Rediscovering the ruins
In the mid-19th Century, a French naturalist called Henri Mouhot made a total of 4 expeditions through South-East Asia, for the purpose of collecting zoological specimens.
In 1860, at the end of his 2nd expedition, Mouhot discovered an area spread over several hundred sq. kilometres, with temples, terraces, palaces and ancient cities and recorded these with drawings and numerous details in his travel journals. That area was the Angkor temple complex.
Mouhot's published journals can be credited for reintroducing the Western world to a location that now receives several million tourists every year.
Getting there & other logistics
Despite the huge influx of tourists, Siem Reap remains somewhat inaccessible and expensive to get to. Siem Reap is reachable by air from 7 East Asian cities - Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Inchon, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi and Vientiane.
We flew into Siem Reap from Singapore through the now defunct Tiger Airways.
The good news is that once you actually land in Siem Reap, things are wonderfully inexpensive and convenient and US$ are accepted everywhere. Visas are obtained at the airport on arrival, with a passport photograph and $30 (eVisa for $36).
We stayed at the Angkor Miracle Resort & Spa, a 5-star property in the heart of Siem Reap, where the biggest miracle was 5-star room rates of less than $60 a night with additional discounts on F&B.
Itinerary
Our itinerary was based on several hours of browsing, trawling through Google Photos and itineraries from friends that had traveled before. Given the distribution of our itinerary's sites through the city, we also organized a car for the week and for the first time, a tour guide.
Day 1: Sunset at Tonle Sap lake
Day 2: Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphuon and Ta Prohm temples
Day 3: Phnom Kulen waterfalls, Banteay Srei temple and the reclining Buddha
Day 4: Forest temple of Beng Melea and Roluos temples - Bakong, Lolei and Preah Ko
Siem Reap highlights: Top things to do in Angkor
1. Take a sunset boat ride on Tonle Sap lake
Arriving in Siem Reap in the afternoon, we were picked up by our car for the week and taken to the hotel for a quick stop before heading off to Tonle Sap lake.
Tonle Sap is a freshwater lake connected by a river to the Mekong river. Occupying a low-lying depression in the Mekong basin, the lake floods over during the monsoons in September, with its size changing from around 2500 sq. km. to about 16000 sq. km. Also a biodiversity hotspot, it was designated a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.
Tonle Sap is characterized by its stunning colours at sunset, stilt houses, floating domiciles along its borders and kids piloting themselves along its waters on tiny boats (or even large kitchen utensils), before diving in and coming up with snakes around their neck.
It's a great way to make a relaxed start to your holiday with a gentle cruise along with water as watercolor-like shades fly past your eyes.
2. Watch the sun rise over the towers of Angkor Wat
Even though this requires a 5am start to the day, there were plenty of souls braving the December nip in the air to catch a glimpse of the sunrise over the Angkor Wat temple complex. Despite how popular and touristy this activity might now seem, if you have the right company, there is a certain pleasure in waiting excitedly for a moment of magic.
The temple complex of Angkor Wat stretches over 400 acres and is said to be the largest religious monument in the world. Originally constructed in the first half of the 12th century and dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, it was gradually converted to be a Buddhist temple. The center and capital of the Khmer empire, it is the symbol of Cambodia, also appearing on its flag.
The Angkor Wat temple itself is said to be represent Mount Meru, home of the gods in Hindu mythology, with a moat, outer wall, a series of rectangular galleries and 5 towers arranged in a cross in the center of the temple. The intricate work and the carvings of Devas (gods) on its walls are standouts.
3. Smile along with the faces of the Bayon temple
After the death of king Suryavarman, under whose reign the Angkor Wat temple was first constructed and then designated as the capital, the city was attacked by the Chams (the Khmer's traditional enemy, hailing from what is today, South Vietnam). King Jayavarman established a new state temple, the Bayon, and capital at Angkor Thom, a few kilometers away.
Angkor Thom's gate lies about 1.7km North of Angkor Wat. The gates lead right to the Bayon temple at the city's center. Similar to Angkor Wat, Bayon again is said to represent Mount Meru with the moat and the city walls said to represent the mountains and oceans surrounding the mountain.
The city gates have faces similar to those on the Bayon temple towers. Bridges or causeways cross the moats into the city and are guarded by rows of figures representing Asuras (demons) on the right and Devas on the left, each row holding a serpent - a depiction from the story of 'Churning of the Ocean' in Hindu mythology.
While it is unclear whose faces have been depicted on the Bayon temple (some say that this is the Boddhisattva of compassion, called Lokesvara, while others believe that these faces are those of the King Jayavarman), this last state temple of Angkor was the only one to have been built as a Buddhist shrine.
The inner gallery of the temple depicts events from Hindu mythology and the upper terrace has over 200 of the faces, for which the temple is famous. Typically 3 or 4 of the faces adorn a tower, of which there are now 37.
4. Find the hidden Buddha at the Baphuon temple
The Baphuon temple, located northwest of the Bayon, is a three-tiered temple built in the mid-11th century, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, and the state temple of King Udayadityavarman.
In the late 15th century, it was converted to a Buddhist temple and a 9m x 70m long Buddha statue was built by demolishing one of the temples' existing towers.
5. Look out onto Angkor Thom from the kingdom's terraces
Angkor Thom has two terraces - the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. The Temples of the Elephants was used by King Jayavarman to view his returning army and for public ceremonies.
The Temple of the Leper King was built for Yama, the Hindu God of Justice and Death and is believed to have been used for cremations.
6. Follow Lara Croft's footsteps at the Ta Prohm temple
Built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries as a Buddhist monastery by King Jayavarman, Ta Prohm is now most famous for the trees growing out of and over the temples, and the jungle surroundings in which the temple is found.
A UNESCO site since 1992, Ta Prohm is also famous for being one of the shooting locations of 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' and is one of the most visited temples in the Angkor region.
7. Go with the Flow at the Phnom Kulen waterfalls
Phnom Kulen National Park is located about 50km from Siem Reap and in the Phnom Kulen mountains. A place of historical significance, it also marks the location where King Jayavarman proclaimed himself ruler.
Phnom Kulen (tr: Mountain of the Lychees) has 2 waterfalls. The first is 4m tall and 25m wide.
The second is 15-20m tall and about 15m wide.
Apart from the Phnom Kulen waterfalls, the National Park also has the Preah Ang Thom pagoda with the status of the reclining Buddha, carved in the 16th century and the carved riverbed of the Kbal Spean river containing rock carvings in sandstone formations all along the river bed.
8. Watch the light dim on the red sandstone of Banteay Srei temple
Banteay Srei (citadel of the women) was built in the 10th century and the only temple of the Angkor temples not credited to a king. Built as a tribute to the Hindu god Shiva by 2 of the king's courtiers and counselors, it is one of the smallest (and in my opinion, the most beautiful) temples in Angkor.
Made from red sandstone, its elaborate and intricate carvings are well-preserved and still clearly visible today.
9. If you have time for one more temple, see Bakong, the first
After 3 days of temples, if you still have the appetite for just one more, then the Bakong temple is the one to visit. Constructed in the 9th century, Bakong was the first temple mountain of sandstone constructed by the Khmer empire at Angkor.
Consisting of 3 concentric chambers separated by moats, the Bakong temple is not as well preserved as some of the other Angkor temples with only fragments of the original stucco carvings.
10. The Siem Reap War Museum
A personal opinion is that all tourism needs to also touch upon the history of the place being visited. Therefore, one of the most important stops on our trips was the Siem Ream War Museum. An indelible part of Cambodia's recent and disturbing history was the genocide by the Khmer Rouge and the war between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the communist forces of the Rouge.
Historical Tourism and Angkor
Enjoying Historical tourism involves exercising imagination; the ability to look at ruins and imagine what life might have been centuries ago, what Henri Mouhot might have felt and seen stumbling onto this wondrous location; what his notes and images might have said.
Cambodia and Siem Reap are perfect examples of sites where the ravages of time and the clash of cultures and religions have, to structures that existed for hundreds of years, added elements of magic, mystique and wonder.
If magic, mystery, history, culture and ruins are your thing, then, just like it was for Henri Mouhot, Angkor will be waiting.
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