#2176 Angkor Wat

All the posts I've written so far have been about Thailand, so I want to switch gears a little and talk about Cambodia. When MT and I first started talking about going to Thailand, I declared that as long as we were in that part of the world, we should swing by Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. MT, bless his heart, didn't bat an eye. He told me to go for it. Our original plan was to stay in Siem Reap for three nights, but Mother Nature and the FAA conspired and so we only got to stay for two nights. The bottom line is we sort of had to rush through Angkor Wat. I guess you have to leave something that makes you want to go back!

Angkor Wat is a temple complex and the name of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the largest religious sites in the world. It is ancient, having begun being built in the early 12th century. There are many temples on the site, and one of them, the largest, is called Angkor Wat.

In preparation for the trip, I read about the temples and the site. I looked at hundreds of photos. Even while I was doing the research, I knew I would be unprepared for what I would see.

I was right.

We came to the temple from the back - even though most of the really famous photos are from the front. The temple is surrounded by a huge moat and I knew that and I was still overwhelmed by the size of the moat itself. We walked steadily toward the temple and when I saw the first tower, my throat tightened and my eyes got sweaty. I was overcome with emotion and I think it was because in my wildest dreams, I did not think I would actually ever get to see Angkor Wat, and now here it was, right in front of me.

My first glimpse at Angkor Wat

I can't even explain where the fascination comes from. It's like dreaming of seeing the pyramids in Egypt or Machu Pichu in Peru. Angkor Wat was something so far away and so mythical, I guess, that being there took my breath away.

However, we were on a timetable, so I caught my breath, took some photos, listened to our guide, Narun, talk about the place and through it all kept shaking my head that I was actually, really there.

The following photos are of the exterior, for the most part, and are photos that I took.

This is one of the five spires. This is and was a holy place, so only the monks would ascend these stairs. Notice how crazy steep they are. And let me also tell you that the steps themselves are not very wide. 

This is an outside hallway. You can see the corridor is long and all of that is made of rock.

This is a view from the front of the temple across the moat. I was hoping for a reflection in the water, but it was not meant to be. I still love this photo though, because you can see all five towers. Iconic.

These next photos were all taken by MT and show mainly the interior.

One of the things we found throughout the temple was this amazingly detailed, delicate sculpture work.

These female figures as apsara dancers. I daresay they were MT's favorites (lol). There are around 1,800 apsara figures at Angkor Wat alone, and between them - fun fact - there are 37 different hairdos.

Another rather amazing thing about Angkor Wat is the bas reliefs. There are eight of them and they are massive. Each one represents a story. The carvings are intricate and detailed and well-preserved. The photo above is just one of the bas reliefs. That's a long wall!

Here is a close-up look at a section of a bas relief. Can you see the elephant?

Here is another example of the intricate carving. I don't remember what Narun said this panel represented.

MT and I were interested in this one because those figures look like monkeys. What are they pointing at?

As I was looking through the photos and thinking about the morning we spent walking through this temple, I feel sad that I cannot convey to you the beauty and the sheer magnitude of the place. Both MT and I felt like we rushed through it. We only saw three of the bas reliefs - we just didn't have time to really take it all in. Of course we knew we wouldn't be the only people there, but it was so crowded. MT and I both felt like we would like to go back and take more time there to explore at our own pace and discover things on our own. We really liked our guide, Narun. He was very informative and friendly and patient with our questions and our wanting to stop and take photos. It was an eight hour tour and we still felt like we were scrambling to see everything.

Next time...next time we will take our time.

Still, to be there, to have seen it, walked through it and gotten a taste of it, was magical. I would rather have had those two hours there than none at all.