By Alejandro Martinez-Inzunza
Contributing Writer

This is the fourth article in our 2014 Week of Photo Journals: Changing Perspectives. Check back each day this week to see more beautiful photography and travel accounts from UC San Diego students.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Dating back to the 12th Century CE, Angkor Wat is the world’s oldest and, at 400 square kilometers, also the world’s largest religious site. The complex lies in Cambodia, where it first served as the religious center of the Khmer Empire. While access to the site was limited for decades by the Khmer Rouge, the complex has begun to welcome visitors, who especially flock to the main temple, pictured here.

Guanajuato, Mexico

The city of Guanajuato lies in the middle of a valley in the middle of Mexico. The city, pictured here, houses over 100,000 residents and serves as the capital of Guanajuato state. Visible in the photo are the University of Guanajuato, identifiable by its Neoclassical architectural style, and the church on the Plaza de la Paz. Contrasting with these aged buildings are the dwellings rapidly spreading across the hillsides.

Wat Mahatha

Thailand boasts numerous impressive Buddhist monuments, and this statue, residing in Wat Mahathat, a temple complex in Ayutthaya Historical Park, is no exception. Constructed centuries ago, the head of Buddha has been nearly entirely ensconced by a tree’s roots.

Marina Reservoir, Singapore

A series of structures called Supertrees now tower over the Gardens by the Bay, a newly-constructed garden complex in Singapore’s Marina Reservoir. Connecting the man-made trees is a pedestrian skybridge. The “trees” themselves are also gardens, full of ferns, orchids and the like.

Puebla, Mexico

In the historic center of Puebla, Mexico runs the Avenida 5 Oriente. The architectural style of the city is encapsulated by the small section of wall depicted here: the historic center of the city is all bright pastels occasionally punctuated by colorful ceramic tiles.

Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand

When traversing rural Thailand, elephants serve as effective transportation. In this picture, the elephants are trundling through the valleys of Kanchanaburi Province on their way to the famed Tiger temple, with several curious students in tow.

Cambodia

A Cambodian farmer tends to his rice paddies. His land lies adjacent to some of the infamous Killing Fields, a series of sites where the brutal Khmer Rouge regime murdered and buried more than one million victims.

Singapore

A parachuting paratrooper leaves a bright streak against the Singapore sky. This descent was a part of the 2012 celebration of National Day, which commemorates Singapore’s independence from Malaysia, and was accompanied by a military parade through the city.

Plaza de la Revolucion, Havana, Cuba

One of the classic cars so closely associated with Cuba drives in front of a sculpture of national hero Che Guevara in Havana’s Revolution Square. The text below roughly translates to “Until victory, always.”

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

An up-close look at one of the aged statues in Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple complex reveals the toll the elements have taken on the statue, but also how the statues were constructed and the intricate detail that went into each one.