Angkor temples - a wonder of the ancient world

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Flying into Siem Reap in the north of Cambodia was a bit of a shock to the system. After weeks in Laos where the temperament was chilled out and we almost never got hassled for anything, Siem Reap was the complete opposite. From the outset there were motorbike drivers, tuk tuk drivers, beggers and people trying to sell us stuff, coming at us, with arms outstetched from every angle. We retreated immediately from the airport taxi and managed to (somehow) stumble upon the guesthouse that our friends had reccomended to us a couple of days before, Red Lodge. This place was a backpacker's dream- $6 a night, free DVDs to watch in the TV area, free book exchange, free tea, coffee, bread, butter, jam and bananas all day and free use of bicycles. And the guys that ran the place were really nice- what a gem!

We utilised every facility during our stay- the most important of all- the bikes. This meant that we could cycle around the temples of Angkor (around 8kms out of the city), saving ourselves money and allowing us to take it all at our own pace. So we bought a 3 day pass (anything less would have been ludicrous) and headed into Angkor. Now i'll keep this entry brief as i want to let the images do the talking (although, they'll never do the place justice). Day 1 and 2, we cycled around in awe, from one temple to the next, at the sheer beauty of them all, and at how different each of them were from one another in terms of colour, scale and style (and there are a good few temples let me tell you- covering a few hundred sq kms). Day 3 we hired a tuk tuk as Bantey Srei (one of the most colourful temples with the best carvings) was a good 45kms from our guest house, and we didn't much fancy that on a push bike.

Bayon (with its hundreds of giant smiling faces) was probably our favourite but then Ta Phrom, where the jungle had tightened its grip on the ancient brickwork was so fascinating. And then there's Angkor- the first time you see those towers, crafted to look like Lotus buds, it sends a shiver down your spine. It's hard to put it all into words, and as i say, the pics just won't do the experience justice, but i've tried to include a good variety.

Siem Rep itself was quite a nice place- very westernised with many bars, clubs and restaurants (we had the nicest Italian meal for months), mostly situated down 'Pub Street.' But the best thing about it by far, was the breathtaking ancient site, just down the road. Angkor was one of those unforgettable experiences that has to definitely be one of the highlights for us so far.

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Photos

The first glimpse
View of Angkor Wat from one of the adjacent lakes

Long way down
The steps in all the temples are steep to say the least

View of one of the Lotus towers...
From within Angkor Wat

Another Lotus tower
Taken from the base of the stairs

The central courtyard
Within Angkor Wat

Central courtyard
Kelly takes it all in at Angkor Wat

The outer wall of Angkor Thom
The huge stone faces smile down on us as we make our way through the gate

Apsara dancers
The walls of Bayon are adorned with these beautiful carvings

Smiler
Close up of one of the content smiling faces of Bayon

Let's face it
We pose infront of one of the beautifully serene faces

Heads up
Faces, faces everywhere

Bayon
Taken from inside the courtyard on level 2

Bayon
View of the amazing temple from one of the entrances

Ruins
I climb high to look down on the little people

Singing in the rain
Some local children entertain us during a short, sharp downpour

Looking down from up high
A view down from the top level of one of the temples (i can't remember which i'm afraid...)

The statues guarding the way
We were met by a scene from the 'Churning of the sea of milk' - at every outer entrance to Angkor Thom

Sunset
Bit cloudy, so not the best shot, but pretty cool nevertheless

Another entrance...
To somewhere. Again, i can't quite remember as we went to so many different temples

A really, really old temple
Whose name escapes me. But it was impressive- reminded us of Roman ruins

The 'Roman ruins'
Picking out some nice reds in the sandstone

Comments

[Neill Furmston]

Amazing
Wah Wah Wee Waah!! This is the No.1 place on my list of 'Must see before I die' Absolutely awesome. Hope you guys are having fun and not missing Blighty one bit. N x

[Ross]

Breathaking
Amers, these pics are simply amazing. I've just read your blog from the start and to say I'm jealous is way too much of an understatement. Looking forward to the next instalment. Take care

[Kelly and Amers]

Angkor blimey!
Hi mate, nice to hear from you. Been meaning to email you for a bit. Angkor was an amazing experience- one of the highlights for us so far without a doubt. It's a photographer's dream (you would have been proud of me- i snapped some gems). Anyway, hope all's well there, and you're right, we're not missing Blighty and its so-so summers one bit! Speak soon x

[Kelly and Amers]

Ross me old muckar...!
Nice to hear from you mate. Glad you're enjoying our adventures- the photos are just a snippet really- they take so long to upload but i try and put the best ones up there. Hope work isn't too taxing for you and that you guys are having some kind of summer. Keep the emails coming and say hi to everyone there Cheers, Amers