“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.”
-Buddha
Siem Reap, home to some of the oldest and most marvelous temples in the world. So many temples to see, where to start?
There are multiple means on how to experience the temples. Guided tour, self guided via bike, hiring a tuk tuk for the day etc. A common phrase in Siem Reap is ‘No tuk tuk today, or tomorrow.’ Siem Reap is easily walkable so tuk tuks will holler at you as you pass them by asking if ‘you need tuk tuk tomorrow?’ (Implying you rent them for the day to temple hop)
As much as I wanted to ride bicycles around the temples, I really wanted to take as much out of my visit as possible and learn about each temple I was visiting so we went with a guided day tour.
Our tour started at 4:45AM, every backpackers dream. Ankor Wat is pretty much synonymous with *sunrise* at Ankor Wat. It’s just what you do. We first stopped at the tourism center where there were hundreds of tourists buying their temple passes. At 5 in the morning it resembled more of a zombie apocalypse. Tickets are sold as either one, three, or seven day passes. We bought just the one day pass for 37USD. Just last year the price was only 20USD for one day. Quite a steep increase. But banking on tourists makes the world go round, so they say.
We arrived to our sunrise spot right along to moat to watch the sun rise from behind the silhouetted temple. Two times a year the sun will rise right at the center tip of the middle of the temple. If that’s not good architecture planning, I don’t know what is!
After daybreak we were guided into the temple.
Angkor Wat was built in the 12th century. It is the largest monument of the Angkor group and the best preserved. It’s known as an architectural masterpiece as it is a miniature replica of the universe in stone and represents an earthly model of the cosmic world.
Ta Prohm
Built in the late 12th century/early 13th century, it was left mostly in the same condition it was found. While commonly known as the tomb raider temple, I must admit I’ve never seen that movie. So with fresh eyes, I was blown away by the beauty in the overgrowth that has taken over Ta Prohm.
This temple is completely natural in the sense that they’ve left it as they found it and each day it is swallowed up more into the land.
Most significantly is the relationship portrayed between man and nature, ‘with humanity first conquering nature to rapidly create, and nature once again conquering humanity to slowly destroy.’ A reminder that we are forever intertwined as one.
Apparently they use to let everyone climb all over the temple. Now a days you cannot and with reason as everything is fragile. Huge heavy blocks of concrete lay fallen onto the ground.
While walking around with our tour, the guide set up a meeting spot in case we got separated. Within 3 minutes we had completely lost everyone.
It was the most beautiful chaos I’ve ever seen!
Bayon
Known as the ‘face temple’ due to its 54 Gothic towers decorated with 216 smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara. It epitomizes the creative genius or on the other hand inflated ego of Cambodia’s most celebrated king. While there are many stories behind the huge faces staring at you from every angle, our guide stated it was a method for the king to seem more approachable. While the face is portrayed friendly, you can tell there is still a major implication of control and power behind his method.
I found the temple to be fascinating though. It was intricate and beautiful despite its apparent wear. The faces scattered about the temple were delightful and unlike any other temple I’ve ever seen.
Wandering around the Ankor Wat complex was a special experience. Each temple provided its own distinct charm and there were so many temples to see. It’s a part of history that’s not to be missed!
Side note: As tourists we are privileged with the opportunity to view these ancient temples and houses of worship. It’s important and completely necessary to follow their rules and show respect with the proper attire. As many temples enforce this at the entrance, it must be ingrained in your mind as well. Shoulders and knees must be covered. This applies to both women and men.
A part from exploring the temples of the Ankor Wat complex, I found Siem Reap to be a gem of a town. It is very small and feels homey despite the masses coming in daily to visit one of the worlds wonders. We were fortunate enough to stay with a Filipino friend, who is an artist, that’s now relocated to Siem Reap. It was the perfect change of pace from being in guest houses night after night. We were happy to have a different, more local experience in Siem Reap hanging out with his friends each night in companionship eating and drinking.
We found so much charm in this little town. The streets were mostly calm with tons of bicycles and people walking about. There are multiple night markets as well as the popular old market open during the day. The city center was full of great street food options as well.
As for the famous Pub Street. They aren’t playing around. Bar after bar after restaurant, Pub Street is just what you do at night. It’s alive and upbeat and there are tons of options to suit your vibe.
As we were staying with our friend he brought us to his local spot, UP 2U bar. On the opposite side of Pub Street down an alley – known by the locals as “Little Pub Street” – there’s a pocket of four bars, UP 2U being one of them. It’s a bit slower paced on this side, but with trendy decor and colorful street art surrounding all the bars. It was perfect for sitting around and actually hearing each other talk!
Though bars don’t stay open too late on weekdays we found ourselves hitting the late night spots one night. This lead us to the ever popular after hours tuk tuk bars. Yup. A group of tuk tuks set up on a street and with alcohol, string lights, a few stools, and a computer connected to a speaker- you’ve got yourself a bar!
From ancient temples to charming streets to downtime with friends, I enjoyed our days in Siem Reap very much!
