SE Asia

It was the long awaited visit to Angkor Wat today!
I was picked up by our tour guide just after 4am. Apparently we were meant to get our temple tickets online unbeknownst to me, so our guide took me into the ticket office, and I got a lovely ticket with a sleepy 5am selfie printed onto it.
We parked up and walked through the grounds, down to the main entrance and were greeted with the iconic view of Angkor Wat and it's 5 pinecone shaped towers. Our sunrise wasn't very spectacular as it's currently rainy season, so very cloudy. However the benefits of the rainy season is that it wasn't super busy. During peak months, I think the it's packed with hundreds and hundreds of people, eagerly awaiting sunrise.
Angkor Wat is considered the largest religious structure in the world! It was built between 1110-1150, originally as a model of the Hindu universe, dedicated to the god Vishnu. The five central towers symbolize the peaks of Mount Meru, which according to Hindu mythology is the dwelling place of the gods. The mountain is said to be surrounded by an ocean, which in this case is a 5km moat circling the temple.
The area of Angkor was the capital of the Khmer empire for a majority of its rule (802- 1431). The Khmer empire was one of the most powerful empires at that time, and during its peak in the 11-13th centuries, it was the most extensive pre-industrial city in the world.
Walking up the main stairs, the first thing you're greeted with is four huge pools (no longer filled with water) with pillared walkways separating the four. These were for people to bathe in before entering the temple to pray, which is common practice in Hindu religion.
Unlike most Khmer temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west rather than the east. This is because it also acts as a funerary temple, with Khmer kings bodies are buried in the temple, with the west orientation allowing their souls to easier access the afterlife. It's also been built in such a way that specific towers are in the precise location of the solstice at sunrise, and the temple's main tower aligns with the morning sun of the spring equinox. The sun during this time shines directly through a gap in the top of the third floor, directing a beam of light onto the tomb of the King who built it. Like something from a film! Unfortunately we couldn't access the third floor as it was a holy day, but it was impressive enough exploring the two floors of the enormous temple.

Approximately 27 years after the death of Suryavarman II, the King who built Angkor Wat, Angkor was invaded by the Chams, (Vietnamese kingdom at the time). Thereafter, when the Khmer empire was restored by Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, Angkor Wat was gradually converted into a Buddhist site with many Hindu sculptures replaced by Buddhist art.

There were lengthy murals engraved into corridors on the outside of the temples, retelling the story of Hindu legends.
After the main temple, we walked out of the grounds, and got scooped up by our minibus.
Next stop was Ta Prohm, commonly referred to as 'Tomb Raider temple' as parts of the 2001 film were filmed there!
It was built in 1186 by King Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist monastery, and was dedicated to his Mother. This King is one of the most beloved and powerful Kings of the Khmer empire. Unusually for the time, he assecnded the throne at 55 and lived until 95. His government built many projects including hospitals, highways, rest houses, and temples. He's credited for inventing the world's first healthcare system, which included 102 hospitals!
After the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 15th century, the temple of Ta Prohm was abandoned and neglected for centuries. When the effort to conserve and restore the temples of Angkor began in the early 20th century, Ta Prohm was left largely as it was, as 10's of enormous spong trees had grown into the temple. Removing the trees would destroy the temple, as the temple bricks are bound without mortar.
I'm glad they left the temple as is, as the trees and moss added to the atmosphere and it felt like exploring a proper abandoned temple (apartment from the hundreds of other tourists there 😅).
Next stop was thankfully breakfast around 9am, we were all starving.
After some much food, we visited Ta Keo temple. A Hindu temple built by a king who only ascended the throne at 10. When he was 17 (in 975), he began the construction of his own state temple, which was never fully completed.
The steps in this temple were so steep and narrow. At some point I went up on all fours, just so I didn't fall! We later found out from our tour guide it was done intentionally, so you bowed as you were entering the temple and showing respect to the gods.
Even though we didn't get to see a good sunrise, I was thankful we started early as it was heating up. Our last temple of the day was Bayon temple. Constructed by King Jayavarman VII (same as Ta Prohm) in the late 12th century as a Buddhist state temple (for the people). The most distinctive feature of the temple is its multitude of serene and smiling stone faces of The Buddha - speculated to be modeled on the face of King.
Pretty exhausted, we got back into Siem Reap just after 1. After grabbing food and bubble tea, it got to 3pm which felt like a dangerous time to try to nap as I think I would've probably slept all day. To counteract the tiredness, I visited Angkor national museum (not my smartest idea). I discovered afterwards, that it's recommended to visit the museum before the Angkor Wat tour, but hey ho! It was interesting to learn about the creation of the Khmer Empire and its rule, as well as the conflict between Hindu and Buddhist religions during the time. However I was so sleepy, I think I only took in half the information I was reading.
I grabbed a coffee after (which I really should've done before), found some food and explored the extremely quiet night market. The city is more lively than Phohm Penh, but the lack of tourists means there wasn't too much nightlife to see.Meer informatie