No thanks!
The main draw to Siem Reap is that it serves as base camp to visit the incredible temples of Angkor. Though Angkor Wat is the most well-known and best preserved site, the actual city of Angkor was the largest pre-industrial city in the world. Angkor stretched nearly 1,000 square kilometers, roughly the size of modern day Los Angeles. At its height in the 13th century, Angkor had about one million inhabitants at a time when London had a population of only 50,000. Though less is known about the ancient Khmer civilization than comparable western civilizations, its is clear that it had incredible leadership, master engineers, visionary architects, and a massive labor force.
After an early bedtime, we arose the next morning at 4:30 AM to begin a long day of exploring. We started the day by watching the sun rise over Angkor Wat, the largest single religious monument in the world. After a few minutes, it became clear that we were in for a color-less sunrise, so we booked it inside to beat the crowds. Inside Angkor Wat was gorgeous; full of intricate bas-reliefs and decaying statues. Though the highest and most impressive towers of Angkor Wat were "Closed One Day for Cleaning," slipping the janitor $5 gained us private access to the coolest parts of the temple! (As we like to say: TIA. This Is Asia.)
Sunrise over Angkor Wat
Jessica ascends the stairs to the temple
Standing inside an ancient swimming pool
Jessica and Preston in the "closed for cleaning -- unless your bribe the janitor" area
Nature constantly tries to reclaim the temples
After a few hours of exploring, we leave Angkor Wat
After Angkor Wat we spent the rest of the day touring other impressive Angkor sites, including Angkor Thom (the capital of the city), Bayon (the temple of faces), Ta Keo (the mountain temple), Ta Prom (the overgrown jungle temple), and Bonteay Srei (an intricately detailed temple). Our driver offered us unlimited free ice-waters and refuge in his air-conditioned van through the day, which was more than necessary in the 100ยบ heat.
The entrance into Angkor Thom, the capital of Angkor
The statues may look mean, but are actually quite friendly!
We found some friendly monkeys near the entrance to Angkor Thom
Though the baby monkeys were fun, we steered clear of their larger parents
Jabba-the-Monkey.
The children that run around Angkor are cute, but we had to resist their begging. Giving them money only fortifies their parents decision to keep the kids out of school.
Bayon, a temple filled with giant stone faces
Another shot from Bayon
Bayon from a distance
Bonteay Srei, a temple covered in well-preserved intricate carvings
Bonteay Srei
Massive trees strangle the buildings of Ta Prohm
An accurate statue of Buddha
After thoroughly exploring Angkor, we spent another couple days wandering around Siem Reap to see what else the city had to offer. The city surrounds the 'Stung Siem Reap' river, and consists of a great mix of old French colonial buildings and new Cambodian buildings that have been constructed since Angkor-bound tourists began flooding the city a decade ago. Among its highlights are several markets and a very lively nightlife on 'Pub Street.' Anyone that contemplates visiting Angkor should know that they will not have to 'rough it' in a 'third-world' country; Siem Reap is beautiful, clean, and offers any amenity a westerner could want. We even saw hotel rooms priced at over $400 a night!
A local Wat
Giant trees border the Stung Siem Reap, providing shade along the river. Due to the heat, the standard routine is to run from one area of shade to the next.
French colonial buildings fill Siem Reap
Pub Street
After seeing advertisements all over SE Asia for "fish massage" we finally gave in to our curiosity in Siem Reap. Two dollars buys you 20 minutes with the fish and a 'free beer' thrown in!
A 'fish massage' feels about as creepy and uncomfortable as one would imagine. It feels like hundreds of fish with very small teeth attempting to eat your feet
However, after about 10 minutes, it begins to feel alright
The fittingly-named 'Night Market'
Overall we loved both the ancient city of Angkor and the modern city of Siem Reap. Angkor holds its place as one of the 'Wonders of the Modern World,' and Siem Reap provides a great city to call home for a while! It was a great place to spend our last few days in Cambodia.
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