Bayon

The next temple we visited was Bayon. This temple is famous for the many faces carved into the rock. There are four faces on each tower, one facing each direction. There are over 200 faces on the 54 towers. Our guide told us that this was originally a Buddhist temple based on carvings in the walls. I wish I could remember all the interesting things he told us.
I really liked this temple. It’s my second favorite. Looking at it from afar, I was hoping to see the faces closer up, and once again I was pleasantly surprised to discover that we could walk right up and stand nose to nose with them.
After visiting Bayon, we met up with our buddies again. We were given separate tours so we could listen in our own languages. Before we said goodbye, we played a game. It was very similar to Duck Duck Goose, but funnier and more brutal. One person walks around the circle (not touching anyone’s head because that’s a no-no in the Cambodian culture) and drops a rolled up scarf behind one person. The person to the right must stand up and run, while the person who now has the scarf chases them and tries to hit them mercilessly with the rolled up scarf. Some people were beaten repeatedly while running. One little girl wailed on the person she was chasing. It was all very amusing to watch.
For almost all the students this was their first time visiting the Angkor Temples. We didn’t do too much with our buddies other than meet up and have lunch, but it was nice to meet them. Some people got along really well with their buddies. As for me, I wish I could have communicated with her better. But we did have fun playing Thumb War.