Before planning this trip, I hadn't realized that Angkor Wat was only one of the temples in this area and that the Angkor Wat National Park actually consisted of 100s of temples and an ancient city. While Angkor Wat is the most well known, other temples and ruins were surprising and enigmatic.
In close proximity to Angkor Wat is Angkor Thom, an ancient city which at its height in the 13th century may have had more than one million inhabitants. Angkor Thom is a perfect square -- 3 km per side -- with an 8 meter wall and and a moat surrounding the city. At the very center of Angkor Thom is the temple of Bayon. And what makes Bayon incredible are its 40+ towers, each with a giant face carved on each side. No one is certain about whose serene and smiling visage is throughout the temple (best guesses include the builder King Jayavarman VII or Lokeshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion).
Not going to lie. Now you are really making me jealous. That looks amazing.
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