Well this was the day to see what all the fuss was about. Decided not to go to sunrise as it was really overcast and thought I wouldn’t really see the sun at all. After breakfast we got our bikes and started riding, Angkor Wat is about 8km out of town but it is totally flat so that is pretty easy. After paying the $20 it is about another 2km ride, the first thing that I remember is that you see what you think is a river that is really wide, then I realized that it was the moat of Angkor Wat. This place definitely has size, it is massive. All you really see at first is the moat and the wall on the outside, imagine a massive fortress that is 1.5km by 1.3km, the moat is 190m wide all dug by hand, as this would have been in the middle of the jungle.
After parking the bikes went across the bridge and in the gate, the grounds are massive, there is forest in the grounds surrounding the temple. You walk along a raised platform that would be about 300m long until you reach the outer layer of the temple. This is in really good condition considering it was built around 1150. The building is truly amazing but I have to say I was pretty disappointed. Whether it was because there seemed to be no human aspect to it, it seemed devoid of people (although there were hundreds of tourists running around) you couldn’t really picture yourself in the day it was made. Probably the best word would be sterile.
One of the funny things were the bas-reliefs (carved figures in the walls, I had NFI what they were before I came). There were lots of women with no top on and all their breasts were shiny where people had been touching them. It was pretty funny seeing a whole wall with shiny breasts that are 850 years old. After walking around and on the temple it was a little slow so decided to walk in the forest outside the walls. This seemed a little more in your face, and there were little temples (gates) in the middle of each wall which were pretty cool. After all that we decided it was time to get some tourist t-shirts (go Angkor Beer) and lunch.
Next Stop Angkor Thom (is a walled city). In a few words, immensely impressive and enormous This was more to my liking, the temples were a little more run down, and less people. They were more like the kind of places where the roof had fallen in, there were massive bits of rock everywhere that had fallen apart, and you could really picture yourself in and around the area when it would have been alive and kicking.
The first temple I visited in Angkor Thom was the Bayon, closest to the gate, but also the most impressive. One thing that was good about the Bayon is that it was designed in stages, basically the King wanted to make sure it was finished before he died or was knocked off, so he only commissioned on floor at a time. Then as that was finished he thought he could get another done, so each floor is quite different to the previous. The first two levels are square with bas relief, and the third level is circular with hexagonal towers with amazing faces carved on all six sides. I would really recommend visiting this Wat (a Cambodian temple, ohhh the jokes are to easy).
After this we bumped into Ed and Fi, and went along to the next temple with them. We were going to go to the Baphuon, but it is closed and being restored, so we went through the rear gate to the Phimeanakas, which is like a pyramid temple. This was pretty cool and from the top there was a great view over the forest and other temples. After this it was about 4pm and Ed and Fi told us about this great temple that looks like something out of tomb raider, overgrown and run down but amazing at the same time. So we rode towards Ta Prohm to check it out.
Ta Prohm was really amazing and should not be missed not matter what. After parking your bike on the road it is about a 300m walk through the jungle along a path until you come to a bridge over a dried up moat. Already there is a sense of overgrown enormity, and an almost prehistoric feel. Walking through the gate is a real eye opener, you see half ruined temple mixed with overgrown forest, and massive trees growing out the middle. This would have been my favourite temple and you can really let your imagination run wild in a place like this.
It was getting to about 5 so we decided to head home as the sun goes down at 6ish. On the way home we passed a village where all the kids were playing soccer (about 6yrs – 18yrs old), I couldn’t help myself so I went to have a kick. The field was much better, pretty flat although on a slope. Some of these kids were really good, such good control and good dribbling. I managed to score of a header from a corner on my first touch which was good, I think I have only ever got one or two before. I played for about 45mins, while Frida was talking to a whole lot of little girls, they gave her bracelets and were listening to music. Ended up riding home in the dark but it was a great day and really fun. Had some Pizza that night which was great as well, you can’t beat a place called Ecstatic Pizza. Next day was a lazy one, wondering around town, going to markets and getting ready to leave the next day.
