The Temples of Angkor

For some reason I wasn't inspired to update the blog in Cambodia but it seems unfair to bitch about Bokor National Park and not mention the country's most famous attraction- the temples of Angkor. It would be impossible to try and cover even the most famous sites in one day- we bought three day tickets and probably still could have used extra days to see some of the more outlying temples.

Angkor Wat is the world's largest religious complex and attracts some 2 million visitors per year; it is by far the most important symbol of Khmer culture and appears on the country' flag, banknotes, national beer label and countless other products. On our first day we got our tuk-tuk driver to take us out to the temple at 5am so we could watch the sunrise over the ruins...what we didn't realize was that the other 5000 tourists visiting that day all had exactly the same idea. 

Rather than watch the sun come up through 5000 LCD screens as people craned to get a view of the "money-shot" over the water, we entered the complex proper and had the place almost to ourselves for a short time, before making our way back to the tuk-tuk and continuing to Ta Prohm.

  

Ta Prohm is touted as one of the most atmospheric ruins and the huge kapok trees which spread throughout the temple certainly create a wild, Indiana Jones feeling. Although it is probably the second most popular site at Angkor, the labyrinthine network of rooms and cloisters make it easy to lose the crowds and enjoy the beauty of the site in peace.  

All the temples feature beautifully carved apsaras (female nymphs in Hindu mythology) and scenes from the Ramayana, often hundreds of metres in length, etched into the temple walls. It's impossible to imagine the hours and hours of labour that went into such intricate work on such a vast scale.

 

For our second and third days we rented bikes and pedaled out to Ta Kao, enormous Preah Khan, the magnificent Bayon temple and some of the lesser visited sections of Angkor Thom. Cycling is definitely the best way to get around- we were able to leave the crowds behind and cycle along dusty dirt tracks through the forest to reach parts of the temples where not even a fruit/t-shirt/drinks vendor could be found!!

  

With temperatures in the mid to high-30's it's hot and thirsty work exploring the ruins. Luckily the guesthouse we stayed in had a swimming pool...and almost every restaurant in Siem Reap serves icy cold draught beer for 50c a glass!!