Fred’n’Sue’s Peregrinations

The locals tell us that there are two seasons – hot and bloody hot – not sure which this is but the roads are frickin’ bumpy as I write this en route Siem Reap to Kompong Cham where we embark on Viking Saigon to navigate the Mekong River. Hats off to our bus driver.

First stop today – Bayon Temple with much restoration underway initially sponsored by France now under the auspices of Japan. The challenge is to match the stone just lying on the ground to the temple structure that was in the 12th century. Much work is also being done to restore foundations – subsidence over the centuries combined with poor choice of raw material is to blame for much of the degradation. Nature, in the form of tropical vegetation, has also wrought havoc, particularly in the temple of Ta Prohm.

And then to Ta Prohm – where the jungle is ripping the temples apart . . .

And then Gaia makes a statement