A day in Angkor Wat

All of the best adventures start at 4am

musings from My Photographer

An opinion that has divided my photographer and me for many years. My photographer is one of those awful travel companions who would watch the sunrise every morning if they could. On the other hand, I appreciate a lie-in, though sometimes an early alarm is needed. Although I haven’t completely converted to early morning starts, I do agree that they can be beneficial on occasion (although I have to admit, I still find them awful). 

The day began without breakfast (sobbing dinosaur alert). Still, we headed to the office to get a pass allowing us to enter Angkor National Park. The best part is dinosaurs can visit for free, but humans are charged $37 to enter. The drive to Angkor Wat was done in complete darkness, and to get to the ruins, I had to walk across a bouncy bridge. Though the world was still asleep, it was not silent. Fireflies were dancing through the forest, whilst monkeys and frogs sang along. I felt like I had left Earth and travelled through a mystical veil to the Angkor Wat of days gone by. I stood at the edge of the pond opposite Angkor Wat, looking towards complete darkness, waiting to watch the sky paint itself incredible colours. Sadly, the sunrise wasn’t a beautiful colour. Instead, I watched the temple slowly appear from behind the mist. It seems Angkor Wat knows how to make an entrance. I can see why this site is Lonely Planet’s number one place to visit; I don’t think it is hyped up as much as it should be; it’s like nowhere else on Earth. I stayed by the pond whilst the crowds of humans dispersed into numerous different entrances to the temples. While the monkeys ran around the ruins, I watched the fish swimming in the pond. A bright orange dragonfly was hovering over the pond, occasionally flitting to a new spot and causing a pop of colour against the grey backdrop.

I entered Angkor Wat through a small side entrance and spent the entire time imitating an owl. Every wall was covered in intricate carvings and hidden passages in every corner; I didn’t want to miss a single detail. The carvings on the stone were very detailed and illustrated life during the peak of this Hindu Temple. It’s amazing to think these carvings were created by people using the most simple tools. I followed the “possibility of visit” signs through many corridors and stone windows until I reached a small outdoor space in the centre. The mist had risen, giving way to the rain from the overhanging clouds. Most people photograph Angkor Wat in the sun, but I think it looked better in the rain, as the puddles reflected small details I would not have seen otherwise. The building in the centre was only accessible via a steep, wooden ladder. I was determined to reach the top despite the heavy rain. The view across the jungle was incredible, it seemed to go on forever. I still cannot believe Angkor Wat is only 3 miles from Siem Reap. As I returned to the moat surrounding the complex, I spotted many Cambodians in national dress taking wedding photographs. 

After returning to the hotel for a well-earned breakfast and to dry off, I headed deeper into Angkor Park. I couldn’t wait to explore some of the less-known sites. The second stop was the incredible Angkor Thom; a temple complex surrounded by a huge moat, with only four bridges to cross. I entered via the Tonle Om (South Gate) by walking across the bridge adorned with huge stone heads on either side. To my surprise, I found one which looked similar to my photographer. Although I knew they were old, I didn’t realise that they were a model for stone heads. 

Leaving the stone heads in peace, I arrived at Bayon Temple, a Buddhist temple built in the 12th Century. Angkor Thom complex had much more inside than I had initially realised; I thought it would be similar to Angkor Wat in a different location. I was very wrong. Though it doesn’t stand as high as Angkor Wat, Bayon is surrounded by trees, making it feel otherworldly. The entire area was quiet and less touristy, I felt like Indiana Jones discovering an authentic, untouched temple. The guide led me through the South Library of the temple, an area packed full of ornate stone carvings depicting daily life (the animals were my favourite). I climbed up into the higher part of the temple and found the dark passageways eerily quiet. Geckos were running over moss-covered stones, I found it hard to imagine how busy this temple would have been in its heyday. Lost to time and nature, I wandered through ancient corridors and hidden passageways; wondering if modern life would ever find me. Leaving the temple safely at the North Library and heading towards the road; I spotted a family of monkeys. They were running around on the scattered ruins and were using the trees to jump into the water below (it looked like great fun).  

Hiking deeper into the jungle, I followed a dirt track with scattered stones that led to another ancient building. The rain began to fall again, trees parted and I finally spotted Baphoun temple. This complex, pyramid-shaped building is a century older than Angkor Wat and dates back to the 11th century. It’s hard to believe this is one of the oldest buildings in Angkor Thom as it has survived better than some of the “newer” temples. I had to walk across a long bridge over a moat to access the temple.  

Baphoun had the best temple entrance in my opinion. I felt like royalty walking through the pavilion to a special entrance above the ground. I found this temple the most challenging to explore, mainly because of all the stone obstacles and dark areas. But, I didn’t let this stop me. Each level of the temple provided incredible views and uniquely placed stones. The second level was home to an unfinished game of chess using huge pieces of stone. A wooden ladder took me to a hidden terrace with 360-degree panoramic views over the area. I sat on the edge of the covered walkway, enjoying a break from the relentless rain. I was joined by a group of huge, colourful butterflies. The descent was incredibly challenging as a small wood step separated me from a sheer drop into the moat below. I spotted part of a huge stone reclining Buddha on my descent, sadly it appeared unfinished from when Buddhism and Hinduism were at war with each other.  

I left Baphoun via a small dirt track which led into the forest and had a guide in Angkor who was well-versed with the temples and knew about some incredible hidden ruins. It was 100% worth it. While walking through the forest, I spotted a seven-headed Naga peeping out from the undergrowth. A little further into the jungle, I spotted some ruins in the corner. Phimeanakas, a 10th-century Hindu temple, is known as the “Celestial Temple” or sky palace. Animal statues were present on each corner, and the elephants stood proud in the rain. Sadly, this temple is not as well-preserved as the previous ones I visited, but it was the oldest. Two pools lie next to this temple, one for women and the other for men. No one is sure what the pools were used for, but I think they were possibly used as baths. It’s nice to see that they have survived for nearly 1100 years, and carvings can be spotted on the walls if you visit outside of the rainy season.

Heading east through the trees, I walked to the Terrace of Elephants, a site I had been eager to visit for a while. However, my photographer was more interested in the huge green stick insect doing a camouflaged walk through the grass. Sadly, the Terrace of Elephants didn’t have the same effect in person as in the photographs I had seen online. Looking back at the photos, I can now see the elephant carvings, so maybe I was tired when I visited. The Terrace of the Leper King was covered in carvings of Hindu and Buddhist deities.

Back on the minibus I left Angkor Thom via the Victory Gate and took a short, bumpy drive to Ta Prohm past some smaller temples. Ta Prohm is famous for different things in the human and dinosaur worlds. For humans, it is most famous for its role in Tomb Raider. But, for dinosaurs, the temple is well known for its Stegosaurus carving.

Sadly, the bus dropped us off at the West Gate where we were immediately surrounded by Cambodians desperately trying to make money. It was upsetting to see, but they remained in the car park area away from the temples. Stepping through the gate, which was adorned with the face of Buddha transported me to another world. In contrast to the other temples I visited, Ta Prohm is quite a walk away from the gate. I loved spotting huge termite mounds through the trees. Finally, I came to a small moat with a bridge leading to the temple complex.

Ta Prohm was a Buddhist monastery built for the King’s mother but was later abandoned and forgotten over time. Nature took over the area, making it a unique set of ruins. Archaeologists found the temple peeking out from the jungle and decided to leave it in that condition. The earthy feel of the temple combined with the jungle gave a unique insight into the look of the temple when it was discovered in the 20th century. The temple stones were fixed without mortar, and have been loosened by the roots of silk-cotton, strangler fig and banyan trees. Their roots have coiled over walls and through doors, casting shadows which turn them into snakes. Sadly, many of the buildings are unsafe and have been propped up by scaffolding to stop them from collapsing under the weight of the trees. The humans who attempted to take over the forest created a beautiful stone temple. But in the long run, nature always wins. I climbed through small passages, under tree roots and through doorways. Finally, I made it to the famous tree in the Lara Croft films. No photograph will ever do this area justice, standing below this green giant reminded me how small I am.  

My next quest was to meet the infamous dinosaur, who hides in plain sight on a carved wall. It is a majorly important pilgrimage sight for all dinosaurs as they were friends of the Khmer Empire. Luckily, I knew where to look because the carving was small and easy to miss. To find him, enter from the West gate walk through the first building and head towards the second, just before entering, take a sharp left and look towards the corner. He is in the centre of the circular carvings.  

A group of Buddhist monks were wandering around the grounds of Ta Prohm as I was ending my time in the temple. I waved at them and we decided it was time to leave because my photographer didn’t want to photograph them accidentally. Exploring from 4 am was exhausting work and I was ready to go back to the hotel to relax and snooze by the pool. 

I recommend spending two or three days doing Angkor Park because there is so much to see and I felt rushed only spending a single day there. The best temples are the ones which are not plastered all over the internet, and Angkor Wat is an incredible experience not to be missed (the 4 am alarm clock is worth it). But, I found myself wishing to get off the beaten track and explore some lesser-known sights both within Angkor Park and elsewhere in Cambodia. In future, I would love to return so I can visit some of the lesser-known temples such as Beng Mealea (the original Jungle Temple), Banteay Srei (pink temple) and Prasat Bei (three towers).

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