Kampuchia at Its Finest

Greetings,

Since we last posted, we have managed to master the Thai bus network, navigate Cambodian (aka Kampuchia) bureaucracy, and cross a national wonder off our bucket list. The ride from Pak Chong (circa Khao Yai Nat'l Park) to Siem Reap (the Cambodian city closest to Angkor Wat) comprised of one pick-up truck ride, 3 buses to the Thailand-Cambodia border, a tuk-tuk back into Thailand to get some passport-size photos, a short shuttle ride, and then a final bus ride into Siem Reap.

We spent 3 days in Siem Reap enjoying the growing city, the Angkor Wat temple complex, and our zip-off pants that allowed us to comply with dress code restrictions on the fly. As we soon learned, the temple site is much larger than and has a lot more to offer beyond the main structure for which it is named - which was a pleasant surprise made slightly less pleasant by the fact that we were on our bikes the first day. We quickly learned our lesson and made good use of the myriad of tuk-tuk drivers in the city to take us around the next 2 days. Below is a more detailed itinerary (with pictures) of our 3 days in the complex:

Day 1 - as mentioned above, we rented bikes and set out for the 7 km drive from our guest house to the temple site. We started off by entering the ancient city of Angkor Thom from the South Gate and visiting a large temple called Bayon. The temple is impressive in that it is a multi-tiered building with the facade of many of the towers containing carvings of a face of what is purportedly a Buddhist god that is rumored to bear a strong resemblance to the countenance of the Angkorian King Jayavarman VII - the founder of Angkor Thom and a prolific builder of temples around the area. We then bisected the city, leaving through the North Gate and visiting a series of temples on the outskirts finishing the day by watching the sun set from atop Pre Rup.

Bayon Temple

One of the Many Faces of Bayon

Hell On Wheels - Our Transport for Day 1

Elephant Statue Standing Guard

Pre Rup Near Sunset

Day 2 - sore from our bike ride the day before, we rented a tuk-tuk from our guesthouse - a lovely family-owned business whose name informed you of both the color that its building was painted (Yellow) and the function that it served (Guesthouse) - and ventured off to explore the rest of the sites within the walls of Angkor Thom and the far away yet stunning temple at Banteay Srei. One of the more interesting spots in Angkor Thom is a temple named Baphuon, which boasts both interesting architecture (e.g. a long causeway leading up to the 3 or 4-story temple building with steep stairs, terraces around each of the tiers, and pretty carvings lurking around posts and doorways) and the ignominious distinction of being essentially one of the world's largest jigsaw puzzles - a title that it earned since it was in the middle of a deconstruction and cataloging process when the Khmer Rouge destroyed the records (and most likely the record-keepers) for reconstruction. The temple at Banteay Srei, while smaller than many of the structures in Angkor Thom is a beautifully-constructed building made of pinkish stone and containing lots of gorgeous Hindu-style carvings on walls and above doorways.

Baphuon From the Front

Carvings Along Terrace of the Elephants/Leper King in Angkor Thom

Same As Above

Nature Asserting Its Dominance At Ta Phrom - Site of Tomb Raider Filming

Local Taking a Lunch Break

The Beautiful Architecture of Banteay Srei

Day 3 - we woke up early to make the sunrise trip to Angkor Wat, viewing the sun come up above the temple's 5 spires from the banks of a shallow lake in the front of the structure and then spending the rest of the morning taking in the many fascinating aspects of the wonder. Some of the highlights included over 800 meters of intricately-carved walls depicting battle scenes, various gods and demons, and mythological scenes.