“I don’t like your shirt.” That was the reason the border agent would not let me enter into Cambodia. “Go get a different shirt.” After getting a good laugh from his coworkers, another guard took pity on me and stamped my passport with a smirk on her face.
When we arrived in the shady border town of Poipet, Cambodia. It was like being dropped off in the Wild West with dust and heat kicking up off the dirt road, horns and shouts from the motorbikes, trucks and busses moving in every direction.
A whirlwind of activity and commotion pulling your attention in every direction making it easy to be distracted. There was a smell in the air to beware, that this border town was not to be trusted. We felt lucky that it was only our bus driver that scammed us out of an extra ten dollars. It was the price we paid to not have to run the gauntlet through dozens of peddlers and slick-looking fake visa kiosks. Poipet, Cambodia is a disgusting border town and an unfortunate first impression to an otherwise beautiful place and culture.
Our first destination was Siem Reap, a city with an untamed charm that gives it a feeling of a place in a different time. It’s chaotic, dirty, and crowded with locals and tourists alike. You can’t walk 5 meters without hearing the call of a “tuk-tuk” driver hoping to give you a ride, or sell you drugs.
The nightlife doesn’t get started until well after midnight when the $0.50 beers give way to crowds of westerners as well as locals dancing to dub step in the streets. It’s hard to believe that this place was once the center of a civilization, a kingdom that controlled most of south-east Asia. The crowds now come to witness and explore the vast and ancient temple complexes of Angkor.
After traveling for four months, time and place have become a little disorienting. The temples of Angkor Wat exaggerate this effect. The intricately carved stone blocks are interwoven into the jungle surroundings in such a way that the architecture seems to be older than the earth around it.
The complex as a whole is vast and sprawling. Outside of the main temple, a bird’s eye view would give you a clear impression that Angkor was the center of a large city, the Capitol of a kingdom. Located close to Cambodia’s largest lake, a system of engineered irrigation canals brought water through and around the temples.
Intricately detailed carvings tell the story of the Khmer empire. Kings rise and fall, wars are had with Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. The stones illustrate a complicated religious doctrine. Hindu gods and goddesses, the legends of different deities. Some temples show the cultures conversion from Hindu to Buddhism and back again. This mixture of faiths still permeates the Khmer culture today.
Perhaps the best part of exploring such an amazing gem from the ancient world is its location. The jungle and stone temples contrast, blend and complement each other harmoniously. Huge “hugger trees” growing through the blocks clearly show that the temples are older even than the jungle around it.
If this place were anywhere else, you wouldn’t be able to go. If this world heritage site were in America it would be behind a velvet rope with do not touch signs everywhere. The untamed nature of Cambodia means that visitors can explore on their own, free to run fingers over centuries old stone carvings, free to get lost in the labyrinth of halls and chambers. This freedom adds so much intimacy to the experience.
Do it yourself:
There are several ways to visit the temples surrounding Siem Reap. We opted to purchase the three-day pass. Entry passes are sold for one ($20), three ($40), and seven ($60) days. You are allowed one week to use all the days on your pass.
Day One: The Grand Tour
We took the “grand tour” (the larger loop within the complex that visits the less-famous temples) via a tuk-tuk. This circuit covers more ground, but takes you to smaller temples that, although more spread out, take less time to explore. Our guest house arranged a tuk-tuk driver for us who picked us up in the morning, drove us to the temples and waited for us while we explored on our own. It was about four hours, and we had the complete freedom to take as little or as much time as we wished.
Day Two: The Small Tour
We hired a guide and a tuk-tuk driver for the short circuit tour. The shorter circuit visits the central concentration of temples that are very large and take more time to explore. The guide accompanied us through the temples, educating us about the history, meaning and details we would have beer known of otherwise.
Although Angkor Wat is the highlight of anyone’s visit to the Angkor temples, it’s certainly not the only amazing thing to see here. So, we continued our tour to the temple of the Elephant King.
Then, it was on to our favorite of all the temples, Bayon. Archeologists say that each face depicts one of four emotions. However, they aren’t sure which faces are which emotions (explain that one to me? HOW do you know there are four emotions, then? HMMMMM) Despite the lack of logic, it was a maze of beautiful sculptures that we delighted in for hours.
After exploring the many faces of Bayon, we got to enjoy many other temples in the surrounding area.
We spent nearly 8 hours on this shorter tour hoping to catch the sunset, but we thwarted by clouds.
Day Three: Rest day
The temples are amazing, no doubt, but visiting them is exhausting. Battling the crowds, bearing the hot sun and dust takes its toll. So we spent the day eating, drinking coffee, and blogging! You’re welcome.
Day Four: Bicycle, Climbing around on empty Temples & Picnic
We chose to spend our last day at Angkor wat in a rather unconventional way. We rented bicycles from our guesthouse and peddled for about half an hour out to the temples. We revisited our favorite temples in the morning before the crowds came, and checked out some less popular ones that were completly empty.
Then, we spent the afternoon picnicking in the large grassy field in front of Angkor wat. It was so relaxing, and gave us a much different perspective. Instead of rushing through in hopes of seeing everything, we stopped and simply enjoyed one amazing view. It was a different level of appreciation for the place.
Don’t underestimate the history and level of sheer wonder that the temples of Angkor possess. We LOVED our three days there, but if we could have done seven, we would have. If you get the chance, go, and soak up every bit that you can. It truly is a wonder.
