When we returned to Angkor Wat in 2002, major construction projects were underway to restore the eroded areas near the western entrance causeway. The blue canvas tarps and scaffolding of the restoration project made for ugly pictures from out front, and the monsoon rains and clouds also limited our photographic possibilities.
The atmosphere of the temples, however, was enhanced by the daily rhythm of the monsoon. In the morning it was usually clear and steamy hot, as in the photo of the reflecting pool above. In the afternoon the rain would pour as in the picture to the right, taken while we sat out a shower in an 800-year-old stone library to the right of the main causeway, trapped there with 20 other tourists from all over the world.