In today's mail friend's Christmas card pictured them in front of Cambodia's Angor Wat temple. (Wat means temple so a bit of redundancy there.) That picture brought back memories of my first trip to Angor Wat. Angor Wat is the world's largest religious structure. It was originally build as a Hindu shrine. Later Buddhist images were imposed on it.
After a previous summer internship in Cambodia, Lisa moved there to work there in 1994. After Christmas, 1994, Lars and I visited Lisa. While I returned home Lars remained to work, eventually becoming the Recording Secretary for the International Campaign To Ban Land Mines, which was meeting in Phnom Penh.
While I was there, Lars and I visited Angor Wat. The conflict between the Cambodian government and the Khmer Rouge was still continuing. Cambodia, emerging from that terrible time of The Killing Fields, was not yet a tourist destination. When we visited Angor we were almost the only persons in that vast structure. Siem Reap, the nearest town, was little more than a village. Signs of the recent fighting were evident. Squatters were camped about the town.
Now, Angor Wat isa major tourist destination. Pre-pandemic, in 2018, there were more than 2.5 million visitors. In 2025 1.8 million tourists were expected. I'm happy to remember it devoid of crowds.
Takk for alt,
Al
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