Angkor Wat

We've generally only been uploading one post per place that we stay in, but we decided to make an exception this time. There are too many photos that need to be on the official records!

We're in the second city of Cambodia, Siem Reap (more about the journey down here and our other Siem Reap adventures in the next post). But the biggest reason for visiting is for a chance to explore Angkor Wat 🇰🇭

Angkor Wat is the world's largest religious structure. In February we visited Prambanan Temple in Indonesia, the world's fifth largest Hindu temple... Angkor Wat makes that seem like a Lego house. Originally a Hindu temple built by the Khmer emperor Suryavarman II in the 12th century, it then evolved into a Buddhist temple too. It's enormous! And Angkor Wat itself is just one of the temples in a huge complex, with more than 70 other monuments spread through the surrounding jungle.

It is also an extreme tourist magnet, so we held our noses and set our alarms for 4am, so we could be there in time for sunrise to avoid the crowds. This meant we were lucky enough to get a front row spot in prime location for the sunrise... although it didn't deter the masses. We reckon there were at least 1,000 people watching the sunrise with us, and if we'd arrived even five minutes later we would have been standing ten people deep in the pack, trying to get a glimpse through a forest of raised phones.

After sunrise and a wide-eyed wander around the temple, we went for breakfast at one of the on-site cafes. It was called 'James Bond'. Other cafes were called Harry Potter, Captain Jack Sparrow, Spiderman and Angelina Jolie. We asked the proprietor why it was called James Bond, and she said she called it that because she likes James Bond. We should have known. It also said 'License to Coffee' on the sign, which is fun, but feels like a missed opportunity to say 'Caffeino Royale'. If you have other puns, drop them in the comments.

Angkor Wat is incredible, but the other temples we visited in our 8-hour tour were somehow even more magical. Ta Prohm is famous for being used as the set for the Tomb Raider movie, and features trees growing through the temple ruins. Bayon Temple has over 200 giant stone faces carved into its towers. Ta Keo has an ancient pyramid with views across the jungle.

We'll let the photos speak for themselves though...Okumaya devam et