Angkor Wat. The largest religious facility in the world. Cambodia

We're off to Cambodia, home of the world's largest religious facility, Angkor Wat. I'm headed to Siem Reap to check it out, so jump in for the ride and hang on to your hat. I just lost my hat. Before I arrived in Cambodia, a bloke I'd met traveling told me that, Cambodia, she's a country run by kids. I said, what do you mean by that? Oh, back in the 70s, all things, they all went tits up with the Khmer Rouge in that, and all the old folks, they all got killed off. In fact, when I was there in 2013, half of the 16 million people of Cambodia were under 25 years old. What captivated me most about the Cambodian people was their great big infectious smiles, shining bright with a zest for life, filled with pure joy, happiness, and rice. I found a cheap hotel room for six US dollars in Siem Reap, not far from the well-known Backpacker Hub on Pub Street, where cheap beer and free Wi-Fi were commonplace. I was ready to get a good sleep so I could check out Angkor in the morning. On good advice from my tuk-tuk driver Po, I purchased a three-day pass to the Angkor Complex, and I'm glad I did. It was that big. There were over 1,000 buildings and temples spread out over 400 acres. In addition to the Angkor Wat Temple, there were also the Bayon Temple at the Angkor Thom Complex, which was built later and actually was larger in area, but the center temple, the Bayon Temple, was not as grand as the one at Angkor Wat. There was also Banteay Suray, a 10th century temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. There was Ta Prohm Temple, where Angelina Jolie filmed Lara Croft Tomb Raider. There was a lot to discover, and it took me the full three days to see it all. Angkor Wat was originally built in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. However, by the end of the 12th century, it had turned into a Buddhist temple. The name Angkor Wat literally translates to Temple City in the Khmer language, and until last year, Angkor Wat hosted a half a million visitors each year, and it also became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. The temple was a thriving center for culture and religion, and the state capital of the Khmer Empire until the 15th century when the temple was abandoned for unknown reasons. Many theories exist today, famine, flood, or my best guess would just be plain poor leadership. The temple sat empty for another 400 years until it was rediscovered by Frenchman Henri Moreau in 1860. In his memoirs, he wrote, I have discovered something more grandeur than anything left to us by Greece or Rome. And three years later, in 1863, France had colonized Cambodia. After two full days exploring the complex, I needed a day off, and I got my driver Paul to take my friend Carl and I to explore the countryside. Our first stop was at a local wood carving shop where we got to watch some locals creating some amazing carvings. Our second stop was at a quaint small village where we got to spend some time at a local market. We got to interact with some locals, and we got to buy some incredible fresh produce. The next stop on our adventure was a boat journey to the Maybon Temple. This temple was on an island on the Western Beret, which was a man-made lake. Check out our captain and first mate. Oh all right we're getting ready to crank her out no he's he's turning the rudder to see if it's touching there we go choke her up getting that getting that perfect feeling going here we go didn't start there we go choke it there we go he's the least close so should have no problem lucky let's get this puppy going double team that didn't work either okay here we go I thought I'd let you know we made it there and back safely. After a late lunch, we decided to head back to Angkor Wat to watch the sun go down. If you like sunsets as much as me, here's a link Hey, if you're enjoying this video, please hit the like button. And if you're new to my channel, please hit the subscribe button as well. What I hadn't mentioned yet that this was Christmas Eve. I was spending Christmas Eve in Cambodia, and how special would it be to watch the sunset on Christmas Eve? I spent the last few taking a bunch of photos. And unfortunately, I ran out of batteries and I didn't get no pictures of the sunset. However, I got up bright early to catch these amazing sunrise photos over Angkor Wat on Christmas Day. To get up and watch this amazing sunrise on Christmas morning, I thought was an amazing idea. And so did about 5000 other people. Well, here it is Christmas morning. Sending my greetings from Cambodia, I just watched the sunrise over Angkor Wat, the largest religious temple in the world. And I wanted to take this moment to wish all my friends at home and around the world. Very Merry Christmas. I hope all the best for you and your families in the coming year. Take care. For the rest of Christmas morning, we went on a hike to see some sacred waterfalls. There, I was approached by a man with one arm. He was a tour guide and I felt sorry that he had to work on Christmas Day. Then I realized, yeah, I was in Cambodia and he was Buddhist, so it didn't really matter. The gentleman told me that he lost his arm via a landmine accident. He also told me that he doesn't get a wage working there, only tips from tourists. He told me that if he was lucky, he could make $10 a day. After he gave us an excellent tour of all the rock carvings in the sacred falls, I gave him $10. And so did my friend Carl. We felt quite fortunate. After our hike, we went to the Cambodian National War Museum, where I met this man, Sanarth, who had an incredible story of survival during the genocide of the Khmer Rouge. And my friend Carl here, who I was traveling with, wrote a book about him. I'll leave a link to his book below in the description. You can buy it online and read the details of how he cheated death nine times, overcame blindness, lost a leg also via landmine, and ended up surviving, working in the National War Museum. I also realized that I hadn't bought anyone a Christmas present. So in the spirit of Christmas, I went back to buy someone in need a nice meal. It was then the most magical thing happened that ever occurred in all my travels. I came across three young kids selling books and postcards, and they tried their very best sales pitch on me. And I said, hey, instead of buying something from you, how about I buy you dinner instead? Well, they looked at each other and agreed, and they were elated. I told them they can order whatever they want, and they did. Pork chops, soups, coconut water, even Coca-Cola. It was Christmas after all, at least it was for me, and it felt good to give something back to somebody. And this is one memory that I will never forget. Okay, now in English. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 15. Oh, good. That's good. Jamerron, you count for me. There's no... Well, that's it for this video, folks. Thanks for watching. Don't forget to check out my channel, Floyd Ventures, for other videos just like this. And remember, wherever you are, wherever you go, go with the flow.