Angkor Wat Things to Do Tips by kidfree

View From Above, Tethered Balloon

Its always nice when something is better than you expected it to be, and so it was with the balloon ride. About one kilometre from Angkor Wat is a tethered balloon and on my last afternoon and with a couple of hours to spare I thought I would take a look.
It was a bit breezy and the operators waited for a few minutes until they deemed it safe ( they had already deemed it safe to relieve me of my dollars I may add ) and myself and another couple were soon being reeled out over Angkor for a birds eye view of the surroundings.
Two hundred metres doesnt sound particularly high but believe me when you are looking down it is high enough. With better weather it would present a fantastic opportunity to take photos but it was a bit hazy , nevertheless you can see the square lines of Angkor Wat and marvel at whatever technical means they had at their disposal to create their masterpiece.
After ten minutes we were being reeled in again and even though a shortish trip for our money, it may have been $15 I`m not sure, myself and the other couple agreed it had been an enjoyable trip

Standing Room Only! Sunset at Bakheng Hill Review

Dont go to Bakheng I was told, the view is rubbish, you can hardly see Angkor Wat and the crowds are too much. So I went with quite a low expectation and loved it!
Yes it is a bit of a trek to the top, yes it did take quite a while to locate Angkor Wat on the horizon, yes it was crowded and the sunset was poor but I knew that after seeing the weather forecast. But I thought it was a terrific atmosphere up there, you need to go an hour or so before the sun goes down if you want a seat and you are bound to strike up a conversation with somebody, a good place to meet people. It was quite amusing to watch all those serious photographers hoping to take a prizewinning picture, and the sun does set on Angkor Wat rather than behind it but there is a good view of Tonle Sap lake in the distance and you can also see the Airport and aircraft landing in the dusk.
I enjoyed it so much I went on my last night as well.

Banteay Srei, Citadel Of The Women Banteay Srei Review

Although a little further away from the main Angkor temples Banteay Srei is more than worth the extra miles. A small temple by comparison it is never the less excellently preserved and the carvings in the walls are really deep in the pink sandstone that is best seen in the early morning light. Being small it can seem crowded and it may be best to combine a visit with a trip to Kbal Spean or even beng Mealea.

Atmosphere At Ta Prohm Ta Phrom Review

Ta Prohm is quite rightly another worthy temple to visit and one of the better known recently thanks to the movie Tomb Raider. The beauty of this temple lies in the decision not to try and reclaim it fully from the jungle. The trees growing out of the structure lend it a special atmosphere and the shadows they cast give photographers plenty of opportunities to try out different angles and get a great picture even if you have to pick your moment to avoid capturing anyone in the frame.

Angkor Thom ( Great City ) Angkor Thom Review

Although the crowning glory of the temples is Angkor Wat my favourite is Angkor Thom, mainly because of the diversity it contains.Most popularly entered by the south gate you first come across the Bayon, not immediately impressive until you start to explore inside and see the reliefs and the towers with the carved faces peering all around.
Angkor Thom also contains the Terrace of the Leper King and the Terrace of Elephants along with the Baphuon temple. There was enough here for me to spend around four hours in total, the longest time I spent in any single temple complex. The variety of bas reliefs and the excellent restoration here is fabulous and worth lingering over and the size of the complex means that it never seems overcrowded, well worth visiting early in the day.