Day 5. Angkor Wat Day (part 2 of 2)

Since we are still full from the heavy brunch that we had and while all other tourists were off to get their lunch, we grabbed the opportunity to continue our tour to be able to get decent pictures on the temples.

Our tour resumes at...

6th stop. Banteay Kdei

It is one of the two temples that has trees' roots slowly 'eating' up the temples. From the outside, it is very similar to the first temples that we had, however, it is one of those that looked like unfinished puzzle. Our tourist guide mentioned that it was made out of sandstone, a low quality stone, thus, it looked like more of a deteriorated temple, rather than an unfinished one. However, the carvings and how the stones are crafted and put on top of each other are simply amazing.

7th stop. Ta Prohm

Probably, the most famous temple in Angkor, aside from Angkor Wat itself, thanks to the movie Tomb Raider by Angelina Jolie. Banteay Kdei and Ta Prohm are reflections of one other, except that more trees' roots cover more temples and it actually looked like a movie studio. During our visit, construction is ongoing, thus, there are several parts of the temples that we could not access. Ta Prohm is definitely huge, it has an east and west gate, so its better to remember what your driver said, where will you meet him (if you don't it will cost you time and walking force, just like us!)

8th stop. Ta Keo

Though we just passed by the temple, Ta Keo very much resembles to Pre Rup, with towers and was located in a hill. Our tuktuk driver mentioned that there is nothing much to see at Ta Keo, since we already visited Pre Rup.

From Ta Keo to Bayon, you will pass by the Terrace of the Elephants and Prasat Suor Prat, twelve identical sandstone towers located at the opposite land of the Terrace of the Elephants.

9th stop. Bayon

The temple of faces - the best description of the temple. Bayon temple's towers has the iconic reflections of Khmer art and architecture because of the stone faces on them. These faces faced several directions, and what they represent is still unknown.

However, despite this, Bayon is one of the two must see temples in Angkor, aside from Angkor Wat. You have to endure a maze like climbing of stairs and it may take you longer time to cover the whole temple. Faces are basically the same, what you can see on the left side of the temple is very much like of the right. Just like Ta Prohm, it has several entrance and exit points, thus, you must ask your driver where he will wait for you.

The South Gate

10th stop. Angkor Wat

This is the ending point of the tour, as it suggests that you will be entering the Angkor Wat South Gate - the final stop of most of the tour packages. Since it was already 3pm when we got there, and we thought that we needed to see the sunset to compensate for the sunrise, we immediately found ourselves walking again to the point where our day actually started.

There were a lot of land to cover, many things to see inside the Angkor Wat, but you shouldn't miss the  inscriptions on the wall of the temple. This is the illustration of several stories in the Khmer literature. After which, you can climb at the top of one of the towers to see the whole area of Angkor. However, this site closes at 5:00pm and strict dress code is observed (no slippers, no shorts, no sleeveless shirts).

Chambers are there and it is suggested to see the whole area with a tourist guide to further understand the history of the temples. Moreso, there are four Buddha images in the temples and it is best to pay homage to these images before you leave the complex.

11th stop. Phnom Bakheng

For those who want to see the sunset to cap off their Angkor Wat adventure, Phnom Bakheng is the best place to see it. However, you must endure a steep climb to the top, or you may ride an elephant to the top of the hill where it is located.

As early as 4:00pm, many of the tourists started their ascent to the temple hill to get a good position for the sunset. Aside from the climb on the hill, another climb to the topmost temple should be done. We were not able to see the sunset, but we tried to climb on the hill, just to see the last temple. And it was well worth it.

Angkor Wat, as many of the tourist and history books would say, is very magnificent. You could never imagine how ancient Khmer people were able to design, craft, carve and put it all together and up to this time, dig, find time to put it all together and manage to keep the temples as it is now. I will never get tired of just sitting in a corner and looking at the Angkor Wat and its surrounding temples.

We will definitely go back.