Visiting The Temples of Angkor Wat

To visit The temples of Angkor Wat you need to get yourself to Siem Reap in Northern Cambodia. It is pretty easy as Siem Reap has an airport so you can fly from Bangkok or Phnom Phen. Other options are to take a bus from these cities, or a boat from different parts of Cambodia.
I arrived by boat from Battambang and checked into a small hotel just outside the city centre. After a day of exploring Siem Reap I decided it was time to visit the Temples.

To visit Angkor Wat you can either hire a Tuk-Tuk or take a mini bus tour. I decided on the mini bus tour, as it came with a guide who had so much to tell about the temples. In January it is very hot in Siem Reap, so I decided on the sunrise tour, in hope of keeping away from the heat of the day and looking for a a perfect photo opportunity. Before you take the tour you need a permit to enter the Angkor Temples. I chose a 1 day pass at $37. There is also a 3 day pass at $62 and a 7 day pass at 72$

Angkor is an ancient city in Cambodia that was once the centre of the Khmer Empire that ruled most of Southeast Asia.This civilisation eventually died off, but not before they had built some amazing temples. That were reclaimed by trees and jungle for hundreds of years. Be warned, this place is packed with tourists but it is still the most amazing place to visit. The most popular temples being Angkor Wat, Ta Phrom and Bayon

Our guide and driver collected us from our hotel at 4 am. First stop was to get our permits and then off to see the sunrise over Angkor wat. It was pitch black when we arrived we were taken to supposedly the best place to see the sun rise. As first light approached you had the feeling you were looking at large pine trees but as the sun rose you started getting amazing views of Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat is the main temple in the region and was built around 1113 to 1150. It is one of the largest religious monuments ever constructed and it's name means "Temple City" It was originally and Hindu temple but converted to a Buddhist temple in the 14 Century. Today it is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Next Temple was Ta Phrom. Built in the 11th century and rediscovered in the 18th century covered in trees and bush. This was my favourite temple with trees, looking like massive bonsais, growing out of the ruins everywhere.

The last temple of the day, was the Bayon Temple Known for its many towers and smiling faces. It is one of the smaller and younger temples, built in the 12th century, it takes about 40 minutes to explore.

It was about 2 30 pm by the time we got back to our hotel. Having taken in so much information and the temperature rising, we spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool.

I stayed at Nika's House which was well in my budget of $20 a night, with super friendly staff, comfortable accommodation and a swimming pool. They also booked my ongoing bus ticket to Bangkok.

All the photos are mine, taken during my visit to Cambodia with my Samsung Prime Core Mobile phone.

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