Angkur Waaaaaaaaaaaaat

10/01/17

Siem Reap- Cambodia

Ankhor waaaaaaaat!!!

Went to Angkor Waaaaaaat today and what a great day it was.

We were walking for 5am to see sunrise over the beast.

We managed to keep on target except they put a 6km round trip on to get tickets which we had not allowed for so ended up chartering a Tuk Tuk for the day for $15 plus. $2 for food.

Everything is done in dollars here as the Cambodian Riel is so devalued. Apparently the economy runs on 95% dollarisation. They don't have American change though so you get that in Reil notes.

We get in and watch the sunrise (from the wrong place but meh). It's class. We walk over a massive moat, I reckon at least 150m wide and climb in.

Angkor Wat is absolutely brilliant.... To laugh at!! No it's pretty impressive but my oh my they were not builders. Impressive is the scale of the structure with such steep sides. To get to the top is crazy and they've built stairs over the top as they are so narrow... Even the new stairs were as steep as ladders and many people choose to get up and down them facing the steps.

Noblets giant feet had no Option but to walk sideways. 😂

It was a good view at the top to see much of the complex.

There were many poor details as well as the poor material selection. This has lead to partial collapse in many areas with dodgy repairs (like our living room) left right and centre. But if you weren't looking at that (I have a million pics to discuss with anyone who is interested!) it was pretty impressive. The reason we surmise the building quality wasn't that great was because Cambodian's believed (or were told) that only gods could live in stone or brick buildings, conveniently the king who commissioned the buildings also declared that he was a god. They were built around 1100s

The people only lived in timber huts which still seems to be, predominantly, the case today.

Some facts gleaned about Angkor Wat from other people's tour guides...

45,000 specialist builders on the project.

All stone was brought by man and animal 65km from the local mountain.(no machines)

The head of Ankhor wat is 65m high.

For God and worship not for defence.

6 libraries 2 outside 4 inside with ponds around the middle.

We continued our tour and put in some serious steppage then the highlight for me was going to a temple which was totally like an Indiana jones Rolling Stones and crazy tribal temple! It was beautiful!! When the Khmer moved out all of the temples were left abandoned for several centuries... But this one lay lost until the 1900s discovered by a French guy!!!!! Imagine finding it!!!! OMG it was amazing! It's so poetic.... Man destroyed the jungle to make room for its temple.... And then the jungle destroyed the temple to make room for the jungle!

There are trees growing up and over the structure in a whole manner of ways! It's mind blowingly cool!!!!

Turns out tomb raider was filmed here aswell!

We climbed a small mountain for sunset where we could see Angkor wat in the distance and called it a day.

Defo a great day!!

Tuk Tuk home and then out for tea (hollys choice = chicken kebab), Noblet was still hungry so ordered noodles and beef for $1 which the woman forgot to make (she was reminded after 40mins sat on the street) lol, followed by a smoothie for me and a roasted scorpion for Charlie 😂😂 I decided to have snake the next night!! (He really didn't enjoy the scorpion by the way!)

Man: Charlie for being very brave getting up and down the temples!

Donkey: Charlie and Holly for managing to pull it out of the bag and get to AW for sunrise.... And sitting in the wrong place!Read more