Angkor Wat-Not just another temple

So after the build-up, I finally had a chance to experience Angkor Wat. Leading up to it, I had asked some of my friends about the temples. In my mind, I had pictured one gigantic temple deep in the heart of the jungle that I could easily explore within an hour. My friend Chris laughed when I said this and told me it is huge and I would have to hire a driver for the day and still wouldn't be able to see everything. Still, in my stubbornness, I was sure that I could see all the temples easily within the day. However, just to be safe, I bought a 3 day pass for 40USD.

I hired a tuk tuk driver though my hotel for 10 USD a day. I soon learned that my driver was not the most prepared person in Cambodia. When he arrived at my hotel at 8am, I was eager to get going. However, he wasn't. He asked to use the hotel bathroom and after 15 impatient minutes, he came out with a smile that showed he either enjoyed the luxurious bathroom we had or got rid of some excess weight from the day before. Anyway, not a problem. We took the 8 km trip north of Siem Reap on a dusty, pot-hole infested road and I was excited because I was finally going to see Angkor Wat. I enjoyed the scenic landscape of rice fields and many kids on bicycles waving to me on the way. One opportunistic boy grabbed on to the tuk tuk and traveled with us for a kilometer or two. He was very photogenic and took a couple of photos of this magical moment (photo below).



I decided that I didn't want to see Angkor Wat first and instead visit some of the smaller surrounding temples first and build up the experience to Angkor Wat. I also wanted to avoid the crowds. As I looked at the map, I learned that the whole site is a collection of perhaps 40 or 50 different temples that covers 300 square kilometers! So that whole plan of seeing everything in a couple of hours is looking less and less likely. I told my driver that I wanted to visit Ta Keo first and I passed by Angkor Wat on the way. I was surprised at the enormity of it all. A massive moat (supposedly full of fierce crocodiles) surrounds the main temple. On a stretch of deserted road, our tuk tuk started to make some strange noises and sputtered to a stop. I asked the driver what was wrong. He replied, "problem sir, no petrol." Again I questioned my driver's preparedness, sighed and sat back in the tuk tuk and accepted this as just another part of life in SE Asia. He found a passing motorbike, giggling to himself and hopped on the back leaving me alone in the jungle next to a partially excavated wall.



After about 15 minutes, he came back (still giggling) and fueled up his bike. I asked him, "Are you sure we have enough gas for the rest of the trip?" He laughed and off we went.

The day went well and each temple was truly spectacular and unique in its own right. Since many of the temples were constructed at different time periods and by different kings, they each took on symbolism and styles from that time period. Just when I thought I was tiring of it all, I would go to the next temple and be completely blown away again. My favorites were the ones in which were overgrown with trees and roots that created a certain kind of symbiotic relationship between nature and architecture. I also liked them because I could pretend I was Indiana Jones ready to uncover the lost treasure or acting in a Tomb Raider movie ready to kick some monster ass.


By the time I actually got to see Angkor Wat, I was tired, sweaty and grumpy. It was impressive and one of the best parts was that I went at mid-day when there was hardly anyone else there. Shortly after this, I headed back to Siem Reap for a hot shower, delicious khmer food and cold beer!