Our last day of exploring different temples was very exciting. The photo above is the “South Gate” leading to the ancient city of Angkor Thom. The gate is adorned with four faces, believed to represent Avalokiteshvara, a bodhisattva of compassion.

The road to the South Gate is lined with stone “Asuras” (demon) sculptures. The statues are part of the “Churning of the Ocean of Milk”, a significent Hindu legend.

It was great to explore this area with our daughter Lisa and husband Ray.

The South Gate.

The Bayon Temple resides inside Angkor Thom.

I took this photo of Bayon in 1997 and is a personal favorite of mine. Note the solitary monk in the center. Today the temple access is much more restricted.

Two beauties!

The fellas are pretty cool as well.

The smiling faces on the towers of the Bayon Temple are thought to represent a combination of the king, Jayavarman VII, and the Avalokiteshvara bodhisattva, a Buddhist deity for compassion.

Not quite “Indiana Jones”.

With Mark and Kevin from Plano, Texas.

I added this photo of grandson Owen with his new friend near the Bayon temple in 2023.

Marla waves at the Thommanon Temple.

Ta Prohm is Marla’s very favorite temple! The unique trees in the temple are silk-cotton and strangler fig trees.

This EXACT spot in Ta Prohm holds special significance to us! It is the same place where our photo was taken 28 years ago!

The same place in 1997!

A 1997 photo of the only other person at the temple, a soldier guarding the Ta Prohm temple with his automatic weapon. There were still some rebels in the nearby jungles.

The trees are simply amazing! Many areas are now blocked off.

Our guides in Siem Reap and the temples were very good.

Pointing out a carved detail.

A headless Buddha statue in the Ta Prohm temple. Built in the 12th and early 13th centuries by King Jayavarman VII, Ta Prohm was originally a Buddhist monastery and university called Rajavihara. It was dedicated to the king’s mother.

Fascinating carvings.

We visited a rice noodle factory in the Siem Reap area.

A good place for a rest.

They prepared lunch for us.

Authentic Cambodia delicacies.

Our guide from AHI Travel organized a fabulous last night dinner celebration for us with Cambodian dancers and music. We were all quite sad to see this great adventure end!

Two tables were set up for our group.

Marla loved the dancing!

Victor gave a touching and heartfelt speech about our tour being his last one. He will be going home and doing work for the monks in the nearby monastery.

One of the dancers.

Marla and I joined the dancers.

Victor accompanied us to the Siem Reap airport. It was a tearful farewell.

A large brass sculpture in the airport.

We left for our next adventure with Lisa and Ray in Bali.

Photos: Dick Gentry…not to be used without permission.