For a couple of centuries now, there has been a serious, yet little-known struggle between the trees and the stone temples of Ta Phrom in the Angkor region near Siem Reap in Cambodia. Guess who wins.
The stone temples were constructed in the late 11th century to the early 13th century. These temples and castles were made of big rock slabs that were solid, hard and immovable. These bastions and walls were built to resist strong armies. They were proud monuments to great leaders whom they would surely outlive.
The trees made their appearance after the 13th century. The fig trees and the banyan trees were soft, supple and flexible. They were quiet and close to invisible at first, and humble enough not to force their way. But they had the patience and the countenance to outlast dynasties and eras that spanned many centuries; probing for soft spots, looking for free space, and they grew and grew and grew.
The centuries-old struggle in Angkor between seed and stone. A poignant lesson in life. Which then is more powerful? Is it the strong immovable force? Or is it the pliant, the flexible, the humble?
Indeed, blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
Color My World 
Great post and pictures of the Angkor temples. I also went there in 2011 and it was amazing. Thanks for taking me back to my memories. 🙂
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thanks a lot, catbird! will post more pics of angkor when i get some time off. truly, you cannot go to angkor and not come back with loads of fantastic pics!! really amazing.
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Hi! Can you recommend which temples to see? I’m going to be travelling to the area soon and only have limited time!
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Sure!! It really all depends on how much time you have. For a day’s tour of the temples (costs $20), come in early to see the sunrise in Angkor Wat. You can explore the area till around 10am. Then proceed to Angkor Thom to view Bayon and the Elephant Terrace. You can picnic there. Just bring your own food with you as the food there costs an arm and a leg. (Water bottle costing 50 cents in the supermarket could cost $1.50 here.) Then to Ta Phrom in the afternoon for the temple-tree blend. To Bakheng to view the sunset, if you still have the energy.
Now if you’ve got 2-3 days (costs $40), you can take your time, stretch that sked a bit. Once you’ve done these three, the rest are basically similar.
Don’t forget to load up on pics! The temples are truly a treat!
My blog on our Siem Reap tour could give you some ideas: https://cbholganzablog.wordpress.com/2013/06/02/summer-in-siem-reap/
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great post!
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thanks, friend! i wish i had your photography skills though, so i could paint better stories.
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I appreciate the compliment–really. But all our blogs are unique and as for yours, you are trying to do so much more than to post a picture. You are using your photos to tell a real story. That is wonderful. When I began this blog, I decided to post only one photo per post and see what happens after. For me, your photos are perfect for what you are trying to do. Talk to you soon :>
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thanks once again. hope i can learn from you guys.
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You ARE learning! It shows…..
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