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Oct 5, 2014

Exploring Angkor Wat

Location : Angkor Wat Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Powerful Picture
When I saw a compelling picture showing a massive tree engulfing a temple that has been lost through time (below picture), I was spellbound. Imagine! The seat of the powerful Khmer Empire lost to humanity and taken over by the jungle until its recent discovery. You can't be more Indiana Jones than that! I had to see it for myself.

the vast Khmer Empire, taken over by the jungle - Angkor Wat !!!

Raining Cats and Dogs
It was my last full day in Cambodia before my visa expires, my last chance to see Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm...and it was raining cats and dogs. It would have been easier if I chartered a tuk-tuk ($15 short tour), but with the $20 I already paid for the temple admission fee, I had to tighten up. I rented a bicycle instead for $1 and decided I'll make a self-tour - even if it means forging through the driving rain.

Angkor Wat
As luck would have it, the rain didn't last long. I got to Angkor Wat in no time. The first thing that caught my attention was its massive scale. This temple system is huge. Even when I climbed up the upper levels, the expanse it covered was vast. It's hard to imagine that an ancient culture built this massive and intricate stone structure with no modern day technology.

Ta Prohm
This is the temple I really wanted to see. It is massive, but not as massive as Angkor Wat, but this is the temple system known for the trees that gripped its walls and facade with its root system like octopus tentacles wrapping itself around a fish. I was mesmerized at the sheer sight of these trees taking ownership of what once the capital of a great empire. Ta Prohm is also one that is mostly in ruins. Conservation efforts have been underway to restore the temple, structure by structure. An Easter Egg in this complex is to find the hidden Buddha. Not too many people are even aware it exists. It's actually a sculpted face of the Buddha on a wall that's been taken over by tree roots. The roots branched out into a fork revealing the hidden Buddha face.

Other Temple Complex
Angkor Wat is only one of several temple systems within the cluster. There are a good number of these temples and temple complexes. The map I had is intuitive enough to navigate a bike route as a loop to cover most of them - Prasat Kravan, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda Temple, Prasat Bayon, etc. If not for Angkor Wat (casting a shadow on all the other temples), all of them would stand out as stand-alone structures for their magnificence.

Ending Thoughts
Seeing Ta Prohm is one bucket list entry I can finally check-off. Totally Amazing!

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

rain or shine, I wasn't going to miss my last chance to see Angkor Wat

the rain just stopped but rain didn't stop these people

couldn't help it...handstand on one of the world's most iconic landmark - Angkor Wat

the Khmer Empire's history is carved in pictographs

long passageways with intricately carved walls and ceilings

the Khmers know how to appreciate their women

wide open grounds with massive structures

Angkor Wat was practically a city unto itself

there is usually a Buddha in the inner chamber

wild monkeys are on the premises...usually the mothers with their young

juice from coconut palm...it was sweet...sweeter than coconut juice

not sure but this could be Sras Srang, another temple apart from Angkor Wat

across Sras Srang is another temple, Banteay Kdei

a first look at the root system and its iron grip on the temple

the massive walls collapse from the sheer weight of these trees

this is where the picture was taken...that compelling picture that made me come to Ta Prohm

the roots branch out in search of water and nutrients

I'll never get this chance again...handstand til my ears fall off

it's hard to imagine Ta Prohm without the trees

do you see the hidden Buddha? most people don't even know this

zooming in...now, do you see the Buddha?

it would seem like the temple and the trees are one...two sides of one coin, inseparable

I had to squeeze my face there to be a part of that wonder

it looks like this tree started from the top of the temple with its roots finding a water source further down

sometimes the tree is so fused with the temple, it's hard to place where one ends and the other begins

more temple structures...I don't think I've seen all of Ta Prohm

victims of mine blasts turn to music to support themselves

I remember climbing up the steep stone stairs...but can't figure out what temple...maybe Thommanom

Video

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Siem Reap FYI / Tips

you can do a self-tour and save the $15 short tour tuk-tuk fee by renting a bicycle for $1/day. But it's a 30km loop. Make sure you are fit and make sure you have a map.
you can split the cost of the $15 tuk-tuk tour (short tour) with other hotel guests. If you are 3, it's only $5 per head
one day temple admission fee is $20, for 3 days, it's $40. It's best to secure this a day ahead if you want to go early to catch the sunrise
temples are open from 5:30am to 5:30pm
currency conversion: $1 = P44 = Cambodian riel R4,000
no need to convert your dollars into riel. All establishments in Cambodia accepts US dollars

How to Get to Siem Reap Proper from the airport

take a tu-tuk at the airport $5/trip (you can split the cost with other passengers from your plane), 10 min
to get to Angkor Wat, you can just flag down a tuk-tuk from Siem Reap. If you want to do it by bike, take the Charles de Gaule road and keep heading north. You'll hit Angkor Wat after 6 kms.

Siem Reap Cost Index (US$1 = Riel 4049 = Php 46.47 as of Mar 26, 2016)