Have you ever witnessed a sunrise from one of the largest temple complexes in the world? Have you ever wondered about the mysteries that such temple complexes offer? Have you ever taken a ride on a vehicle driven by a bike? You think about these questions as we take you on a fantastic trip to the Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
This blog series will cover an exciting trip to Angkor Wat, Bayon Temple, Ta Prohm Temple, Banteay Kdey Temple, the National Museum of Cambodia, and Floating Village with some street hopping.
In case you don’t know who we are………..
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……..
Before we start sharing our experience, let’s begin with……..
Table of Contents
1. How did we arrive at Siem Reap, Cambodia?
We entered Cambodia directly from Vietnam. Our flight was from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi at 04:20 PM. It was an hour’s flight to Siem Reap. The airport was small and well-managed, with a Cambodian style of architecture.
After hassle-free immigration, we headed towards the exit, where our stay manager had already sent Tuk-Tuk to pick us up.
Do you remember when we said a vehicle that was driven by a bike? Tuk-Tuk was the vehicle that we were referring to. The ride was entertaining as we headed towards our stay at Pokambor Avenue.
Apart from coming via Vietnam, you can also reach Siem Reap by taking a layover either in Thailand, Malaysia or Singapore, to name a few. Do check and plan the best-optimized route for your trip.
Returning to our story, we reached our stay within half an hour. We stopped at an antique showroom for currency exchange on the way to the hotel. Interestingly, we would also like to let the readers know apart from their local currency, i.e., Cambodian Riel, the US Dollar is widely accepted in Siem Reap.
Wait! You might want to know…….
2. How was our stay at Siem Reap?
It was a memorable stay for us at Siem Reap. The name of our stay was Relax Resort Angkor Villa. Be it the host, kitchen, dining area or the hotel lobby, everything was just perfect. We loved the way our host used to smile and crack jokes to make us feel at home. Additionally, he was way too helpful with an amazing sense of humour.
We went to our rooms to quickly freshen up as he welcomed us and handed the key. The best part was that there was the option of having dinner in our hotel, or else it would have been troublesome to order food from outside. We had to start early the next morning, around 3:30 AM, for our sunrise tour at the incredible Angkor Wat.
Finally, we have reached the part of the blog that you all might be waiting for to know……..
3. How was the sunrise experience at the Great Angkor Wat Temple?
We were ready by 3:30 AM when our bus arrived at our hotel to pick us up. Our excitement level was at its peak. You can also book your Angkor Wat Sunrise tour tickets.
As it was a join-in tour, other travellers from other parts of the world were in the bus. After close to an hour’s journey, the bus halted at the entrance of Angkor Wat ticket counter. It was about four o’clock in the morning and the weather was cold.
There were three categories of tickets:
- 37$ for a one-day ticket with a validity of 5 days.
- 62$ for a three-day ticket with a validity of 10 days.
- 72$ for a seven-day ticket with a validity of 30 days.
We chose the first category of tickets. Now, you might wonder why there are so many varieties. The reason is that the area of Angkor Wat Temple is quite vast and difficult to explore on a single day. Moreover, for the history enthusiast, they would find the place a fascinating one.
After taking the tickets, we headed towards the bus for our first destination. Yes, you got it right: sunrise at Angkor Wat Temple. It is considered one of the best places in the world to witness sunrise.
After about 15 minutes of ride from the ticket counter, we got off the bus and followed our guide. It was about 4:30 AM and still dark. We were surprised to see the crowd over there when we reached the perfect place to witness the sunrise. It was way too windy and chilled outside. With some difficulty, we could take our position with the lens in our hand for a perfect sunrise.
Tip: Bring a jacket along with you if required at all.
The exact time of the sunrise can vary throughout the year, ranging from 5:30 to 6:30 AM. In our case, we were able to spot the transition in the sunlight and waited till 6:30 AM. It was something that we would never forget in our lifetime despite shivering in a cold morning.
Soon, we could spot the sun, and mercury started rising, It was a wonderful memorable sunrise at the Angkor Wat Temple Complex.
Now that the sunrise was over, you might want to know…….
4. What did we witness within the Angkor Wat Temple Complex?
Our guide requested us to sit in a place as he started explaining about the Angkor Wat Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He narrated that it was built during King Suryavarman II’s reign. It was initially a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, but later transformed into a Buddhist Temple.
A sense of mystery engulfed us as we started exploring the complex. The main temple had a central tower surrounded by four small towers.
The amazing thing was that it was built in such a way that anyone standing in front of the temple would find the sun rising from behind the central tower during equinoxes (the time of the year having equal lengths of day and night).
Restoration work were going on to preserve the essential information. The central temple is at a height where you need to climb very steep stairs.
We were both careful and, at the same time, in awe of the surroundings. There were both Lord Buddha statues as well as Hindu Gods statues, were there.
In another part of the temple, we saw a few monks meditating and a few busy preaching to the young monks.
There was a wall where the two Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, were narrated using pictures inscribed on the wall. It was something we hadn’t seen before.
After two hours, we approached our bus for the next set of temple runs.
Yes, there are many other temples within the Angor Wat Temple complex. We were moving to another exciting temple, Bayon Temple.
5. What was so interesting about the Bayon Temple?
Apart from the mysteries surrounding each temple, this temple had a unique appearance. There were numerous stone faces carved into its towers. It was pretty fascinating to see. Be it the gates or the main temple complex.
Our guide explained us that it was built during King Jayavarman VII’s reign in the 12th century. Similar to the main Angkor Wat Temple, this temple was initially a Hindu Temple that was later transformed into a Buddhist one.
The layout of the Bayon Temple was quite similar to that of the Angkor Wat; however, the stone faces on the towers made it a unique one.
Soon after, close to an hour, we departed for the next destination, Ta Prohm Temple.
Have you watched the famous Tomb Raider Movie?
You might now want to know……
6. How the Tomb Raider movie is related to the Ta Prohm Temple?
To answer this, you would need to see the movie carefully. You will get to know that a few scenes were shot at the Ta Prohm Temple. It was also built during King Jayavarman VII’s reign.
We noticed something strange about this temple. It felt as if nature had taken over the place. In other words, trees had grown over the temple structures and gave a weird look to the temple complex.
We sat under a tree, relaxing and indulging ourselves in deep thought about the Khmer Kingdom and how they built such a huge complex.
In the meantime, we looked at our watch; it was eleven o’clock and we were starving. Our guide took us to a restaurant where we had “brunch” (the word given by our guide symbolising “breakfast”+”lunch”). It was about half an hour break before we proceeded to our last temple visit of the day, Banteay Kdei.
You might want to know…..
7. How was the experience at the Banteay Kdei Temple?
This temple was also unique, given its compact layout with a central tower surrounded by galleries. There were four entrances. It was built by the same king as Bayon Temple and Ta Prohm Temple.
Most importantly, it was way less crowded with a peaceful atmosphere. There were forest on both sides of the road leading to this temple. The location was so serene that our guide insisted us sitting there until he narrated some more incidents of his life and the Khmer Empire.
When it was about one o’clock in the afternoon, we departed for our stay after a memorable day trip to the Angkor Wat Temple, something to remember for a lifetime. We were mesmerised by the architectural wonders that this place offers.
Soon after returning, we had a good, sound sleep as we could barely sleep the previous night. The best part was when we woke up in the evening, we planned to prepare dinner by ourselves. This was the first time we thought of doing this outside of our homeland :). We went to the market on the cycles which were parked at our hotel and bought rice, eggs and vegetables. Our stay manager was a kind soul and allowed us to cook with his utensils and oven.
Finally, the dinner was ready: rice, egg curry, lentils and raw mango chutney. After this delicious meal, we truly felt being at home. Then, we went to sleep after having some chit-chat on the day’s experience.
Hope you got a glimpse of what Angkor Wat Temple offers for Travel Freaks like us. Of course, you can also opt to buy the multi-day option too. Till then, be with us for the next day’s journey at Siem Reap.
Wait! We are not ending this blog without this last question.
8. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story of Cambodia. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau