The other temples of Angkor

Although Angkor Wat is by far Cambodia's most famous temple, the Angkor Archaeological Park is actually home to many other temples.  Some people will rent bikes and ride the different loops (small and large circuit), but other people like myself hire a tuk-tuk driver for a less exhausting day.

I visited the small circuit temples on the same day as my first trip to Angkor Wat with a guy from Denmark.  I honestly don't remember the names of the majority of the temples, although there are a few that I remember.  I didn't know a ton about the history of each of the temples, but walking around them leaves quite the impression on you regardless.

Bayon, one of the more famous temples in Siem Reap because of the unique faces carved into the stone that can be found throughout the temple.  This was a really beautiful and interesting temple, but there were SO many people it was difficult to get any good pictures. 

These next photos are from Ta Phrom.  Besides Angkor Wat, this is probably the most famous temple in Siem Reap because it was used in the Tomb Raider movie.  It's an amazing temple because of the way in which the jungle taken over the temple, but actually I didn't enjoy visiting it at all because of the absolutely insane number of tourists.  There were so many tour groups there that the place was flooded with people, and I didn't really feel like I could appreciate the temple, never mind even attempt to get any good pictures.

Ta Prohm was the last temple we visited in the Small Circuit, and after that I was pretty much ready to go back because we had such an early morning to see the Angkor sunrise.  Plus, I don't think the guy I was sharing the tuk-tuk with was really that into the temples, and I felt a little rushed in order to not keep him waiting too long.

The following day I decided to go see the rest of the temples in the Large Circuit, but this time I decided to just take my own tuk-tuk so I wouldn't feel rushed at all.  This ended up being a good decision, because I could just go at my own pace and enjoy taking in these amazing works of art.

My tuk-tuk for the day! I have to admit, it's nice having your own personal driver. 

Although the temples in the large circuit aren't quite as famous as the ones in the small circuit, I actually enjoyed my second day a lot more than my first day.  I think this was in part because I felt more free to go at my own pace, and also because the temples themselves were quieter.  It's really exhausting to climb around these temples in the hot weather, and it was nice to at least have some more peace and quiet on my second day.

I'm not an expert on the history behind these temples, but even without knowing all of the history behind them, it's easy to be amazed by the knowledge and artistry that went into creating them. Furthermore, being in the presence of these temples was a sober reminder that nothing is forever.  These temples once were part of one of the Khmer Empire--one of the world's greatest, but often overlooked, empires.  However, as mighty as these temples and the kings who ordered them built once were, today they are crumbling to the ground and are falling to the forces of nature.  As I walked around I couldn't help but wonder about the people behind them--the people who built them, the people who worshiped there, the  kings who had them built to prove their worthiness.  These people are gone, and in large part their stories and their lives are gone too, never to be uncovered.  What a humbling reminder that no matter how great we think we are, we and everything we own are all temporary on this earth.

Angkor Wat

If you ask people who visit Cambodia what the number one thing they want to during their visit is, hands down the vast majority of them will say Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat was built as a Hindu temple for the god Vishnu in the early 12th century.  Later, it was turned into a Buddhist temple as Buddhism replaced Hinduism as the prominent religion in Cambodia. Angkor Wat is the world's largest religious monument, marking the amazing achievement of the Khmer Empire, which at one time ruled parts of what is today Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.  

One of the "must-do" things at Angkor Wat is watching the sunrise over the temple.  I knew there would be tons of people there, but I figured it's just one of those iconic things you have to see while you're in Siem Reap, so I added it to my plan for my second day in Siem Reap.

Although I got a poor night's sleep due to an argument my hostel roommates decided to have in the middle of the night over the air conditioning (seriously, this happened), I had to wake up bright and early to meet my tuk-tuk driver at 5 AM.  My hostel had a board where we could sign up to share tuk-tuks with other people, so I signed up the night before and when I showed up it turned out that I would be sharing the ride with a guy from Denmark.  Although I was tired, he was hungover (or maybe still drunk?), so I felt better about my situation by comparison.  

We arrived at Angkor Wat in the complete pitch black.  There were some people who led the way with flashlights, but without it we really wouldn't have been able to see where we were going.  If we didn't already know Angkor Wat was going to appear in front of us, there's no way we ever could have guessed it.  

As the crowds of people piled in, everyone was trying to get a good spot in front of the water in front of the temple.  Slowly but surely, the sun started to rise, slowly reveling the outline of one the most famous temples in the world. 

When we first arrived we couldn't see anything, but gradually we started to see the outline of Angkor Wat.

Finally seeing Angkor Wat with my own eyes...incredible.

Everyone wants to capture photos of this iconic sight

My tour guide later told me that about 700 people come to watch the sun rise at Angkor Wat everyday during the high tourist season. 

After the sun rose, we decided to get a head start to explore the temple.  I knew Angkor Wat was big, but it's one of those places that I think you just need to experience in order to really understand the magnitude of it.  I visited tons of temples during my time in Cambodia, and while many of them were large, Angkor Wat's size is unparalleled.  When I returned to Angkor Wat, I think my tour guide told me that it took 37 years to build the temple, but I haven't been able to verify that number.  Regardless, it was an amazing undertaking to build this temple at a time when machinery didn't exist.

The walls of Angkor go on and on and are covered with these carvings. My tour guide told me that they would draw the pictures before carving them because obviously making a mistake was not really an option.  

It took some time to wander around Angkor Wat and I think my tuk-tuk partner was ready to go a bit before I was, so we got some food to eat at one of the food stations, then went on to see more of the other temples around Angkor.  I'll write more about that in another post, but this wasn't my only trip to Angkor Wat.

The day after I saw the sunrise at Angkor, I went to see another group of temples by myself.  Since I didn't feel completely satisfied with my first visit to Angkor Wat, I asked my driver to take me back at the end of the day.  

As I was walking into the entrance of the temple, a man who works as a tour guide for the park asked if I wanted a guide.  I asked how much and he said $15. I figured it was worth it to me because I wanted to know more about what I was seeing, and it's not like I was spending a lot on anything else in Cambodia.

I was glad I did, because it made me appreciate what I was seeing even more.  There is so much symbolism in the way that the temple was built, and it was nice to have my own personal guide to indulge my inner history nerd.

After my tour was done, I spent some time just sitting and watching the sun set a bit.  I was trying to just take in as much as I could, fully aware that this was a place I'll probably never be again.  

Photo and photo idea courtesy of my tour guide.  I told him he was good at taking pictures and he told me he watches the people from the large tour groups and steals their ideas.  

Goodbye Angkor Wat!

Overall, I felt very satisfied with my Angkor experience.  I still can't believe I was really there--I feel so lucky to have been able to experience this amazing piece of the Khmer Empire.