretty because they were only one color!
brita and cege were often found cruising their book for information. it just makes more sense to read about it while you are actually there. i have to agree with them.
zoe insisted puppy get a foto in the famous angkor wat as well.
thomas, zoe, and eijla taking a break in one of the windows looking out into the center courtyard and main temple of angkor wat.
i have no idea why these people where at the temple, or what they were doing in traditional dress, maybe we missed a show, or perhaps they pop up everyday to earn some money taking fotos with the tourists, but zoe wanted a pic with them. so i threw in my dollar as well.

eijla was a little more shy of them. perhaps the masks, but from a distance she thought they were very interesting.
while taking this picture, a couple came up to us and told us that we had gorgeous children, i have agree.
when it was time to climb up in the center temple of angkor wat. they told us that children under 12 were not allowed, so i snapped a shot of my little drama queen as i left her behind and climbed the stairs.
i thought the signs showing the possibility of the visit were too funny. i am glad there was a possibility of a visit!
little hold the camera and take a shot of my self in front of the center temple tower.
brita and zoe cruising the gallery of 1000 buddhas on our way out. that horrible pol pot removed most of their heads.
last chance for another group shot before leaving angkor wat and heading to more temples.
catching up on reading about bayon, the temple with all the crazy heads, before heading in...

us with some of the crazy heads. the carvings on this temple were incredible. definitely one of my favorites of the trip.
people are crazy about taking pics of the girls, this monk wanted a pic with them, but they would not cooperate unless pappa was with.
if a banana looks too perfect to be true, than most likely it is, eller hur?
the girls dancing amongst the faces of bayon.


and it is off to another temple, eijla taking the lead. this time to bapuon. the kmer rouge destroyed all paper concerning the restoration of this temple so it ended up being the world´s largest jigsaw puzzle. much the temple was actually closed as they are still working on the restoration.
the battles between the crazy bayon trees and these stone buildings have left some incredible shaped tree trunks.
we managed to get quite a few more temples in today. we headed out to east mebon for a bit.

and then it was onto pre rup for the sunset.

zoe and some local girls entertained themselves blowing bubbles while waiting.
and it was worth the wait. a lovely sunset in amazing surroundings. not a bad way to end the day!