We were really looking forward to this part of the trip in Siem Reap when we got to explore the Angkor Archaeological Park which is home to ten temples
Located just a few kilometres from Siem Reap, the most famous and dramatic Temple is that called Angkor Wat.
Built in the 12th century originally as a Hindu place or worship, over 500,000 people were involved in building this huge temple that sits on over 400 acres. now a Buddhist place of worship it is the largest religious monument in the world.
We got up at 4:00am and were at the grounds before 5:00am and walking in the dark by flashlight.
The best time to see Angkor Wat (apparently) is at sunrise.
Alas – it was cloudy as all get out and rained. So that was a bit of a let down but being in the grounds I. Front of this colossus is mind blowing.
Still impressive right?
The entire temple was and still is surrounded by a significant moat to keep enemies away and its impressive.
We had a fabulous guide that walked us through the temple, explaining the history, build, changes and everything that comes with a 800+ year old temple.
We gradually made our way up into the third level of the towers that was a challenge to say the least.
The lack of safety rails, nets – anything – was wild. I’m not sure if we in Australia take safety for granted or if we’ve become a nanny state but at some point e stages of this climb I was a bit concerned – one slip …….
But it was brilliant.
To explore this beautiful beat took around three hours and it was hard work in the morning heat and humidity. but worth every second of effort.
Angkor Wat is without doubt a masterpiece of design and engineering that is impossible to compare to any other structure I’ve seen.
We headed back to the hotel and had breakfast and a few hours to recover for the upcoming afternoon session.
So at around 3:00pm we headed back to another area in the precinct to explore two other Temples.
The first was called Bayon
We entered through a narrow gate, and had to down size into a mini van to pass through as it was only wide enough for elephants to enter when building the temple.
Bayon is one of the more iconic temples in Angkor, featuring no less that 54 towers rising out of the second level. Added to this, is the carving of dozens of smiling faces that you can see from anywhere in the temple and they always seem to be looking directly at you.
Around the exterior walls of the temple is a series of carvings depicting local life of the time.
These included cooking, hunting, friendship, fighting and even child birth in amazing detail.
While Inside is a plethora of hidden rooms and alleyways where thousands of people resided.
We really liked this temple for the stories it told about the day to day life of the inhabitants.
It was also super easy to explore compared to the billion steps in Angkor Wat.
Our last temple of the day is possibly the most famous in the region for a completely different reason other than the historical and religious
This temple is called Ta Phrom and it is without doubt the prettiest and most photogenic of the three.
You approach the temple down a long dirt road in a dense rain forest which sees the temperature drop and you feel a bit creepy.
I’m not a massive movie fan but even I realised pretty quickly that this is the place where Angelina Jolie filmed the iconic movie “Tomb Raider” in 2021
The temple sits in a semi ruined state, engulfed by dozens of massive fog trees that have formed into the brickwork of the temple.
There is current consideration to restore the temple however it is so far deteriorated that they are concerned it could simply collapse.
But it is majestically beautiful
A lot of the written history of this temple has been preserved by Sanskrit carved notes on the walls depicting areas where women and monks lived, and other drawings/carvings of life in the day.
It’s a quandary – leave it in this magnificent and stunningly beautiful state for who knows how long, or pull it apart for longevity ?
I’m sticking with leaving it be.
So that brought to an end our exploration of the Angkor Archaeological Area.
And what a day it was.
We both think the second half of the day was much more enjoyable and enlightening than the morning at Angkor Wat. And the Bayon and Ta Prohm Temples are much more “pretty” and easy to explore.
Having said that, the rest of the precinct would not have existed without it so its place in history is significant. And being in and around Angkor Wat was a life moment that can never be underestimated.
Lots more photos can be found in our Gallery Page
Ralph and Karen's Tours 