Angkor Wat

As Angkor Wat has been on OD's bucket list, and it is an easy trip from Singapore, we booked a few days in Siem Reap in October of 2012. We arrived on Friday night and got up early on Saturday to make sunrise over Angkor Wat. Our tuk tuk driver picked us up from the hotel while it was still dark and took us the 20 minutes to the temple, where a throng of tourists waited at the entrance. We were pleased to find an espresso cart open -- we really need our morning coffee, especially at that hour!



We made our way with the masses towards the temples and found a spot to perch on one of the outer structures. While it was crowded, with everyone trying to set up the perfect shot, I do think it was worth getting up early for -- not only for the sunrise, but for the cooler morning temps. While waiting for the sunrise, we people-watched and even ordered ice coffees for delivery (unfortunately way too sweet for our taste).

After sunrise, the crowd dissipated and we wandered around the temple complex until it got too hot. Though it was impressive, OD thought it wasn't as remarkable as Machu Picchu (I'm glad he made that trek before I met him). I didn't have anything like Machu Picchu to compare it to, but for some reason I thought Angkor Wat would be bigger -- or perhaps taller (living amongst skyscrapers has ruined my perspective).


The temple grounds are full of reliefs and carvings rich in symbolism, which we learned about in snatches from passing tour guides. Not having the patience for a guided tour or extended reading of guide books, we nonetheless appreciated the artistry and actually did pick up a little about Hindu and Buddhist mythology. My favorites were the Apsaras, heavenly dancers, while I think OD would pick garudas, bird-like creatures representative of the God Vishnu.

For another view of Angkor Wat, we went up in an anchored hot balloon. It was probably not worth the price, but we got a few decent shots of the temple from a distance and the surrounding countryside.

Though Angkor Wat is the largest and most famous of the temples, the Angkor Archaeological Park includes numerous other temples and sites of the Khmer Kingdom. We also visited some of these, including those of Angkor Thom and Beng Mealea.