"Siem Reap and Angkor Wat" Angkor Wat by Ewingjr98

Siem Reap village is the gateway to one of the seven ancient wonders of the world: Angkor Wat. The village itself is small but growing rapidly due to the ever-expanding tourist industry. Siem Reap still retains much of its character but massive hotels on the northern edge of town and the glut of western-style bars and restaurants in the center of town are just signs of things to come as the town grows.

Angkor Wat is a massive and ancient city covering miles and miles of the Cambodian forest. Constructed between 800-1100 AD, most of the temples collapsed into ruins or were overgrown by jungle after the city was abandoned in the 1200s. The Khmer Rouge and other rogue governments also quickened the destruction of these magnificent artifacts. In the second half of the 20th century, many countries volunteered to restore the great temples of Angkor to their former glory. Today, this process continues, but the temples are a spectacle to behold!

My visit to Angkor Wat

22 May 2004

I landed in Siem Reap at about 9am on 22 May 2004. The first stop in the airport is customs. Since I did not purchase a visa, I have to wait in line to purchase one for US$20 (note: bring US dollars!). I also forgot a passport photo, so they charged me another US$3 and let me pass. The entire process takes only 10 or 15 minutes.

Upon exiting the airport, the only ground transportation you will see are local kids with motorcycles. There are only a few and the ride to town is only US$1. I ride on the back of the bike through dry farmland for a few minutes until I arrive in the town of Siem Reap. Instantly, traffic increases! The kid (who is now my permanent driver) takes me to a guest house he is affiliated with, called the Home Sweet Home Guesthouse and tells me a room is US$20. I know this is probably higher than I should pay, but I agree. While I check-in, he tells me about the tours to Angkor Wat that he can take me on for only US$10/day. From my research, I know this is high, so I offer him US$8 and he readily accepts. After checking in, dropping off my bags, and washing up, I am ready to visit the temples of Angkor Wat.

I jump on the back of the bike and we drive north through town toward the park. At the entrance, we stop at a booth were I have to purchase a ticket. US$20 for one day, US$40 for three days, or US$60 for one week. I choose the $40 pass and have to step aside to get my free photo taken for the pass (note 1: during the busy season you could wait a long time for your photo, so bring one!; note 2: do not try to avoid paying and sneak in since passes are checked very often throughout the park!). After a short 5 minute wait, my pass is ready and off I go.

After short drive, I am awestruck by the view of Angkor Wat in the distance. I ask my driver to stop for a few minutes for some photos. We quickly continue on to Angkor Thom, stopping to see the monkeys on the roadside... they can be kind of mean if you tease them with food, so don't tease them! We pass through the south gate to Angkor Thom and I am dropped off to begin exploring my first temple.

Upon entering the Bayon temple at the center of Angkor Thom, I am greeted by a teenage Khmer boy who begins explaining the history of the temple, how it was built, where the good photo spots are, etc. He is knowledgeable, so I plan to give him US$1 (which is a lot for Cambodia!) after I finish my tour. At the end, I hand him 40 Thai Baht (US$1) and he says that is not enough! He wants US$2 for the 30 minutes he spent with me. Now I start to understand the game they play, so I ignore him and wonder off.

My driver immediately takes me to one of the food stands outside of the Bayon for a huge lunch of spring rolls and stir-fried vegetables for about US$3. Beside all of the major temples you will see locals selling souvenirs, drinks, and food. They have learned to really try to rip off tourists, so be smart with your money. You may want to compare prices in town before venturing off to the temples. For example, the local water in blue bottles is usually 500 Riel (US$0.12) per bottle in town, but in the park, the asking price is as much as US$1, especially at the major temples. If you remind them how cheap water is in town, you can usually talk them down to 750-1000 Riel for the bottle (US$0.18-US$0.25) which is a fair enough price.

Moving on, our next stop is Ta Keo. This is an impressive man-made mountain, but he temple is not as extraordinary as Angkor Thom. I use this time to relax and catch my breath at the top of the mountain.

Our next stop ends up being one of my favorite temples: Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm is one of the temples that is intentionally being left to nature and allowed to remain somewhat in its overgrown state. I spend about 2 hours here just wandering though the passages and around the outer edges of the temple, avoiding other people to get the feel for the temple. When I exit on the east side of the temple the local kids want to take be to see Buddha's head in the trees, not wanting to be scammed, I turn them down, then decide to wander and find it on my own...

After about 15 minutes of walking, I stumble on "Buddha's head in the trees", but it isn't really that impressive. The kids here tell me that part of "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" were filmed here and the trees were all trimmed back by the film crew.

The next stop is the lake Sras Srang, which is very dry in May, and across the street, the temple Banteay Kdei. Banteay Kdei is another nice, peaceful temple. In fact, it is so peaceful, I stop for a half hour to nap here!

The second last stop of the day is to Angkor Wat, late in the afternoon. I enter though the front gates and take photo after photo. I approach the main temple complex from the right side an immediately make my way up to the top for some pictures of the surrounding area. Once at the top, I sit and rest for a while, just to watch the people come and go. I go back down and circle around to the other side of the temple as I depart to catch my driver for the sunset.

The last stop for me (and apparently for ALL tourists) in Phnom Bakheng, a huge hill topped with a crumbling temple. From the top, you get a great view of the setting sun, Angkor Wat, and the hundreds of tourists looking for a place to sit. People watching is almost as much fun as temple watching or sunset watching! The sunset tonight is fairly unspectacular due to some low clouds. Not to worry, tomorrow will be better!

The park closes before dark, and the tourists are asked to leave the mountain. I find my driver and follow the crowds out of the park. He drives me into Siem Reap and takes me on a quick tour of the village, including the Western-style restaurants, bars, and hotels. I ask him where he eats, so we stop the for dinner of stir-fried vegetables, beef, and noodles along with his plate of pork intestines which he graciously shares...yummy?

After dinner, I head into town for a few drinks at Angkor What?, Temple Club, and Banana Leaf then I head to the hotel to sleep.

I awake at 0430 so I can meet my driver and make to Angkor Wat for the sunrise. We get there around 0600 and there are already hundreds of people there ahead of us! I approach and am amazed at the beauty of the temple silhouette with the sun rising behind it! Again, I approach to the right, snapping many pictures. I enter the temple and spend about an hour here. On both of my visits to the Angkor Wat, I am very impressed by the architecture, but also a little overcome by the masses of tourists flooding the site. The other temples always seem more relaxed.

After the sunrise, we begin the Grand Circuit. Our first stop is Preah Khan, which is very similar to Ta Prohm in that it's in an overgrown, natural state. I spend almost two hours here. This is one of the few temples where you can feel like you are truly exploring uncharted territory as you crawl through tunnels, hidden passages, and small openings.

The next stop is Neak Pean, and island temple in the wet season. In the dry season, such as the month of May, it is a very plain unremarkable temple surrounded by dry depressions.

The last stop of the morning is Ta Sohm, a very plain temple except for the rear gate which is famous for the tree that is strangling the tower. At this point of the morning, the sun is getting very hot, and I am exhausted, so the driver and I agree to take a 3 hour break back at the hotel.

Once there, I have lunch at the Forest Hut Restaurant, then I go on a stroll around town. I walk out Route 6 about 1/2 mile then turn and head into town, all the way to the central market. I exchange money at Western Union, then head back to the hotel for a quick nap.

At 2pm, I awake and head back to the temples. We start counterclockwise on the Grand Circuit. The first stop is Pre Rup, a red stone mountain temple that is very worn down. By this time, I am pretty tired of temples, so I ask my driver to skip the rest of the Grand Circuit and head back to Bayon so I can see some of the sights I missed earlier in my travels. Once here I sit and relax, then slowly wander among the Terrace of the Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper King, Preah Palilay, Royal Palace, and Baphuon. At this point I have taken so many pictures of the temples, I start taking pictures of the people!

At sunset I head back to Phnom Bakheng. Tonight the sky is much more beautiful than the previous night.

That evening, I head back to Siem Reap, have a good dinner at the Sampheap restaurant, and go to bed very early!

24 May 2004

This morning, I awake and take a quick walking tour of Siem Reap before heading to the airport. I stop at Kokoon French Cafe, near the Old Market, for breakfast. Then I walk back to the hotel, check out, and hop on the motorcycle for the ride to the airport. I pay my driver US$20 for two days of sightseeing plus the round trip between the airport and town. At the airport, I pay the US$25 departure fee, then wait an hour for my flight.

All in all, this trip was very easy, though more expensive than I planned... extremely enjoyable and enlightening!

• Pros:Friendly people, amazing temples
• Cons:More expensive than you might expect
• In a nutshell:One of the top destinations in Southeast Asia!