Angkor-Day Three

Angkor Thom

As I mentioned in my earlier blog on Angkor Wat, we purchased a three day pass when we arrived on late that first afternoon. Our first day we only had time to see one temple and a breathtaking sunset. Day Two was spent primarily at the iconic Angkor Wat followed by a short visit to the intentionally unrestored Ta Prohm. I was glad that we decided on a three day pass because it takes a minimum of three days to make your visit worthwhile, and I can see that a week would be ideal to see all of the temples which I believe number close to twenty.

Moat around Angkor Thom

On our third and last day, we attempted to conquer Angkor Thom, the largest of the ancient cities. The night before, we had driven across the avenue of Gods lining the bridge across Angkor Thom's moat and passed through its impressive S Gate with the four faces.

Avenue of Gods

S Gate

Our driver, Mr. Ro, suggested we hike the wall of this one corner of the temple so this is where we started out on our third day. We enjoyed the views of the moat from the high wall, and even managed to stop and pet the wild monkeys who were happy to drink from Frank's water bottle.

Once inside, we marveled at the carvings.  I stopped to have my photo taken so that I was nose-to-nose with a God.

We hustled around that day, climbing to the top of temples for the view.

We ended at Angkor Thom's famous Elephant Terrace.  This long terrace used for royal receptions got its modern name front he elephants carved along its wall.

The night before, we were actually inside the walled city of Angkor Thom to visit one of its temples, The Bayon.  This temple has one of the most religious backgrounds, having passed through different religious phases.  Each successive king, having his own religion, found it easier to remodel the temple than to erect a new temple.  We witnessed a wall of Buddhist guardians that were pulled out presumably for a new, Hindu King's reign.

Since we arrived late in the evening, the guard who was preparing to close for the night gave us a guided tour.  He had asked if we were Americans and mentioned that the U.S. was helping with the restoration of this temple, but that the crew had already gone home for the night.

Siem Reap After Dark

The Angkor monuments close at dusk, which was approx. 6:00 p.m. in January. After we left Angkor the day, we enjoyed resting our feet and the cool breeze from the tuk tuk as Mr. Ro deposited us at Pub Street for the rest of the evening. By the way, this guy was at our hotel prior to 5:00 a.m. and shuttled us around all day in the hot sun. We insisted that he go home to his family, convincing him that we weren't sure how long we would stay at Pub Street and that we could find a ride home. His fee? Mr. Ro left that at our discretion, but the customary fee was about $18.00 for the day.

We strolled around Pub Street which resembles Bourbon Street in New Orleans, only Pub St. is quieter. It is filled with shops, art galleries, restaurants and, of course, pubs. We stopped in the Khmer Kitchen and I had a wonderful bowl of a curry-like soup. Again, the prices were astounding. All of the entrees, as priced in U.S. Dollars, were $4.00. A beer was only $1.00 and the most expensive mixed drink, $2.50.

After our meal, we walked through the Night Market. In Siem Reap the market is indoors and full of many of the same types of vendors that we saw in the Phnom Penh market. However, at the back of the market we found a stage with live entertainment, surrounded by rows of pedicure/spa chairs. 

 Now, I know you won't believe me…so I took a picture of their sign. A 30 minute foot massage was only $2.00, and you got free Wifi and a show! Not everyone would appreciate the show…it was a Ladyboy show…use your imagination. However, it was the best 30 minute foot massage that I ever had….so the next night I went back for the hour-long massage, still a bargain at $4.00!

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

  

 

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Siem Reap, Cambodia is a tourist Mecca for its ancient temples collectively known as Angkor which has been a World Heritage Site since 1992.  We arrived on a hot afternoon and after a quick swim in the hotel pool to cool down, we hired a tuk tuk driver to take us to the ancient ruins in the late afternoon in order that we could be in place to catch the sun set over the towers of the mighty Angkor Wat ruins.

First, we stopped at the visitor's center to purchase our admission tickets.  We chose to go with a three day pass and after being photographed and handed our personal entry ticket, we were on our way to see the 7th Wonder of the World.


Sunset at  Bakheng

A Wat is the Khmer name for temple.  Angkor Wat is the largest monument of the Angkor group.  We arrived in time to gain access to the Bakheng temple which some guidebooks claim is closed once it reaches capacity.  This temple itself is an architectural wonder.  However, once we climbed to the top we could see below us the five towers of Angkor Wat (symbolizing the five peaks of the mythical Mt. Meru) which is a vast sculpture and it was evident why it is on the world wonder list. 

All of the temples are located within about a fifteen minute drive of Siem Reap, the former capital, and its many hotels.  The temples are scattered and would be a long hike on foot.  One option is to rent bicycles to ride between the temples.  Since our hotel did not stock bicycles and it would have required a ride into town, we went with the faster option of hiring a tuk tuk.  Little did we know then that our driver, Mr. Ro, would be our driver, guide and friend for the next three days.

The next morning Mr. Ro picked us up at our hotel at 5:00 a.m. and deposited us outside the temple of Angkor Wat where we waited with hundreds of others for the sun to rise over the magnificent fortress.  After watching the sky change shades of pink, purple and orange, we took photos and selfies of the impressive towers with the sun rising behind them and reflecting in the water basin.  If we were not already impressed, we ventured inside and saw that what looked like one mass of stone was really a series of courtyards, towers and galleries that were not visible from the outside.  Throughout, are intricate stone carvings, reliefs and statues.  We were inside from about 7:00 a.m. until noon and probably could have stayed longer except that we needed to move on to another temple.


Sunrise at Angkor Wat
 

Etching at Angkor Wat

After spending the morning at Angkor Wat, we visited the much smaller Ta Prohm.  This temple was chosen to be left in its natural state, showing how most of Angkor looked upon discovery in the 19th century.  Silver-hued trees grow out of the ruins, pulling up stone with their roots.