My day with a roomie started at 5am as we had arranged a sunrise short circuit tour of the profound temples. I thought getting up would've been terrible, but it actually wasn't as bad due to all the excitment and hype of seeing the sunrise from Angkor Wat, the most popular and main temple of them all. Also, as hot as it is, it's still cooler early morning so it was nice to enjoy the view before the sun had risen to its highest point and radiate its heat on us.
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| The mob of people |
I can't recall the last time I've seen a sunrise, but I knew this was a must on my to do list as every Siem Reap blog I've read talked about watching a sunrise, sunset or perhaps even both. A temple pass is $20 for one day, $40 for 3, or $60 for any 7 days in a 30 day period, so if I had more time I probably would've explored and made more out of the temple experience. With my timeframe, I figured getting a one day pass was sufficient and if I really wanted to come back a second day, it be the same price as a 3 day pass anyways.
The
short circuit route started at Angkor Wat (the one you see in every advertisment possible), but you can choose to do the temples in which ever order you like. In fact, it is recommended to do them from the farthest to the closest temples as you avoid the crazy crowds and tour groups starting at Angkor Wat in the morning. You can either get a bike or rent a tuktuk for a day which is set at $15 for a short circuit tour (around 5-6 hours depending how long you take), which is what my roomie and I did and highly recommend. The temples are quite spaced out apart and because of the heat and all the climbing you are doing, tuktuk-ing would be the most comfortable and convenient. Trust me, we were so burned out by the end of that I don't think you would want to bike the route, but being tired gave us a fabulous excuse to get another $6 massage. :)
After crossing off sunrise on our bucket list, we explored
Angkor Wat and took a bajillion photos. The design of this place is just WOW. The detailed carvings on the wall, the pefectly aligned columns, the steep staircases, the profound artchitect of the roofs and peaks all really made you question how in the world did they come up with this? Was this all they did in the past eras? It was just marvelous and crazy at the same time.
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| Bayon |
Next we went to the
Bayon, also known as the four face temple. This was much smaller compared to Angkor Wat, but it's main features was that the temple had four humungous carvd faces, one in each direction. Leading to it there was also a gateway of stone 'guardians' with various angry faces which was quite humourous.
Angkor Thom is probably my favorite of them all. If the entire place was made from stainless steel instead of stone, I think this would've made an awesome setting for a futuristic movie. It had many rectangular formations rising from the base and there was just so much detail to look at overall. As a whole it was mezmerizing, but in parts, it was picture worth. You got to see it to believe it! I think what was most enjoyable here was stalking couples with personal
tour guides and listening in on how to take some illusion-esque photos.
My roomie and I had a fabulous time and some people from tour groups
watching us snap witty photos did the same as well!
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| Angkor Thom |
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| The Palace |
In between there was a few smaller temples and even a palace that seemed pittyful as it looked too small to house a royal famiy from the past, but it was still neat to see. Last but not least though, and the most touristy attraction of them all was
Ta Prohm, where the first Tomb Raider was filmed!!! You know a spot is famous when you see people crowding and fighting to take a photo where Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) had a scene in-and I was one of these fans haha. The distinct part of this temple is that over the years trees have grown over the temple and the main one on the top of the temple resembled a ginseng root to me. Speaking of which, all the trees in the temple area are really nice to look at as they are so ancient with giant trunks, yet living and thriving all over the place (felt like the Forbidden Forest from Harry Potter).
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| Ta Prohm |
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| A Lara Croft scene, hence the tourists |
That night after some rest from the long day, I went with a new friend to the
Angkor Night Market which happens every evening. It never occurred to me until now that everyone I've been sighting have been mainly foreigners, and the only locals were tuk tuk drivers or store owners. That evening, it occured to me that I've never seen so many local Cambodians around the area. I always thought it was because I was in a tourist hotspot, but that night I had a light bulb moment that the majority don't come out until the sun had set and it made so much sense to me. They must think us tourists are crazy for bearing the heat and walking around sweating buckets. I mean why put yourself through that when the city is alive at night until the wee hours of the morning where the heat has died down? It was so interesting to see the streets flood with drinks and food cart stalls, families, teenagers, couples, and basically a lower ratio of tourists around. Also, because it was the Khmer New Year the next three days, there was lots of events and festive items being sold, so this made for an extra special experience.
Tip: Don't be afraid to bargain! I think Siem Reap is one of the easiest cities to as they know English and will eventually give it to you for a lower price; the more you buy from one place, the more discount you can get as well!
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| The Siem Reap River |
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My heart is really sad. It was only three days, but I didn't want to leave Cambodia. As I'm sitting in the airport writing this, I wish I could do more. I'm excited for the rest of my itinerary, but everything that I've learned, people that I've met, and experiences I've had has become precious memories already. I will cherish them until I return. Three days was definitely not enough as there was also other things I wanted to do, but didn't get to.
