Angkor Wat - 2015
I go to India every year, to visit family. In 2015, I took a detour, to visit Angkor Wat, in Cambodia. It was surreal to visit two great temple complexes, Machu Picchu, and Angkor Wat, the same year!
I flew to Siem Reap, via Singapore. The hotel sent a tuk-tuk to pick me up. The driver was waiting outside the airport, holding a sign with my name. I had picked a hotel that was walking distance from Pub Street. After a short rest, I walked over to Pub Street and had dinner. Pub Street is so lively. It is a pedestrian-only street, with shops, restaurants, bars, live music, massage parlors, food carts selling food, ice cream, alcohol. One of the restaurants even had a free Apsara dance show. It's a great place to spend the evenings.
I went to the Angkor Wat temple complex, the next three days. I reserved a tuk-tuk through the hotel, for each day. There are two standard itineraries for visiting Angkor Wat. The small circuit, which includes the larger, more famous temples, and the large circuit which includes the smaller temples. The small circuit actually takes longer. I did the small circuit the first day and the large circuit the second day. I left the hotel at about 8:30 AM and returned at about 5:00 PM. The driver would take me to each temple along the circuit. He would drop me off at the entrance to the temple, then show me where he would be waiting for me. When I was done seeing the temple, I would come out, find him, and he would take me to the next temple. Some temples only have one entrance/exit. At these, he would wait for me at the same entrance where he dropped me off. Some temples have multiple entrances. You walk in through one entrance, walk through the temple, and exit out of another entrance. In these cases, he specified which entrance (north, south etc) he would be waiting for me. One temple had four entrances. After wandering through the temple, I got confused about where I was supposed to exit through, and I ended up using the compass feature of my phone, to find the right exit. There are guides available at each temple. I had bought a guide book, so I didn't hire a guide. When I was ready for lunch, he took me to one of the restaurants within the complex. The first day, I stopped at the entrance, to get a 3 day pass, around $40. They take a photo and give you a ticket with your photo on it.,
The temples are just amazing. I really liked the South Gate to Angkor Thom, which was lined with busts on each side. I also loved the smiling faces of Bayon, so many of them. The view from the top of the main temple of Angkor Wat is not to be missed. There's usually a long line to climb up, but it's worth the wait. The carvings on the walls are really incredible. The temples seem to be a mix of Hindu and Buddhist. There is a lot of walking, and a lot of steps. There are a lot of steep uneven steps, to climb to the top of some of the temples. Definitely not for those who are afraid of heights.
Everyone speaks English, so it wasn't at all difficult to get around. US dollars are accepted everywhere, and they even give change in US dollars. Anything less than a dollar is given back in local currency. As usual, they insist on crisp dollar bills and won't accept bills that are torn even slightly. It didn't rain during the day, while I was there, but it was hot and humid. Two days is more than enough for Angkor Wat, unless you only spend half a day sightseeing. I ended up going back to the more famous temples the third day, for one last look. I'm not a morning person, so I did not wake up early to see sunrise at the temple! I did that in Ayers Rock (Uluru) in Australia, and frankly, I was disappointed.
Click on the link below and you can view the photos.
Angkor Wat
 |
| Angkor Wat, Cambodia, 2015 |
