Advertisement
Published: January 29th 2011
Edit Blog Post
After Phnom Penh, we got a bus to Siem Reap so that we can explore Angkor. Angkor is a temple complex that stretches over 20km distance. It is the epitome of Khmer pride. Angkor insignia is everywhere, even brands of beer and cigarettes take the same name. We were really excited to visit it as we had heard so much about it and it is one of the must-see destinations in South-East Asia. We bought a one-week pass which although seemed quite expensive, was definitely worth it as we didn't have to rush and able to explore all the temples at our own pace.
We decided to build up to the most famous temples in Angkor so on our first day, we got a tuk-tuk guided tour to Ta Prohm, which was used in the Tomb Raider film as it is very atmospheric with the jungle reclaiming the ancient stone buildings. This temple was left as it was re-discovered by archeologists to show the awesome power of nature as trees grow in the courtyards and up the stone. It was a great introduction to Angkor and an insight into how it would have looked when it was first discovered. Next,
we went on to Sra Srang and Banteay Kdei which looked very different in style before moving on to Eastern Mebon, which had elephant statues at each corner. We went to Pre Rup (a hilltop temple) to watch the sunset and stone change colour to a deep red.
We decided to go by pedal-power to Angkor Wat. This is the most famous of all the temples in Angkor as it is the largest religious building in the world. What is really interesting about Angkor Wat is that since it was built, it has remained in constant use and was at one point the residence of the king who commissioned it to be built. As you approach it around the corner of the moat, the sheer size of it becomes apparent. When you walk through the entrance gates, it really is magnificent to see the five famous towers come into view. We had a guided tour around it and admired the intricate engravings that adorn the western walls. There are many images engraved of Apsara dancing girls but each one is unique with different hairstyles, facial expressions and dance moves. King Suryavarman II was buried at Angkor Wat in 1150
and we were able to go up the tower where he was laid to rest and to get great views across the temple and surrounding fields. The next morning, we left at 4am to go and watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. The temple is rare as it was built west-facing rather than east like the others. Mystifying but great for sunrises! We settled into a great spot by the small lake and watched as the towers silhouetted against the lightening sky. This was reflected in the pools, which made for good photographs. It was one of our highlights from our visit. Deciding to make the most of the day, we went to some of the far temples including Phreah Khan, which was originally built for King Jayavarman VII 's mother. It is a maze of corridors but very stunning.
We spent a full day looking around Angkor Thom, which used to be a city. Bayon temple is the most famous and it was definitely one of our favorites. The Bayon is the ultimate in vanity as engraved onto countless surfaces are images of King Jayavarman VII's face. It was great walking around spotting the faces and just admiring
the amount of work that must have gone into creating it. We got some great photographs of monks in sunglasses and was lucky to see Apsara dancers getting ready in one of the courtyards. Afterwards, we went to the Terrace of Elephants, which was very nice as there are lots of elephants engraved into the walls or carved out to give a 3D effect. A short walk away is Terrace of the Leper King. We jumped back on our bikes and along the way to Phnom Bakheng for sunset, we stopped at Baksel Chamkrong which is very scenic from afar. Sunset at Phnom Bakheng is a bit of a fiasco as everyone flocks there to see the sun set over Angkor. However, we got a good spot and sat back to enjoy the moment. We had to pedal back to Siem Reap and as it was getting dark, we wanted to get back as quick as possible. Once we were in Siem Reap, we didn't count on the potholes that litter the road and Gabrielle went headfirst into one. Luckily the traffic on the other side of the road had stopped at the lights so she dusted herself off (without
a scratch!) and we carried on. We were a bit shaken though so decided against any more cycling in the dark!
Christmas in Angkor was very cool as we looked around temples at our leisure and it definitely was very different to our usual festive plans! We went out on Christmas Eve and took advantage of the crazy cocktails. One of them was called 'Welcome to the Temple', which had shots of Vodka, Rum, Whiskey and Gin all mixed together (with a dash of orange juice). A recipe for disaster. Afterwards, we went to Angkor What? Bar and had a bit of a dance before stumbling back to our hotel. On Christmas Day, we had a lazy day watching old films and we went out in search of Christmas Dinner. The best we could come up with was Shepherd's Pie. The best part of the day was calling our families as we hadn't called them for over 3 months.
We were afraid that we may get temple-fatigued, but we soon realised this would not happen since every temple we went to had its own unique style. Wandering through the these ancient temples was a wondrous experience. Knowing that
these structures remained after hundreds of years, you couldn't help but imagine how glorious these buildings and the city as a whole would of been like in its heyday as we strolled through corridors, peered through windows onto courtyards and stepped up stairs leading to vast halls. Since these buildings had been stripped to the huge stone bricks, it was interesting to see how the building blocks were placed onto of each other until they made domed roofs above your head. It was fascinating seeing the grooves in each block which made it easy for the builders to carry the bricks from their place of origin to Angkor with the help of elephants.
As a side trip, we went to the Landmine museum, which is just outside the main Angkor complex. It was a great ride through rural villages and was great to see how people live within Angkor. The Landmine museum was really informative and we got to find out more about a problem which has blighted many generations.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.074s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 10; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0471s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb