Sanctuary – the temples of Angkor Wat and its people

Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Once I read that the nobility and calm repose of Angkor Wat stands as a monument to a gentle yet indomitable people. The certainty of these words comes to you when you first see the majesty of the temples, get lost in the jungle and connect with its people. Their features, both architectural and human, are scarred by Cambodia’s double monsoon: drought and war.

Angkor Wat are not just temples with faces carved in the grey rock, nor are they not just Buddhist monks and tourists everywhere. Angkor Wat are the workers that no one sees: gardeners, foresters and children who work as guides to earn their daily wages.