Ancient Wonders of Cambodia

Bass Relief Carvings

My first day at the temples of Angkor was lengthy, cycling out at 7am to beat the heat. My first destination was the grand Angkor Wat, the iconic symbol of Cambodia and Khmere culture. The sun was already biting as I crossed the stone causeway that bridges the vast moat and entered through the gates into the huge temple complex. Before me lay the main structure of Angkor Wat with it's five towers symbolising mount Meru, the centre of the Hindu universe. I spent the morning exploring this stone colossus with the help of an excellent guidebook loaded on my phone. It felt the ultimate juxtaposition of technologies, the thousand year old stories depicted in stone relief carvings illuminated by a device in the palm of my hand. These carvings were my favourite part, encircling the temple with depiction's from the Hindu epics.

By 11am the heat was becoming unbareable, forcing me to seek refuge in a cafe with aircon. It wasn't untill 2.30pm  did I dare venture out again into the heat.

Heads of the Bayon

I cycled next through the jungle to the gigantic ancient city of Angkor Thom and at it's heart, the Bayon temple. This smaller structure contrasted with the monumental grandure of Angkor Wat as a smaller, more organic jumble of towers and passages that made for enjoyable exploration. From each tower faces stare out in four directions, perhaps indicating the god's/king's omniopotence. They were quite a site to behold. I also explored some other nearby temples, including the pyramid like Baphuon which presented a steep climb to it's summit, again representing the summit of Mount Meru. The Khmer were certaintly keen to have the centre of the universe in their own back yards.

I returned to Angkor at sunset, by which time a full moon was on the rise behind it's illuminated facade. I arrived back in Siem Reip as the last of the light was fading from the sky, completing a huge day of exploring ancient wonders. Tomorrow I shall return for further exploration of these wonders of ancient construction, these testamounts to the madness of religious devotion, the temples of Angkor.

The second day of temple seeing was equally as exhausting, but well worth the extra kms to further flung temples such as Ta Phrom, crumbling into the jungle. Here however the atmosphere was somewhat ruined by the hordes of tour groups noisily crowding the temples. In the smaller, less crowded temples however I found respite from the crowds, making for a more peaceful exploration of the ancient stone monuments. That evening I climbed the nearby hill to see Angkor Wat from a different perspective, illuminated by the setting sun.

Roots engulf Tah Phrom

On the third day I rode out to find the Rulous temples, 13km east of Siem Reap. Yet despite possessing a map I became quite lost on the Cambodian country roads and after much searching returned to the city defeated. Instead I returned to Angkor Wat that afternoon for one final visit to these wondrous, inspiring ancient monuments.