Angkor Wat, Siem Reap

[Angkor Wat, Siem Reap 2 days]

After HCMC we started our journey to Cambodia. My mother and her husband wanted to go on a guided tour, so we agreed on trying that out with them. A guided tour meant doing a trip together with a fix travel group and a tour guide, sitting on one bus the whole time that brought us to the different locations, 3 meals were included and one did not had to think about where to go and what to do. It was all laid out for us with a more or less fixed time schedule. It was partly really exhausting and I missed the flexibility that we had on our journey so far. On the other hand, we did not have to spent time on searching for accomandation, sights, restaurants etc.
The journey started at 4am, with a sleepy 8h bus ride to Siem Reap, a city close to the big temple complex Angkor Wat.

Angkor wat is the largest religious monument in the world, on a site measuring 162.6 hectares (1,626,000 m2) Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire during the 12th century, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century; as such, it is also described as a "Hindu-Buddhist" temple. The city of Angkor served as the royal centre from which a dynasty of Khmer kings ruled one of the largest, most prosperous, and most sophisticated kingdoms in the history of Southeast Asia. From the end of the 9th century until early in the 13th century, numerous construction projects were undertaken, the most notable of which was Angkor Wat. (Wikipedia).
The Angkor Wat complex was huge and beautiful. It felt so mystical to walk through the temple complex. I was wondering how the people back then lived their lives in this area.
One thing that I take with me is the realisation that empires rise and fall often because of war and conflicts or crisis'. We live in an impermanent world, things constantly change or 'flow'. Also there will be a time in the future where people will look back, analyse our era and be amazed by how we lived. Maybe think that we weren't quite developed. But we live our lives and only know what we know right.

After Angkor Wat, we visited a child protection center that is floating on a canal/lake. We donated money and food to that center and played with the children. It's already the third institution that I encounter on my journey that takes care of children from financially poor families. It's heartbreaking to see the children begging for money. On the streets of Cambodia and also in Vietnam we also encountered children who were working and selling goods. Here the government obviously fails to support those families with low income and fails to support those centers that take care of the children. These centers mainly usually rely on donations which is not a reliable source of income. I had conversations with locals on this topics and it just upsets me how also corruption plays a big role in why the money does not go to the people who really need it, and how the government fails to provide equal opportunities for everyone (every child). I just wish the best for these children and their families and hope the government spends more money efficiently on education and wellfare.

With that said and with a feeling of content and gratefulness for how privileged we are to have all the things we need, I end this post,
Sending much love and warmth to whoever is reading this,
Kim and MinhLeer más