Wanderlust Diary

Angkor Wat is one of the interesting ancient ruins that kept the mystical wonder of Cambodia.  I first heard it from my friend however I had been aware of this since the movie Tomb Raider where Angelina Jolie starred.  She actually made me interested in the culture of Cambodia as it greatly affected her and thus also adopting Maddox in the process.

Since it is nearer to go from Singapore (my current hometown until I go back Philippines), I urged my group of travelmates to visit this wonder before the ruins will be totally be ruined because of the so much visits from tourists all around the globe.
We decided to visit during the best advised period which is around November to December as the climate is cooler but not due to rain.  With only Lonely Planet book to help us around, we booked our hotel from the internet (Golden Village Temple) which is cheap however the service is not good, my friend’s money got stolen.  Flight to Siem Reap by Jetstar…early in the morn of November 27, we headed city we weren’t quite familiar about…a big adventure ahead!

Siem Reap’s main attractions were the temples and the people..the city itself is quite simple.  Not much big buildings surround the place.  We went to visit the Pub Street which is the main hangout place for tourists as it becomes restless at dusk.  Walking around the city seemed relaxing because we didn’t need to rush our schedule in this holiday.  Our hotel was not that fantastic but it’s cheap and good.  Service wise was not too great either…the massage was pretty much traumatic..but what can we ask…it’s free anyway!  We had booked our tours with the hotel so not to be a hassle.  We tried the Quad tours (ATV ride) across the fields which was super fun because you get to see children waving at you while seeing the vast rice fields at sunset.  Imagine the rush of the wind breezing through your face…wonderful feeling of freedom!

We had to wake up before 5am the next day to witness the famous sunrise at Angkor wat.  Though there were a lot of tourists, it was seemingly serene watching the sun rise with Angkor wat temple at the background.  Thousands of years had past and the same wonder has been seen by different people of different era.  Our tour guide was ecstatic to explain the history of the place even though he tries very hard to speak in straight English…we were entertained by his witty remarks as an add in to the details he shared.  We explored the walls of Angkor wat and saw the explicit carvings surrounding the insides of the temple. Apsaras (Ancient nymph dancers) carvings were everywhere.  According to our tour guide, there were only 2 topless apsara inside the Angkor Wat temple (well, our tour guide was really interesting).

Then we headed to the temple where Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider was shot.  Ta Phrom was mostly in ruins but the great roots of ancient trees hold the structure together.

Then we headed to the temple full of Buddha heads (which according to our tour guide was partly the face of the Buddha and the King). The temple was called Bayon temple.

We had some off site adventures and some food hopping around Siem Reap which I will recollect next time.  Pictures will not do justice to the beauty of Angkor temples…