Angkor Wat, the primary reason most people visit Cambodia, is the biggest temple in the world, but isn’t even close to the only site around. There are quite a few main temple attractions in the immediate area, and probably dozens if you include all the smaller ones. [Editor’s note: To clarify, everyone colloquially refers to the series of temples as “Angkor Wat,” but that is merely the name of the biggest (and most famous) temple in the complex out of the many that are actually there. We didn’t really appreciate this until we arrived here, hence the need for a clarification.] There is a “small loop” and a “big loop” that represent the main circuits of temples most tourists see. Our first day, we rented a tuk-tuk to take us on the small loop and hit the main highlights. This included Angkor Wat, as well as other major temples like Bayon and Ta Prohm (known as the Tomb Raider temple, or as I knew it “the one with the trees growing all over the rocks”). [Editor’s note: Another clarification. Archaeologists have been methodically restoring the temples to their original condition since they were discovered ~100 years ago, but they specifically left Ta Prohm untouched so that people would understand how the site looked when it was unearthed. It also is the temple where the Angelina Jolie version of Tomb Raider was filmed, hence the name.] After first stopping at the main ticket office where we purchased 3-day passes, we arranged with our tuk-tuk driver to take a non-standard ordering through the temples in order to try to avoid the crowds. The thinking was that most big tour groups would hit Angkor Wat either first thing in the morning, or last in the afternoon, so we wanted to get there at noon when everyone would likely be eating lunch. Instead, we first visited Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei, before hitting Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Bayon.
Ta Prom, and one of the more photographed amazing trees
In front of a small side temple
The temples are gorgeous and impressive, and surprisingly non-regulated. While they are sticklers about checking that you have a pass to enter, once you’re in you pretty much have freedom to wander around wherever you want. Occasionally a guard would ask you to not sit on a certain ledge, but for the most part there was no set pathway. This meant that it was possible to choose paths through the ruins that avoided the majority of other tourists, and combined with our non-standard temple order, meant that we had a relatively leisurely and non-crowded experience.
Ta Prohm
Exploring some passageways
Surreal and gorgeous trees and temples
Giannis and Rorie chillin’ on some vines.
In front of Angkor Wat!
The following day, we rented motorbikes (with me acting as the second brake on Rorie’s bike, same as we did in Kampot) and headed out for a self-guided tour of the bigger loop to see some of the temples we’d missed the previous day. It was fun to get out to the less-crowded areas and see some smaller structures and more variety, though overall the temples were not as impressive as the main few from the first day. It’s basically impossible to get lost, as well, as the roads all pretty much form a nice paved circuit that goes past all of the sites. [Editor’s note: While the temples were less impressive than the first day, it was really fun (for me and Giannis) to get to ride around and explore with the motorbikes. Approaching it this way is not only more cost effective, but it really allows you to curate your own type of experience – from the pace you go through the day, to the specific temples you see. It also ensures that Jess spends the full day stressed out and mildly-panicked on the back of the bike, so it’s a big win for everyone.]
A temple in the middle of a big moat-type body of water
Giannis surveys his kingdom as we walk to the middle of the moat.
Climbing the steep stairs at Bayon temple
A Buddha statue in one of the temples
Just surviving.
Faces lining a bridge leading to Angkor Thom
On our last full day in Siem Reap, Giannis headed back out on a motorbike to re-visit a few of his favorite temples, while Rorie and I opted to stay behind and relax in town. While Angkor Wat and the others were beautiful, there were enough crowds and hassle getting around that I didn’t feel that another day would add too much to my experience, so I decided that two days was enough for me. [Editor’s note: There weren’t enough Cambodian Riel in the world to convince Jess to get on the back of a motorbike for another day at the temples. She is growing to hate motorbikes with a burning, fiery passion.] That’s the beauty of traveling with independent friends – everyone can do what they want and no one has to feel guilted into anything extra! [Editor’s note: During our time without him, we decided to have an anti-Giannis day. He doesn’t care about shopping and likes to eat at the dingiest, most authentic food spots possible, so we endeavored to spend our few hours without him eating western food (poached eggs!) and shopping for a few hours. Big success.]
Overall, I loved Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. I think the amount of time we spent there was about right for what I would recommend to others (2-3 days in Phnom Penh and 4-5 in Siem Reap) and both cities had very distinct personalities that I thoroughly enjoyed. While very different from what I’m used to in America, I felt fairly comfortable in both places and really appreciated the casual, laid-back vibe I got from the people. Both are places I would enjoy wandering around the streets, which is something I didn’t feel much of in China. It’s a nice change.
That brings us to the end of our time in Siem Reap. Because Giannis didn’t have the luxury of time that Rorie and I have been enjoying, we decided to fly from Siem Reap down to the coast to Sihanoukville, a beach town where we plan to get some sand, water, and relaxation, and the first beach of our entire trip.
So with that, I’ll leave you with more of what we’re all here for, really – temple photos!
One of the massive faces carved into sides of the temples
They have the best doorways.
Monkeys in front of Angkor Wat
