A day with the monks

Two days ago, we went to see Angkor Wat and the surrounding ruins. My favorite ruin was Ta Prom. This ruin was left intentionally unrestored, to look like it did when it was first discovered in the 19th century. There are enormous roots (with colorful names like “strangler ficus”) growing among the stones. Here are a couple of pictures from the site:

But my favorite part of the day was seeing the monks in their saffron robes. I’m embarrassed to say I was surreptitiously trying to get lots of candids of the monks among the ruins.

At one point I made eye contact with the monks and we smiled at each other. So I approached and started talking to the monks. The one in the foreground in this photo said that he has been a monk for give years and is hoping to be a tour guide when he finishes! The other one has been a monk for two years and wants to be an English teacher someday.