Angkor Wat & Surrounding Temples

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Careful: Elephant Crossing

It’s hot. Scratch that – it’s very hot and very humid. It’s incredibly hard to describe what 68 percent humidity in a 36 degree heat is like unless you’ve experienced it, but take our word for it, it takes its toll. It took me about 16 hours to write that sentence.

Yesterday, we went to visit the temples. People say they are impressive, but having actually seen them for ourselves, we were left to wonder about the feat of engineering they actually are. The structures are immense, being beautiful and domineering at the same time, stretching over a vast area of land.

We got a relatively early start to avoid the largest of the crowds and the midday heat. Our guide, Khom, a friendly local with plenty to say, took us in air-conditioned luxury (I don’t think a Toyota Camry has ever been described as luxury before) to the temples in turn, starting with Angkor Wat and finishing with Ta Prohm, the temple now commonly known for its part in the film Tomb Raider.















There were already plenty of people about, but it was possible to get some photos without crowds of strangers getting in shot. Being the first day back to work for many locals after the New Year break, most of the visitors were foreign nationals.

At the Bayon temple in Angkor Thom, we had to pay particular care not to get trampled by passing elephants, although these were in the hands of guides, providing rides for the visitors. The same cannot be said for the creatures beyond the trees. We were unable to tell what species of animal was making each noise, unsure whether we were likely to be played with, bitten or eaten!

Still, being near a jungle wasn’t going to stop us – we managed to find a local indie nightclub, which provided good music and refreshing drinks. The effects of the humidity were in full force, so rather than opting for a bucket of G&T or Vodka and lemonade or one of the other spirits & mixers available, we had a few more sensibly-sized drinks and were forced to call it an early night.

Siem Reap is a relatively small place with a central hub of bars and shops. The centre appears to be entirely focused on tourism, which is understandable, if a little lacking in local culture as a result.

Oh, and on a side note, apparently there are landmines here and you should always stick to the paths. RD informed me of this when we were in the pub, after we’d been walking through fields for the entire day. Thanks Rich!

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Comments

[gary m]

nice pics
Looks like you're having a great time there rich & rich. Nice idea - blogging your adventures, saves the old memory some work. Bet it's not as hot there as it is in Barry Island at the moment though.