Day 2 - Ta Prohm


This morning we boarded our coach and traveled to see more ancient ruins nearby.  By far the most impressive was Ta Prohm.

Ta Prohm is famous for the Temples that are overgrown and covered with tree roots.  It has been left as it was found and shows what the jungle can do when it takes over.  The roots of the trees are attached to the porous sandstone and extracts water from the stones. They are both destroying the Temple and holding  it up at the same time.  It is eerily beautiful. thanks

One of the most famous spots in Ta Prohm is the so-called ‘Tomb Raider tree’, where parts of the movie "Tomb Raider" starring Angelina Jolie was filmed.




Our next stop was the Elephant Terrace which was named for the sculptures in high relief of elephants. At several sections large elephant heads protrude out from the wall, their very long trunks forming pillars extending to the ground.


Our last stop to visit ruins was Anghor Thom which means Big Angkor.  It is a huge walled city with five gates - north south, east and west - and the Victory Gate which leads to the Royal Palace area.  Each gate is topped with four giant faces and the bridges leding to the gates are lined with statues of gods and spirits.  






Tonight, after dinner, we were treated to a performance of Aspara.  It included six acts and lasted one hour.

Apsara is a native dance born at least 2,000 years ago. Images of this dance can be seen on decorative plaques and walls on Cambodia’s ancient temples as well as many religious buildings throughout the country.


Dancers must practice bending their hands every day to achieve the beautiful and graceful hand movements. The dancers’ posture, the curve of their arms and their costumes are derived from pictures of ancient temples. 







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