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Published: April 21st 2009
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After a few days getting our legs under us in Phnom Penh we hopped a bus up to Siem Reap, launch point for Angkor Wat...
This was one of Karen's must-sees on the trip, and after some research I too was keen on seeing the temples. What to say, amazing! After reading up and seeing the maps/layouts in the Lonely Planet guide I was still blown away by the size and number of temple sights, it's quite hard to explain the enormity of it all.
Arrived in Siem Reap mid-day; we really only had a day and a half here so spent the first afternoon poking around town. SR is a pretty cool hang; lots of restaurants, cafes and bars to quench that thirst and hunger...and a cool market full of souvenirs and food in all shapes and forms. Nothing really exciting to report here, again just kinda hung out that day and night knowing we had a full day of temples ahead of us the following day. In retrospect I wish we had had an extra day here to do some more exploring, it was a little rushed and we wanted to see and do so many things
on our trip that unfortunately it didn't leave much loafing-around time...good reason to go back!
The next morning we started out with breakfast in Siem Reap and then found a tuk-tuk driver who would stick with us for the day and take us to the various sites at Angkor. We agreed on three sites, with our first stop being Angkor Thom. The driver dropped us off at the South Gates and told us he would meet us at the other end, couldn't have worked out any easier or better... Got off to a funny start with almost being run over by an elephant as I approached the first gate; there were elephant tours in the area and I didn't hear one coming up behind me, only to look to my left and be essentially staring into it's eye...a wee bit startling to say the least...haha...
To say Angkor Thom is beautiful is an understatement; as a first temple sighting it was truly awe-inspiring. It was about 9 am at this point and the light on the Bayon was fantastic, giving it some great shadows and made for some good pics... The architecture was brilliant, and it's hard to
believe how good of shape it still seems to be in. We spent a good chunk of time exploring the various nooks and crannies of the Bayon, slowly making our way up to the top levels. The temple figures and carvings were spectacular, and of all the temples I think this was my favourite. We then made our way to some of the other sites within Angkor Thom, including the Baphuon and Terrace of Elephants, before hooking back up with our driver...
Next stop was Ta Prohm, a site I was looking forward to. Gigantic trees have taken root (and taken over!) most of the site, a very cool sight indeed. Again fantastic, and a nice break from the mid-day heat as the trees provided some very welcome shade...
Final stop was Angkor Wat itself, again what to say? Very impressive as you walk along the causeway to the entrance, and then to have the site unfold itself before your eyes as you cross through the doorway. The site is huge, with many structures, but the main attraction is the three main peaks of the centre building. Again the architecture is beautiful, and the bas-reliefs found all over
Yikes!
One grumpy face on the way in to Angkor Thom...haha... the main area were stunning in most cases...
Words do not do these sights justice so will end here and let the pics speak for themselves...enjoy!
(Some photos copyright of Karen C., denoted by (KC)...used with kind permission)
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