THE TEMPLES OF SIEM REAP

ARRIVING IN SIEM REAP

Leaving Phnom Penh, I took a 7 hour bus ride up to the other major city of Siem Reap.

I was staying at the Onederz hostel, which was incredible. Very clean, very modern, great staff, rooftop pool. I ended up staying for five nights, after only originally booking for three. I thoroughly recommend it.

 

SIEM REAP NIGHT MARKET

The hostel is located right next to the night market, which is the largest night market area I’ve seen so far on my trip. It’s great to have a wander around and I visited a few times during my five days here.

A word of warning; you will be pestered for tuk-tuk rides and massages (with extras) constantly, so be prepared for this.

Here’s a few random shots from the night market.

On the edge of the night market is ‘pub street’, which as the name suggests is a lengthy stretch of bars full of late night revellers. It’s a great atmosphere down here and it appeals to all sorts, from locals, to backpackers, to holiday makers.

THE TEMPLES OF SIEM REAP

Probably the biggest draw to Siem Reap is to pay the iconic temple of Angkor Wat a visit.

While I was here I took the opportunity to go out for a sunrise trip to see this and many other temples in the Siem Reap area. A 4:00a.m. start was required, so I was hoping it would be worth the early start.

I organised the trip through the hostel and a tuk-tuk driver came to pick me up right on time. Here he is:

In order to gain access to the area of Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples, you have to purchase a ticket, which at the time of writing is $37USD for a day pass.

This is quite expensive by Southeast Asian standards, but while in Siem Reap it really is something you must do.

As this pass gives you access to all temples in the area it’s certainly advisable to see more than just Angkor Wat and that’s exactly what I did.

Here’s a rundown of what I saw.

 

ANGKOR WAT

Angkor Wat is a Buddhist temple and the largest religious monument in the world, which definitely makes it one for the bucket list. It apprently took around 30 years to build and is quite a sight.

I arrived just before sunrise, during a heavy thunderstorm, so this did take the edge of the sunrise a little, but it was still pretty impressive.

Standing at the foot of the lake in front of Angkor Wat, I watched the sun rise. The colours of the sky shifted like nothing I’d seen before.

This should give you an idea:

The rain was still pouring, but I entered the temple to take a further look around.

The temple itself was epic in scale and, having been build in the 12th century, it was under a certain amount of disrepair.

Here’s some shots I took while wandering around the temple and its grounds:

 

BAYON TEMPLE

The next stop was Bayon Temple. Another Buddhist temple, which was built around the 12th century and is famous for its stone faces build into the towers of the temple.

Before arriving at the temple, I crossed a bridge, which had many statues lining the sides of the bridge and a grand archway to pass through at the other end.

A few minutes further down the road and I arrived at the temple.

Here’s some shots of exploring Bayon temple:

 

TA PROHM TEMPLE

The third stop-off on the tour was to see Ta Prohm temple. This was made famous by the film Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie and I can see why they chose this as a location.

Ta Prohm was definitely the one that had the most impact on me throughout the day and I wholeheartedly recommend, that if you’re in Siem Reap, you should not pass this one up!

Unlike the other temples in Siem Reap, Ta Prohm is very much in the same condition in which it was found and this adds massively to the atmosphere of the place. It’s in total disrepair and there are humongous tree roots, which have worked their way through the temples structure over the centuries.

It feels like you’ve just stumbled across it. It’s also less touristy than Angkor Wat, which helps!

Here’s a load of snaps from the visit to this temple:

Incredible sights!

 

BANTEAY KDAI TEMPLE

The fourth and final stop on the tour was to Banteay Kdai Temple.

This was the smallest of the four temples, but was in a similar dilapidated state as Ta Prohm. Worth a look when you’re in the area, but only as part of a tour to be honest.

Here’s a few snaps of this one:

And that’s the lot! A great little day out and worth getting up early for.

If you want to see more, here’s a video of the day:

ONTO KAMPOT

After a few fairly chilled days in Siem Reap it was time to move on again.

I was heading down South, to the town of Kampot.

Read on for more….