We arrived in Siem Reap after a 5 hour bus ride from Phnom Penh. Siem Reap is the jumping off point for visiting the many temples of Angkor, the remnants of the Khmer empire that flourished there from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries.
As there are literally dozens of sites spread over many square miles, we hired a tuk-tuk driver, Brannak, to cart us around for a 3-day tour. (map of temples).
Using our guidebook and Brannak’s extensive knowledge of the sites, we started with some of the older, less-preserved ruins on Day 1 and worked our way up to the real gems by Day 3--Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.
We kept a good record of which places we visited on what days/times, etc… but it will take us quite a while to sort it all out once we get home. The pictures below are a little of everything, intermixed…
Our Itinerary (and links for more background)
Day 1:
Tham Neak
Ta Prohm (featured in the movie Tomb Raider)
Day 2:
Banteay Srei (30 km outside Siem Reap)
Preah Neak Pean
Prasat Prei
Day 3:
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Thom North Gateway: one of a handful of intimidating entrances to the massive walled compound of Angkor
Our tuk-tuk driver, Brannak
The palm tree landscape between temple sites…
And flooded fields of rice, with water buffalos…
We’re constantly amazed at what can be transported by motorbike
The town of Siem Reap
Nature reclaiming the jungle after hundreds of years
Kids riding home from school
Brannak picked us up at 4:30am on Day 3 so we could watch the sunrise over some temples.
Sunrise over Angkor Wat
At 6 in the morning, our shirts are already soaked with sweat… it was HOT!!
A family of monkeys playing in a nearby field
The Bayon complex
One final picture with Brannak… we would be heading back into Thailand the next morning.
Amazing, isn't it, what "primitive" peoples could accomplish. Scott, you know that I've always been interested in these kinds of things--Mesa Verde, Pompei, Chichen Itza, etc. Seems like you guys have also "caught the bug"!
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of you both in not only seeing such different cultural spots but getting a feel of the people, food, travel etc. I noticed a repeating theme.... temples having been Hindu then became Buddist. In Budapest I noticed the same reuse of structures. Mongolian to Christian. Today we would say....recycle.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy....as we enjoy your postings.