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| Tony inside Angkor Wat |
We spent 3 days in Siem Reap visiting the temples around Angkor Wat. They were AMAZING and the photos really don't do them justice. I figure the best way to share them is to add them is in the order we saw them. Enjoy!
First we visited some more remote temples. The first was Kbal Speam, the Valley of 1000 Lingas, supposedly. It was advertised as a 40 minute "moderately easy walk" but vigorous climb would be more accurate. When we got to the top many of the carvings were covered by river as the water was high but we still enjoyed the hike.
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| The moderately easy walk. |
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| 1,000 year out carvings- with the water flowing over it I can't believe it's lasted so long! |
Next we saw Bantey Srei, known as the Temple of the Women because of its delicate carvings...
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| Because most of the buildings in Cambodia were made of wood at the time the temples were built the builders used many wood working construction techniques. The windows are filled with stone "bannisters." |
Next we saw a smaller, lesser know temple Bante Samre...
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| Cool plant that closes when you touch it. This grew everywhere is Guam but I haven't seen it anywhere else until now- it's all over Thailand and Cambodia! |
Next came Ta Prohm or the "Tomb Raider" temple. This was definitely my favorite. It's still in ruins (though it's being restored) and is covered with green moss and there are huge trees with their roots weaving through the stones.
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The temples were originally Hindu but were later adapted for Buddhist practices.
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Next we spent a day visiting the minor temples of Angkor Thom, the temple complex that includes Angkor Wat.
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| Entrance to Angkor Thom complex |
This is Bayon. The temple is famous for it's face towers. There are now 37 towers of the original 54 towers standing. (54 towers, 54 Colorado 14ers, do I sense conspiracy theory?)
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| It's amazing- every piece of the columns were decorated! |
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| To give an idea of scale |
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| Steep! |
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| Bricks at the back of the temple. To conserve the temples the outer bricks are removed so that the inner structure (made of a more porous stone) can be replaced/reinforced. The outer decorative brinks are then reassembled. Seems like a huge job! |
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| Elephant rides around the temples- we had enough of the elephants in Chiang Mai but it makes for a fun pic! |
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| Unrestored tower in temple complex |
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| Elephant terrace |
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| Ruins of a temple |
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| Terrace of the Leper King. Great name- there was a statue here of the "Leper King" that is now in a museum |
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| Tired of the main temples, Tony decided we should hike through this flooded area... |
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| We found this large Buddha (~25ft) |
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| And this broken down temple... |
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| And this gate |
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| Writing on one of the temples- most of the inscriptions have been removed or are worn away. Pretty cool to find this one. |
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| Temple climbing- it's best not to look down |
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| View from the bottom |
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| Bauphon- this one was massive! |
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| View from tuk tuk. This was our driver for 2 days Mr. Leap. |
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Guess we were a little thirsty after all that temple exploring!
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Last day...sunrise at Angkor Wat. We saved this iconic temple for last. It's definitely the biggest with the most complete structure (walls, bridges, etc.) but lacks a lot of the sculptures and character of the other temples. I think seeing the other temples first helped us get a sense of how magnificent Angkor Wat must have been.
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| Moat at sunrise |
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| Horse in front of Angkor Wat |
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| Tower up close. The very top was closed so we couldn't climb all the way us this one. |
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| All of the statues here were missing their heads |
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| There were original bricks covered with worn sculptures, lichen, and moss scattered all around the courtyard. (I guess they were removed for restoration/replacement) |
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| Walls covered with dancing nymphs. |
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| Close up nymph statue- even the patterns of the fabrics are carved in! |
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| Naga from front of Angkor Wat- these were at all the temple entrances |
