The Temples of Angkor
Trip Start
Dec 02, 2007
1
42
55
Trip End
Sep 01, 2008
Siem Reap,
Cambodia
Sunday, June 22, 2008
We spent four days in Siem Reap visiting the temples with our tuk-tuk driver, Ken. On arrival in Siem Reap, we dumped our stuff and made for Angkor Wat, the world's largest single religious monument, for sunset. After getting over the initial shock of seeing scaffolding on the main tower (no chance to Photoshop the pictures until we get home!), we got some good snaps which set us up nicely for a few days of temple visits.
The following day was Chelsea's last before flying home for Dublin, so the four of us tried to pack in the majority of the key sights. The Angkor period ran from 802 AD to 1431, during which time over a thousand temples were contructed. Understandably we couldn't visit them all, but we started early with a return trip to Angkor Wat for sunrise and further exploration. From there, we managed to fit in Angkor Thom, a walled city that contains the fantastic Bayon Temple, complete with 216 faces, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Finally, we visited Ta Promh, made famous by its appearance in one of the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider films. The temple was overgrown when rediscovered, and still contains some huge trees encroaching on the stonework.
With Chelsea satisfied with a full day of temple hopping, we set out for her goodbye dinner and drinks. Not for the first time since travelling with her and Greg, this turned into a rather large night out but it was a good sendoff.
Charlotte, Greg and I spent another two full days exploring the temples.
Angkor Wat at sunrise 2
Among our favourites were Banteay Srei and Banteay Samre, both with exquisite carvings in good condition, and Bakong, a temple of the Roulous Group and one of the earlier temples constructed in the region.We also spent several more hours at Angkor Wat, fully exploring the carvings. The temple honours the Hindu god Vishnu, and is a symbolic representation of the Hindu universe. The stories included in the inner galleries are of extraordinary detail; although I have been there twice and spent a lot of time there, there are undoubtedly unexplored bas-reliefs remaining. After a quick visit to the mountain temple for sunset, we retired to the hostel before our goodbye-to-Cambodia night out.
Although we only spent just over a week there, Cambodia has been one of our favourite destinations so far. It historically and culturally interesting, and the people are amazingly friendly. It is also fascinating to see how Cambodians are trying to put recent events behind them and forge into the future; in the six years between my two visits there, there has been noticable change. We left with the feeling that this growth will accelerate, but hopefuly not to the level of their neighbours, Vietnam and Thailand. Cambodia is a unique country and it would be a shame to see it lose any of its character.
