Sunrise over Angkor Wat. I cannot begin to describe how utterly overwhelmed Christian and I were by what we saw at Angkor, the centre of the Khmer empire between AD 900 and 1200. I had previously thought there was just a single ruined temple here and how wrong I was -- this is an entire imperial city-state, with huge and impressive temples scattered over an area of many many square miles. The proportions are staggering, the natural setting sublime, the artistry highly sophisticated, and the craftsmanship astonishing, such that the overall impact is of both deep spirituality and jaw-dropping awe. I am unused to gushing in this way but even so I am convinced that neither my words nor my photos here are doing it justice.

The ascent to the central sanctuary at the heart of Angkor Wat, topped by five towers symbolising Mt Meru, the home of the gods in Hindu mythology.