The Temples of Angkor

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Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples certainly did not disappoint - it was an amazing experience to come and see them.

These are Hindu and Buddhist temples and towns built by the Khmer people in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, which for hundreds of years were consumed by the jungle until they were rediscovered by a Frenchman in the 1860s. Angkor Wat is the most famous of the temples (being the largest religious complex ever built) but there are countless temples in the surrounding area that are also very impressive.

Ancient temples of indescribable beauty

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We have been staying in Siem Reap, a town that has grown to meet the needs of the tourists when they come and see the temples. We stayed in a very nice guest house and got to meet up with Andy, a friend from school, who was also out here travelling. To see the temples it was simple case of choosing a tuk-tuk driver on the street to drive us out to the temples.

I have to say that I was really looking forward to seeing Angkor Wat and hoped that it was just as impressive as it looked in the books and on TV. As we walked down the causeway towards the temple I got a tingle down my spine, as it is one of the most impressive sights I have ever seen - definitely up there with Macchu Picchu. As you make the way up into the temple you start to climb and to reach the central sanctuary you have to clamber up the steep steps (this is said to symbolise the climbing of a mountain). You could spend days here as there is so much to see.

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That day we also saw the ruins of Angkor Thom, the nearby walled town. There was lots to see here too. Beautiful carvings of elephants, dancers and mythological creatures plus the central temple called 'The Bayon' which has countless numbers of towers with beautifully carved faces. You really got the impression of how big the city was, it is a huge area. As the bus loads of Korean and Japanese tourists arrived, we called it a day and headed back into town to cool off, as the heat was overpowering..

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On the next day we explored some of the temples that were further out. A lot of these were not as well preserved as Angkor Wat but the disorder caused by the trees growing in and around the stones made it absolutely fascinating. There are very few restrictions on where you can go in the temples so you can wander around the corridors and galleries and explore for yourself. We took so many photos, it was ridiculous, but there was something new round every corner.

After two days of solid sightseeing, temple fatigue set in so we have given ourselves a rest day before flying back to Bangkok. I think this is one part of the trip that we won't forget in a hurry.