Angkor Wat Temples Day 1
Trip Start
Feb 28, 2009
1
49
64
Trip End
Aug 06, 2009
Siem Reap,
Cambodia
Sunday, July 5, 2009
We hired a tuk tuk driver for 2 days to take us around to all the temples. The first one we visited was the magnificient, awe inspiring temple that is Angkor Wat. There is an impressive moat surrounding it and the complex is massive in size. We spent a couple hours exploring the levels and galleries and walking around the perimeter - very quiet and peaceful. Angkor Wat was built to honour Vishnu and was absolutely amazing trying to figure out how it was constructed. They were built between the 9th and 13th centuries with Angkor Wat being the largest religious building in the world. Then we visited Angkor Thom, which had gates and walls surrounding the area. Our favorite temple inside the walls was Bayon, with its figure heads staring at you. It was fun to climb and crawl through and I got a picture of a monk there and then his friend pulled out a camera phone and took a picture of me
Angkor Wat, baby!
. I guess along with their limited 4 possssions they are now allowed electronics. After thoroughly enjoying Bayon we walked around Baphoun, which was under construction, and then walked around the Terrace of Elephants, a massive wall of engraved elephants. Our last temple for the day was Ta Prohm, a good place to imagine you're in 'Temple of Doom' and was used for shooting "Tomb Raider" This was another favorite to visit, it has been overtaken by nature with massive tree roots strangling the stonework. There was a maze of narrow corridors and lots of rubble from collapsed bits. We decided to give sunset a go, thinking that we were going to be back at Angkor Wat or at least be able to see it, but they take everyone to Phnom Bakheng, with Angkor Wat barely visible. There were an insane amount of people climbing the temple to watch sunset, which was not a noteworthy scene to watch sunset at all, we were very confused. It was cloudy anyway, so we stayed for a bit and then climbed down the ancient steep and narrow stone steps down before it was dark. After a full day of exploring temples we were happily exhausted but still managed to go out and watch Roddick v Federer, poor Andy.
