Laos and Cambodia day 18: Angkor Temples

Submitted by maria on Fri, 26/08/2011 - 19:34

It's raining at dawn. Actually, it's been raining all night. We have breakfast at the Guest, we don't like it much.

Today we go to Angkor, we want to do the tour of the main temples by bike and the rest tomorrow by tuk tuk, but as it doesn't stop raining we do it the other way around. The guy who works at the Guest takes us for $8.

Petrol station

We go to the main entrance of the park after passing a street stall to buy a liter bottle of gasoline. You can buy the one-day ticket or the three-day ticket, we buy the three-day ticket, the daily ticket is $20 and the three-day ticket is $40 per person. They take a picture of you with a webcam and print it on your ticket, they are modern.

Angkor Wat

First stop Angkor Wat. I don't know very well how to describe it, it's an impressive place, almost perfect, very well preserved, with thousands of details. The image of the temple is reflected in the ponds on both sides of the main entrance walkway.

Angkor Wat

You don't even know where to start, you don't want to miss anything. We spent more than two hours touring the different spaces, it's as if you were moving to another time.

Angkor Wat

It's the largest religious building in the world and a Khmer national symbol. It reproduces the universe in miniature and is the best preserved. It has thousands of details, bas-reliefs on floors, ceilings, walls, representing battles, everyday life situations, deities. Made of sandstone blocks, it is in constant maintenance.

Interior Angkor Wat

In its interior premises dressed in traditional clothes make representations. The patios and surroundings are covered with grass, it is curious to see how some workers cut it with huge knives instead of machines.

Traditional dances

Detail

Angkor Wat

Interior Angkor Wat

Next stop Angkor Thom, the fortified city. It has five beautifully decorated gates that look out over the four corners of the world. In front of each gate are statues of gods and demons.

Entrance to Angkor Thom

Inside, the Elephant Terrace is also worth a look. The houses where they lived were made of wood and have not been preserved. At the height of Khmer culture, the city of Angkor had to be incredible. We won't stop too long tomorrow, we'll spend more time on it.

Bayon

Bayon, the temple of the hundred and something faces. It is amazing to feel watched by the great faces that had a huge resemblance to King Jayavarman. All the towers culminate in four faces that look down from any angle. It also has extraordinary reliefs. For me, it's one of my favourites.

Bayon

Suddenly we realize that our friend of the tuk tuk is showing us the nearest temples and we tell him that we don't want to see the farthest ones that tomorrow we want to rent bikes, he says that he doesn't have time, but it is not true, finally we did the long circuit, Baksei Chamkrong, Phnom Bakheng (many people come here to see the sunset over Angkor Wat), Spean Thmor (stone bridge), Ta Keo, Ta Nei.

Angkor Temples

Elephant Terrace

Angkor Temples

Spean Thmor

We continue to see: Banteay Kdei, Prasat Kravan, Preah Khan, Preah Neak Poan (circular shape surrounded by a lake), Ta Som, Eastern Baray and Easter Mebon, Pre Rup, Banteay Samre and Western Baray and Mebon.

Spean Thmor

Preah Neak Poan

Finally we decided to see the sunset over Angkor Wat, a must see.

Pre Rup

We go back to the Guest and look for a cyber to send some messages and download the photos from the camera. We go out and it starts raining as if we were in a waterfall. We arrive soaked.

They left us at the hostel with umbrellas and we went to eat, the water was up to our knees. There is practically only sewage in the exits of the most expensive hotels. We saw several women and children go into the sewers to unblock them, black as coal.

Angkor Temples

The main streets are paved but the rest are not and between the water and the mud you can imagine how we ended up.

The dinner is a very scarce chicken barbecue with a very scarce filet. We look for our friend from the pancake stand are cocoa powder and sugar, delicious. Don´t forget it.

We finish this wonderful day, tomorrow we go back to Angkor.

Tuk tuk: $8.
Entrance fee to Angkor for three days: $40 per pax.
Accommodation: Mon Papa Guesthouse 10$ double room with bathroom 2 pax.