Angkor Wat is a jewel in Siem Reap’s crown. These temples in Cambodia are incredible no doubt –their sheer size, age and history is amazing to see and learn, but after three days of walking around the ruins, one might feel templed out. Although there are distinct characteristics to each of them, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.
No kidding! Strangely, almost the entire town caters to the tourists visiting Angkor Wat (temples) that were once Hindu temples that were later converted into Buddhist temples. You will find some portions that are Hindu-like and then many others with Buddhist influences. There are quite a few with a mix of both influences.
These 1000 year old temples took about 100 years to build. This UNESCO World Heritage Site evokes the image of a giant manuscript — like a medieval parchment erased and overwritten repeatedly. The capitals of the Khmer empire were established here for over seven centuries, one after another, shaping the entire landscape.
Over time, a dense and complex matrix was created with these monumental temples standing tall. These grandiose structures of brick and sandstone survived the passage of time, with skeletal remains of the Angkor civilisation that we see today.
Albeit, they are reminiscent of an old world charm that leaves one to imagine how the temples would have been at the time of their glory and splendour. The area is too vast and there are many choices on how one can cover these temples of Angkor – by tuk tuk, by motorbikes, bicycles, minibus and with or without a local guide.
A day’s pass costs $20 and a two or three day pass costs $40. I bought the three-day pass and spent half day everyday over three days exploring these ruins. You can rent bikes from the Old Market area for $2 a day.
But be aware that there will be a lot of distance (over 10kms) that you will have to cover cycling. But fret not. You will find enough company on the way, as bicycles seem to be quite a popular and legit form of commute on the Cambodian highway.
I braved my way out of the hoards of relentless vendors to reaching the vantage spot in front of the Angkor Wat at 5 am for the gorgeous sunrise, which is a breathtaking site. Thousands of tourists plonk themselves at that early hour with cameras and mobile phones in hand to capture that one view that launched a thousand postcards. I was also lucky to have spotted a newly married Cambodian bride and groom getting their portfolio clicked in front of the temple.
After a few hours of strolling around, I went to the other temples by tuk tuk. The north of Angkor Wat is Angkor Thom, the great walled city that is home to Bayon, the other jewel in the Angkor temples crown. It is flanked by plenty of tall trees.
A popular and striking feature of Bayon is the hundreds of faces carved into the stone, staring placidly in all four directions. After an hour or two here you can explore other temples Ta Keo, Ta Phrom (famous for Angelina Jolie’s movie Tomb Raider), Banteay Kdei, Sra Srang and others.
If you start to get any kind of temple fatigue after all this, head to the Pub Street after sunset, where all the action is. The buzz around here is infectious and gets you into the groove with live bands, peppy music, neon lights and draft beer that costs less than a dollar ($0.50 and $0.75) and knock-you-out cocktails that are priced at $2.
You can explore the wonderful restaurants and cafes around Old Market and Pub Street. Try the Fish or Chicken Amok, a typical Cambodian dish, made from coconut mulk and kroeung served in banana leaf cups with steamed rice. I went totally amuck over the Fish Amok.
The Cambodians are extremely warm and friendly and although their English isn’t all that easy to comprehend, they love to help. Other activities that you can indulge in are a visit to the Phare Circus (young talent showcasing a spectacular mix of theatre, music, dance acrobatics, juggling aerial acts in aid of providing training and employment in the arts to disadvantaged young people), a visit to the Floating Village at Kompong Khleang on the Tonle Sap lake, Horse Riding at Happy Ranch, (on the outskirts of Siem Reap), a drive through the Cambodian countryside, learning local Khmer cooking, Beatocello (a solo cello concert of Bach music) and the best of all the Rosana Broadway (famous Cambodian traditional dance and international cabaret show). The scale of the ruins is mind-boggling and although almost all the tourists travel to Cambodia for the ruins, but there is still a lot more one can do here.
