Angkor Thom Again

After visiting Angkor Wat this morning for sunrise, knowing this would be our final day in the park, we wanted to do all the things we haven't done yet and take the iconic pictures we hadn't taken yet (basically, the pictures you see on the postcards).

The first thing we hadn't done yet is climb the small hill next to Angkor Wat to Phnom Bakheng (phnom means mountain or hill in Cambodian). The path up to the top is wide and gradual because it's used as an elephant path.

You can easily jog up it in 5 minutes, unless you run into Chinese tour groups taking up the entire width of the path, they slow you down. The ruins were under construction - they're putting it all back together. But you still have access to the viewpoint off to the north of it that gives you sweet views of Angkor.

Eventually I found a staircase that leads up to the top of the wat. The temple itself is nothing spectacular, but it was cool to see all the workers putting everything back together.

On the way down, we spotted the happiest dragonfly we've ever met. Just look at its face!

We continued our bike ride toward Angkor Thom. After passing through the gate, we stopped off to watch the monkeys for a bit (you can see lots of monkey pics here) but then continued up to Baphuon. We felt rushed here last night because it was sunset so we pretty much just sat up top to watch it set and then we bolted fast to get out while we still had some light. So we wanted to come back and explore more.

This temple is fun because it's the only one (we know of) where the main entryway is on pillars and you can walk under it! It makes for a fun game of hide-and-go-seek.

After Baphuon, we rode back to Bayon to take some pictures in front of the temple...

...and of the temple with its reflection. We also stopped in one of the pagodas adjacent to the temple.

We said goodbye to Angkor Thom for the final time and rode down toward Angkor Wat. Just west of Angkor Wat is a giant lily pond. The sun was hitting the flowers just right, so we stopped for a while to take some pictures and play around with aperture on the dSLR.

On our way out of the park, we finally got the last picture we have been wanting to get.

And with that picture, we have done everything we wanted to do within Angkor. We've seen all the temples we wanted to see, we've done lots of exploring, we saw sunrise and sunsets, and took lots of cool pictures. We're ready to go to Phnom Penh now.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Today was our last day in the park, so we wanted to do all the things that we haven't had a chance to do yet. First things first, sunrise.

Sunrise is early. Like, crazy early. Even earlier considering we rode our bikes up there. Sunrise was at 6:15am, so we left our hotel room at 5:30. We knew it only takes 20 minutes to get to Angkor Wat, so that would give us plenty of time to get there.

Unfortunately, we didn't know that the coolest part of sunrise happens 20 minutes before the actual sunrise. So we were just getting to the entryway across the moat when we saw this:

By the time we got inside a few minutes later, the sky was a little tamer but still pretty.

It's funny, because you see pictures like that and it seems so serene and calm and almost spiritual. But if you back up a few steps and take the same picture (or if you're short), it's a much different scene.

The best pictures are from the near side of the pond on the north side, so you can see the reflection of the temple and capture the sunrise directly behind it. But as you can see, it's no secret. There are hundreds of other tourists doing the exact same thing.

The sun rose above the horizon, but it still wasn't visible above the temple for another 10 or 15 minutes. Here's a picture of its first appearance:

As you move around the pond, you can put the sun in different positions relative to the temple.

The sun continued to rise, as it does, and the amount of tourists around the pond dwindled as they went in to explore Angkor Wat and the other temples in the area. Isa and I stayed around for a while, partly because we didn't want to get back on our bikes (we were tired!), and partly because as tourists left, it was quieter and more relaxing. Except when you get near the people trying to woo you to their stalls for breakfast or coffee.

Right now, in December, the lily pond is actually really pretty. You can't really see it when looking straight at the sun, but looking back from the temple, you can see all the colors.

So at about 7am, we headed in to Angkor Wat for the third time on this trip, still in search of the smiling Apsara.

We had read about her in one of our apps, it's the only Apsara (or devata, basically a royal dancer) of almost 2000 carved throughout Angkor to be showing her teeth. Traditionally, that's naughty, although nowadays it has lost its negative connotation.

We finally found her, behind and to the right of the multi-armed statue of Vishnu.

That was the last part of Angkor Wat that we wanted to explore, so we walked back out to our bikes and headed back up to Angkor Thom to see a few things we didn't have time for yesterday. But that's for another post.

Angkor Grand Tour

We hired a tuk tuk this morning to take us on the grand tour of the temples of Angkor. Basically, there are hundreds of ruins in the area, a few dozen of which are major complexes. These are organized into two paths, the Small Tour and the Grand Tour. It really just depends on how much time you have and what you'd like to see.

We started at Preah Khan, one of my favorites. It's a single level (not a mountain temple like Angkor Wat) and very spread out, with lots of halls, doorways, and ruins to explore. I panicked a little when I thought that parts of it could be off limits, since safety seems to be a concern now.

Fortunately, signs near the ruins just say, "Be Careful," not "Do Not Enter." This alone made my day, and I was happy as a clam climbing and exploring all over the place. Especially because most tourists stay on the central axis, giving us most of the complex to ourselves.

We spent about 2 hours exploring Preah Khan and then we popped out the other side and met up with our tuk tuk driver.

Next stop: Neak Pean

This temple was built on an island in a swamp. Last time I came through here, it was after the dry season, so there was no water anywhere. It looked so different this time that I didn't think I had ever been here before.

We followed the boardwalk all the way out to the temple, which was completely closed off because they said the paths around the temple are slippery and they don't want us to fall in. Pfft, safety. You're losing part of your charm, Cambodia.

Ta Som

Ta Som is a good sized ruin that took us about 40 minutes to thoroughly explore.

Our favorite part is all the way at the back, through the temple and past the back ruin, you'll find this:

East Mebon

This is a mountain temple that was supposed to be in the middle of a reservoir, but the reservoir is all dried up, so we can access it easily. Our favorite thing about this one are the elephants on each corner.

It's a decently large temple with five towers on the upper level, similar to Angkor Wat, but much less detailed or preserved.

There's a lot of area to cover on the lower levels, but to be honest, it's not all that interesting.  We moseyed around for about 30 minutes.

Pre Rub

This is another mountain temple, very similar to East Mebon. You can actually see Mebon from the top level of Pre Rub. We took about 30 minutes here too.

Sras Srang

Nearing the end of our tour, we arrive at Sras Srang, an ancient lake.

It's not that impressive. Just take your picture and turn around to enter Banteay Kdei, which is much larger and cooler than I remember it.

Banteay Kdei

Exploring the temples is so much fun. Wandering through ruins, turning corners and having no idea what will appear when you emerge, it's exciting and addicting. Some people think each temple is more of the same old thing over and over again, and that may be the case, but I can never get enough of it. And each temple offers new views and angles, different trees and structures, and constant challenges in being able to capture it in photographs or in video. I love every minute of it, and I'm glad we have a 7-day pass.

Angkor Wat on Bikes

We had a lazy morning because we've been traveling for over two months now and sometimes you need lazy mornings. It can't all just be go go go.

We got out around noon and rented bikes: $1/day. Not bad.

We rode down to the old market to check out the deals and what have you. We noticed recently that my shorts are growing a hole in the nether region, so I was on the hunt for a new pair. We found a nice pair of Abercrombies that we agreed on $8. They fit great and I'm one happy camper. We later found a tag on them that said $58. Not a bad deal.

We decided to ride up to Angkor Wat and check that out for a bit. We rode straight up from the old market, and it took us about 20 minutes to make the 6 kilometer trip up there. When we arrived at the checkpoint, we found out that we had missed the ticket booth since we came up a side road (not on the main road, Charles de Gaulle). They wouldn't let us in and we couldn't buy our tickets there. We had to go back three or four kilometers and cut across to Charles de Gaulle and buy our tickets first.

So we did.

We bought our tickets (seven day pass for $60 each) and continued up to Angkor. We arrived at Angkor Wat and locked the bikes by all the tuk tuks.

From the entry, everything looked the same as it did 11 years ago, just with a lot more people (last time I was here was in the middle of the SARS epidemic and the place was deserted). The grandeur of the place and the bas reliefs are still amazing.

There were a few things I didn't think were there before, like wooden walkways or wooden stairs over the actual stone stairs, but it wasn't until we got to the upper level that I saw something drastic had changed.

There are fences blocking the steep staircases to the top level! My heart broke, and it was only mended a little when we went to the back and found a new wooden staircase to the top. How unnatural and safe! I remember climbing the steep stone stairs and feeling a sense of accomplishment for summiting the temple. Not everyone could climb those stairs, and so getting to the top felt like it meant something special.

Now anybody can do it.

Which I suppose is good since more people can experience it, but it sure takes some of the fun out of it. There were hoards of people everywhere, but we have time to be patient so we hung out when we saw a picture we wanted until we could get it with no tourists.

There was a stage being set up on the mid level, red carpets leading out from the north side, and lights set to illuminate the temple at night. 

Band performers and dancers started arriving, so I asked one of them what was happening and if we could get in. She said it was a special performance and it was invite only. We found out later it was put on by UNESCO for the king and other royal dignitaries. Needless to say, we were not on the guest list. 

We hung out for sunset, which wasn't near as spectacular as last night, but pretty nonetheless, as most sunsets tend to be.