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Jul - Sep 2002: This is a continuation of my China trip, but includes travels to other countries in Asia.

Southeast Asia, month 2

Jennifer Radcliffe
2005-11-12 10:50:55

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much the same as it was centuries ago.

Temples of Angkor, part 1

Today I hired a motorbike driver to show me around the town of Siem Reap. There are no ATMs in Cambodia, which I find amazing! It's the first time while traveling that I've been faced with the absence of ATMs, but getting a cash advance on my Visa card at the local bank proves painless enough. I'm glad that this option, at least, is available - I only have $150 in traveler's checks, which is not enough to last even a week in Cambodia! Funny, Cambodia is one of the poorest southeast Asian nations, but it's one of the most expensive to travel in. Anything tourist-related is heavily marked up.

After checking out the town, my guide took me to the temples of Angkor to see the sunset. I climbed a hilltop temple called Phnom Bakeng and had a magnificent view of the forest canopy below, and in the distance I got my first view of Angkor Wat. Right before the sun set I decided the hilltop view wasn't quite what I was after, so I rushed back down to the foot of the hill and got a ride to Angkor Wat itself. The view of the temple from the long causeway is majestic; it's a truly stunning piece of architecture. Angkor Wat has earned the reputation of being the world's finest archaeological site; the mother of all ruins, and I quickly see why. Not only is it impressively grand and striking, but the beauty and detail of the carvings is superb. There are massive bas reliefs on the lower level of the temples depicting stories from Hindu mythology, such as the Ramayana and the Churning of the Sea of Milk. Beautiful apsaras - celestial dancing nymphs - are carved all over the temple. There are thousands of apsaras and each one is unique, with different clothing, hairstyles and expressions.

If you've seen Tomb Raider then you've seen Angkor Wat, as part of it was ...