Finally...Angkor Wat Photos

Ahhh...the relaxation that comes with a human workload. As I got on the plane Tuesday afternoon after the TIFA (that's Trade and Investment Framework Agreement) Joint Council meeting in Siem Reap, I looked forward to work not punctuated by high-level visitors, trips, speeches to write for the Ambassador, trips, responding to ludicrous statements by the PM, counseling unions during negotiations, and...oh...did I mention trips? After about 8 months of craziness, things have finally slowed down. I don't know how long this will last, but I am reveling in being able to catch up on long-term projects and second priority sorts of things. And I hope to make it home at a more reasonable time and actually have my weekends for kids, fun and stuff around the house.

Speaking of stuff around the house, one of my projects is to get caught up with photos on the blog. So, without further ado, here are photos from our trip to Siem Reap in December. My parents, Liz, and David were all there, but Liz and David did most of their exploring separately so they're not in the photos.

One of the famous faces of the Bayon, believed to be a combination of the face of the Buddha and the ruling Khmer king. This face is probably 40 feet long.

Hanging out with the kids in the courtyard surrounding the inner temple at Angkor Wat

Ben and Ellie loved climbing around the temples...


...and Ben loved playing in the sand. You can see the entrance to one of the temples behind him.


All the Cambodian and other Asian tourists thought our kids were adorable and gave them a lot--sometimes too much--attention...


though we thought the Khmer kids hanging around the temples were pretty adorable too.

All of the temples at Angkor are amazing because not only are they huge and numerous, they also have so many amazingly detailed carvings, like this one of Apsara dancers.


This gives you some sense of the size of these temples. This one (Angkor Thom, I think) just went on and on. Note the tree growing right through the ruins.

Unlike many ruins in other parts of the world, the temples at Angkor Wat are still in use. Here is a Buddhist nun with incense waiting to pray at one of the temples.

Here's the family at Banteay Srey (Citadel of Women), a more remote temple known for its intricate pink carvings.