I haven't heard news from this buddy for quite sometime and a few week ago i just realize they had update a few entry and i just did not have time to follow them. However here is the latest and interesting visit. Enjoy it.
our day started very early as sunrise starts from 5.30am.
first stop will be at the main attraction of this trip, Angkor Wat
but first, you'll have to show your pass to one of the few guards here!
after around 5minutes walk, at last we reached the main building. too bad the front building was under restoration back then.
anyway, back to the sunrise…
the most important thing – get a nice spot! coz the crowd is crazy… notice the carpet on the above? those belongs to creative entrepreneurs. if you want to sit on it, be prepared to buy expensive coffee or sandwiches from them!
next, frame a good shot while waiting for the sun to wake up! haha!
 
voila! the end result. too bad for our lousy photography skills. else, it will be a nice photo!
after spending an hour or so, we proceed to the interior of the temple
not going to elaborate much on the temple other than the attraction which is the Bas Relief. what it is?
 
the carvings on the wall are Bas Reliefs. these carvings surround the whole temple itself.
for those without a Guide to explain the events carves on the wall, we can only see a brief descriptions on the info placed on various places. just remember to follow the correct way/chronology when reading!
After Angkor Wat, it's back to the hotel for a quick breakfast. yes, we can go out of the and back to the temple area a few times as long as the pass is within the stipulated time
some noodles for breakfast where we add everything in the photo above together. not bad! taste a bit like asam laksa with lots of coconut milk.
anyway, back to the Temple trip!
not really a temple here, but it's just a gate – South Gate of Angkor Thom.
the heads lining on the side was heavily damaged and restored. can you see which one are the restored head?
not far from the gate are one of my favourite temple
Bayon. where there are hundreds of faces in the temple itself!
  
different from your usual temple, no?
next stop is the temple that max out our stamina!
Baphuon
this temple consist of a few crazy steep levels!
although the steps were steep, i am adamant to climb to the top as i was curious of what is in store for us there…
upon reaching the top, i was like WTF???!!! i risked my life just to see this??!! aih…
and the dreaded walk down…
the view at the back of the temple. can you guess what is it?
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it's an image of a reclining Buddha.
after all the climbing at Baphuon, we have no more energy to climb…
imagine our horror when we saw the stairs leading up to Phimeanakas. we ended up sitting under a tree for half and hour while observing other people struggling to climb up. haha!
Terrace of Elephants. great carvings!
Terrace of Leper Kings (if i'm not mistaken). Greater carvings!
by this time, we were exhausted, sweaty and hungry!!!
this photo show it all… taken in some unknown temple on the way for lunch
lunch was some simple stir fried beef. this dish cost us freaking USD5!!!
Tips : be sure to bargain for every thing, especially food. due to our lousy bargaining skills, we are only able to bargain to USD4. if you are a great bargainer, try to bargain till USD1. haha!
amok. One of an Cambodian signature dish! don't really fancy it though. too much coconut milk.
after filling our stomach and getting a breather, we are ready for our next destination
Ta Keo.
nothing really special about this temple though…
but the children here (and in any of the temples here) make this place an interesting place. great memory (don't ever say you will come back again to buy if you don't intend to, they will remember), smart in dealing business (try bargaining with them and you will know) and speaks great English (we had a good laugh seeing them speaking with other tourist. serious, they are good in English!)
to the top of Ta Keo.
OMG was the first sentence that was uttered out of my mouth when i saw this. the Mat Salleh aunty who heard it also told me that was what she said when she saw that too! haha!
the 3 of us ended up watching people climbing it instead…
next stop will be the temple where the movie Tomb Raider was shot – Ta Phrom
a 15minute walk in a forest trail before we reach the main temple.
 
at last, we've reach the temple!
the main attraction of this temple is that the huge trees that are grown from the temples!
    
come to think of it, which is the Tomb Raider tree??? haha!
 
some other parts of the temple which are not under restoration
this will be our final temple for the day – Banteay Kdei
looks pretty normal from outside?
 
the interior of the temple is their intricate carvings.
this is one of the tiring trip! and we are only covering small circuit (there's a big circuit which was not covered by us).
i think in order to truly enjoy the temples, 1 day will be a bit rushed! if the budget and time is not a problem, get at least a 3 day pass.
next post will be about our adventures in the Siem Reap Centre!
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