Capital of Temples

Angkor Wat.

A religious complex in Cambodia built in the 12th century, Angkor Wat is known for its classical Khmer architecture. It was largely neglected until popularised by a French explorer. Angkor Wat is a source of great national pride, and it is featured in the national flag of Cambodia.

Piled stones are a common sighting.

Angkor Wat at sunrise.

The chance came when I was in Cambodia for a friend's wedding. Angkor is located in Siem Reap, a city some distance from the capital Phnom Penh. We took a flight to get there.

Angkor Wat was originally built as a Hindu temple, but later changed to Buddhist. There are many temples in Angkor besides Angkor Wat, and some are fairly well-known: Bayon — the temple with stoneface towers — and Ta Prohm — the temple with trees growing out of its structures. Most of the temples besides Angkor Wat are in an enclosed area called Angkor Thom, an ancient city built after Angkor Wat.

The south gate of Angkor Thom.

Trees growing out of Ta Prohm's ruins.

Bayon's stoneface towers.

We started very early, arriving just before dawn hoping to catch a beautiful view of Angkor Wat at sunrise. The beautiful bit never happened, since the day turned out very cloudy. We moved on and spent the next five hours visiting the temples, and finished just before lunch. The early bird plan worked out well in the end, as by midday the temperature had soared over 35 degrees Celsius. It would have been difficult to hike around under that condition.

Another view of Angkor Wat.

The sunrise that never happened.

We didn't have a tour guide, but bought a book about Angkor and so we were reading stories about the different temples we saw on the way. I'd strongly recommend getting a book or tour guide if you're there; most temples appear superficially similar and without a narrative they might seem a little repetitive (not to mention you are missing out interesting history of this ancient civilisation). Don't forget most of these monuments were built almost a thousand years ago!

Gargantuan trees are everywhere; can you spot the tiny human figures?

Tree of hope.

Bas relief sculpture.

Aerial view from Baphuon's top.