Angkor Wat

Discovering Angkor Wat by bikes was great, if you don't mind getting a bit hot and sweaty. There are loads of different temples in the area, the most famous being Angkor Wat. We also visited Angkor Thom, The Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, 12 towers of Prastat and Phnom Bakeng!! They were all incredibly impressive, yet can totally vary depending on the light and time of day. After a really hot morning, there was a major downpour around lunchtime, and the afternoon was really pleasant. The temples looked best in the afternoon light and reflections in the water were fantastic.




At Angkor Wat, there are Bas-Relief Galleries which surround the temple area. Detailed stone carvings of gods and demons depict various battles during the Angkor period (12th Century), as well as several Indian epics.

The Bayon contains one central tower surrounded by four other towers, all with sculptures of 3 out-ward facing heads. Several sections of the other temples are unfortunately undergoing construction, but to be honest its kind of amazing they're still standing at all.



I climbed up Phnom Bakeng in the afternoon, which gave superb views over Angkor Wat, although they were slightly marred by the insane number of tourists up there to watch the sunset. I didn't stay because it really was mobbed, but I did enjoy listening to some local music on the way back down! I got to see some monkeys too, which I thought was kind of cool :)