Angkor Wat, Angkor Tom and a little bit of tomb raiding!

---

Wow. There is nothing more to say! But that wouldn't be much of a blog, would it?

There are some sights that you want to visit, but when you get there you think "Is that it?". Angkor Wat is about as far from that experience as you can get. The first glimpse as you cross the moat and enter the outer walls of the ancient city will bring tears to your eyes and leave you wondering how on Earth anything else can compare. Many people save this magnificent temple for a sunrise visit (not us, 4.30am start!) or sunset (again, not us, too used to our siestas) but even in the late morning it is a wondrous sight. We began by walking around the outer walls and entered through the eastern gate which certainly avoided the crowds. Indeed the first crowd we saw was a group of tourists trying to take photos of some wild monkeys. The five lotus shaped towers are magnificent and live up to all expectation. What we didn't expect was the sheer number of incredible inscriptions which go all around the base and tell tales of the ancient Angkor civilisation. At every turn our breath was taken away, and we even got to climb to the very top. A word of warning - dress appropriately because we saw quite a few people turned away because of their short shorts and skimpy tops. We spent a good 4 or 5 hours exploring and the only hassle was from the restaurants and souvenir sellers which are mercifully kept away from the temple.

Having bought a 3 day pass (to be used on any 3 days in a 7 day period) we certainly made the most of it without exhausting ourselves. The next day a tuk tuk took us out to the splendid South Gate of Angkor Thom. This was the first of many carved stone faces we saw that day. Instead of heading straight to the main sites we walked along the walls of the outer city and found an interesting hidden temple in one of the corners. Until we made our way back towards the centre we never saw another soul. Back inside the old city of Angkor Thom there are several temples and many interesting things to see. Our first stop was Baphuon which has only recently opened to the public. The Khmer Rouge somehow managed to destroy the instructions which had been set out to rebuild this temple after it was dismantled for restoration purposes. Archaeologists have done an amazing job in putting the place back together using old photos. From there we went to the Elephant Terrace with its inscriptions and statues of, yes, elephants! It is quite incredible to see but it must have been utterly amazing to see a military parade in Angkor times taking place before it. The main event at Angkor Thom is the bewitching Bayon temple complete with hundreds of faces staring out in all directions. It was a mesmerising experience to climb amongst them. Again 4 or 5 hours of exploration was enough for one day so we returned to our hotel swimming pool, having a day off before returning to the temples.

A full day in a tuk tuk can be tiring. Ok, so you're not physically walking all the time but they can be an exhilarating form of transport. If you want to visit some of the more distant Angkor temples you have little choice but to entrust your life into the hands of a driver. To be fair, our driver was pretty good. First of all he took us to the Victory Gate near Angkor Tom. This gate is beautifully carved but we were at the mercy of a persistent young boy selling postcards. We did eventually get away without making a purchase. Nearby we explored a couple of "twin" temples which were clearly non-identical twins! Again we had to fight off souvenir vendors but the coachloads of Asian tourists arriving en-masse showed us why they were there. Ta Keo was up next which was a very high temple with lots of very steep steps. It was hard work climbing up in the heat and humidity. We didn't actually make it to the very top because we were just too tired (lazy?). We needed to save our energy for Ta Prohm which didn't involve any climbing but there was lots of walking and far too many other tourists were there too. Why? Well, this temple houses one of the famous scenes from Tomb Raider where Angelina Jolie emerges from beneathe the cave-like tree roots brandishing some heavy weaponry. Neither of us have seen the film so maybe we ought to have a look at it some time! Leaving Ta Prohm we were again surrounded by kids brandishing postcards. Russ taught one of the boys to count to ten in Spanish and told him that if he could do it without my help then he would buy some. Well, it was only a dollar for ten postcards so don't start thinking we've gone all soft and generous!!

Temple fatigue was starting to creep in when we arrived at another towering construction, Prae Roup. It was quite a spectacular climb to the top and the views were great, but one temple begins to resemble another after a while. Close to there we went into an air conditioned restaurant for lunch. The heat an humidity was starting to irritate us by then. In one of the more expensive of these types of touristy restaurants, we had expected our fresh coconut juice to be cold. The shell was but the juice was still warm. It took three members of the service staff to eventually understand that we wanted ice. ICE, not EYE! Grrrr, pronunciation problems can become draining for a TEFL teacher.

After lunch we had just one more temple to explore. Banteay Kdei was waiting for us hidden in the jungle. It was a wonderful way to finish as most tourists seemed to have given up before they got to this one. There are fabulous inscriptions everywhere and you do feel like an explorer as you go down dark corridors and through mysterious archways. Here it wasn't the souvenir sellers that hassled you but young kids trying to get you into their (or their parents'😉 shack for a cold drink. The standard of English was most impressive and we almost gave in. Almost!!

So, three days of temples was about right for us. Only serious enthusiasts would really need to buy a seven day pass. The whole complex of ancient Angkor far exceeded our lofty expectations so we were more than happy.

---

Photos

Danger! Elephants crossing!
Not that we saw one.

On the Tomb Raider set at Ta Prohm
Must watch the film now!

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

The Angkor Wat experience
It is something isn't it. Nice photo