#51 A Tale of Life 🌳 🇰🇭 丛林求生

Each year, millions of visitors flock to the jungle of Cambodia to visit this Ta Prohm Temple, and marvel at the battle between nature and architecture. Here, nature takes over.

The silk-cotton and strangler fig trees have been growing over and through the stone structures. These untamed trees are telling visitors the stories of LIFE. Their clutches are seeking any slight chance of LIFE, and at the same time, they are devouring the LIFE of some ancient buildings.

每一年，几百万世界各地的游客涌向柬埔寨的丛林，来到塔普伦寺观赏这大自然和人类杰作之间上演的生死剧目。而这里，显然是大自然占了上风。

一棵棵绞杀榕和木棉树沿着石柱石墙疯狂生长，盘根错节，有些甚至野蛮地穿过石块的缝隙，将其撑裂。这些植物向世人展示着生存的顽强，同时也残酷地吞噬着这些古老石庙的生命。

Yes it is a very touristic place, just like Machu Picchu and the Great Wall, small chance that you can escape the large crowds, and this reclamation of the jungle has been photographed millions of times. Still, it is one of the most atmospheric and mesmerizing temples I visited, and I added another 20 shots to the millions' count. ;)

这里就跟长城、马丘比丘之类的著名景点一样总是人山人海，这种丛林向人类建筑求生存的场景也被拍摄过很多次。但是，这里清幽神秘的气氛依然与很多别的寺庙不同，所以我也狂拍了二十张左右的照片。

I didn't feel the Indiana Jones or the Tomb Raider vibe here, like many said. I just got lost a dozen times wandering through the maze, because of the distraction of the LIFE show and my legendary sense of directions.

我倒并没有感受到很多西方游客说的《印第安纳琼斯》或《古墓丽影》的氛围，只是在这迷宫似的古寺和丛林间迷路了十几次。原因？我忘了自己可怕的方向感，只顾着惊叹于这场生死剧了。

Ta Prohm was built as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. It is close to the even more famous Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. You can visit it as part of the small circuit of the Angkor complex. Its entrance is reachable by tuk tuk, or by a scooter/motorcycle like we did.

塔普伦寺是十二世纪晚期十三世纪早期修建起来的大乘佛教寺院和学堂，就在更加有名的吴哥寺（小吴哥）和大吴哥城附近。一般可以和吴哥建筑群“小圈”的其他景点一起游玩。通常人们所说的“吴哥窟”其实是一个很大的分散的建筑群。“小圈”的景点除了刚提到的塔普伦寺和最有名的吴哥寺，还有通王城、巴肯山、托玛侬神庙、周萨神庙和茶胶寺。一般可以坐当地常见的三轮车前往，但是我觉得像我们那样自己骑电动车或摩托车会更加灵活方便，在各个地方想停多久都可以随心安排。

That's it for today's tale of life. Hope you enjoyed it like I did! Have you been to Ta Prohm temple? How did you feel there? Tell me what you think in the comments below. Until next time! =)

今天关于丛林在古庙求生的分享就到这里。希望你们喜欢！你去过柬埔寨的塔普伦寺吗？有什么感想？欢迎留言。下次再见！

All content by @itchyfeetdonica. The head image was taken by Canon Kiss X3, others by iPhone 7. This post is inspired by the "Life" contest by @daveks, and the "Untamednature" contest by @kus-knee. Thank you for hosting these fun contests! If anyone is interested, check out their pages to find more information.

这组照片参加中文区的摄影月旦评活动，感谢评委和各位组织活动的朋友们的辛勤付出。