The Bayon, Angkor National Park, Cambodia

What a way to spend one's Birthday: at one of the most famous archealogical sites in the world! It was an AMAAAZING day! The temples of Angkor Wat Archealogical National Park, without doubt, rival the Egyptian Pyramids or Peru's Machu Picchu! One of my favourite temples was The Bayon pictured here. As you approach the site through a long avenue of tall, tall trees, from afar it looks just like a big mountain of jumbled grey stone. But as you get closer, huge semi-smiling stone faces loom into view. At the top of the 54 towers, there are a total of 216 faces all looking in the four directions of the compass, North, South, East and West. The King apparently wanted to 'keep an eye' on his kingdom and his subjects. And as you walk around the terraces there's an eerie feeling of being watched! Not by one face, but probably at least seven or eight, either staring down from above or up close at eye level. This was a very cool temple that we came back to visit again and again over the week, and each time we would find something different, or the light at different times of day certainly created a different atmosphere. It was incredible. * Mush