[Renfield]

Ping

[schm0e]

angkor who?

[ScottinVA]

The Angkor Wat temples are fascinating... I’d love to travel there to Cambodia to see them.

[Teacher317]

In 2009, tree ring data indicated a potential culprit: a decades-long period of megamonsoons and droughts in Southeast Asia in the 14th century.

Another version of this story glibly phrases it as "deforestation".

[onedoug]

If you happen around the Danang area, the Cham temples at My Son are very cool and date from around the same period.

[Tuketu]

“802 C.E” I guess that is Common Era, which began WHEN With Christ! Why not write “AD” as the Libs MUST trace this to AD when asked. Could it be that common era is the 33 years when Christ lived?

Oh, by the same “BS” they use BCE instead of BC. Isn't that a waste of their beloved paper, to say noting of the extravagant use of ink. If we still wrote with quills, they'd sacrifice their beloved spotted owl to write the added unnecessary letter.

[wattsgnu]

I didn’t know what C.E. stood for. I guess they are removing BC (now BCE) and AD (now CE)from everything. And Christmas will be Xmas, and Easter will be Spring Festival, and...

[Fred Nerks]

Aerial view of Angkor Wat:

[colorado tanker]

We finally made it to Angkor last year and it was worth the journey. It's one of the most incredible places on Earth. We hired a guide which I highly recommend. Not only because of the personal tour but also because Cambodia is very corrupt and he took care of the bribes and vigorish.

Unfortunately, only the sacred places were built in stone. The city, including the royal palace, were built of wood, long since gone. This article fits with the story we were told of a once vast city. You can still see some of the waterworks.

The current belief is Angkor was abandoned because it was too vulnerable to attack from the resurgent Thai kingdom based in Ayutthaya, so they retreated to Phnom Penh.

If you go, be sure to take in the "Tomb Raider" temple. The tree roots are so intertwined with the building that it is not being completely restored. It is something straight out of Indiana Jones. Parts of the Tomb Raider movie were filmed there.

I agree with the comments about not trying to do too much on arrival in Bangkok. Even a nonstop is a long flight. Take a recovery day. Even though Bangkok is congested and smoggy, there are fascinating sights in their own right like the old Royal Palace complex and Wat Po temple. Plus, there is great dining. Pick your price point. One of the best meals I've had in Thailand I got for under $2 in a street noodle joint in Chaing Mai.