The mother of all ruins

Warning: there are a lot of temples and we did are best to see as many as we could (once in a lifetime thing and all) so this is going to be a very long post!

After a whirlwind time in Thailand, Ang and I headed over to Cambodia because we wanted to do the obligatory trip to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, the Mother of All Ruins. Angkor Wat is actually a series of temples and abandoned royal dwellings from the 12th century during the heydey of the Angkor empire. The temples (or wats) are spread out over all of Cambodia but the major ones are centered around Siem Reap. They've become much more popular with tourists, especially since their spectacular breakthrough performance in a little known film called Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. The town of Siem Reap has actually exploded with hotels of all ranges (even a Raffles!) and Korean karaoke bars.

But first, I wanted to mention our flight, which btw was NOT as cheap as everyone said it would be! But that's another topic so we won't get into it. We had to fly from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and then connect through to Siem Reap. That wouldn't be bad except we had a 5-hour layover in Bangkok and we were forced to pay the 500 baht airport tax (don't get me started on those). The good news was that we were on Bangkok Airways, the premiere boutique airline, and they gave us access to the lounge!! As a budget traveler who always flies coach (internationally anyways) I've always looked fondly at the airport lounges though I've never been able to pass through their mythical gates. Who knew what exotic (and free) pleasures awaited those who passed? Well, we found out and it was awesome! Free cookies, cakes, sandwiches, juice, muffins and internet(!!) as well as comfy couches and views of the runways. Sigh, if travel could always be like this...

We finally got to Siem Reap and on to our guesthouse, the Enjoy Villa. We decided to splurge on our room ($25/night vs $10) and it was lovely and the service phenomenal. We quickly booked a tuk-tuk for the next 3 days for our extensive trip Angkor Wat. We were a bit skeptical of getting the 3-day pass (that's a whole lot of templing!) but our good friend, Steph, who had been there before said that we wouldn't regret it so we went for it.

On the first day, we decided to start out with a sunrise trip to Bayon, the central wat in the Angkor Thom complex, which was the royal palace. Most people go to Angkor Wat for the sunrise but we had heard it was over-crowded and Bayon was better so we went. At 5am, folks. That's right. We tried to fit in as much as we could that day but we were tired and had to quit around 11am. We actually came back out to see Angkor Wat in the afternoon but the afternoon monsoon showers made the trip crap.

We were able to stop for a second in front of Angkor Wat to get the sunrise photo. You can barely make out the classic 3 points but oh well. It was way to early to function correctly.

The colors weren't as spectacular at Bayon but we were the ONLY ones there so it was perfect. We were running around, taking unbelievably silly photos and climbing all over the ruins, so it was worth the 5am trip.

Just look at those sun rays. It was so peaceful to see them hitting the ruins. Very Lara Croft just after the moment she saves the world.

Lara, is that you? Ang, trying to save the world!

The smiling faces at Bayon. Bayon is famous for the immense buddha faces carved into the stones. They were pretty freaky, especially in the early morn but spectacular.

Ang, at the base of one of the face towers. I've never seen anything like this place!

Who could resist climbing all over these things? Though in about 5 years, all this will probably be either roped off or crumbling from all the tourists trampling all over them. Oops.

We weren't the only tired ones! We thought about hiring an air-con car, especially in this humidity but the tuk-tuk rides were pretty refreshing. And it was great to get some fresh air (when we weren't in the congested city parts).

I asked Ang to take a dramatic photo of me, climbing these incredibly steep and dangerously crumbling stairs. She did but she also took this one, catching me in the act of actually taking the rebuilt stairs with the handrail. Hey! I still could have killed myself on those!

We also visited some smaller wats, for which I can't remember the names of. They were impressive also though they didn't make the cut for my blog (I took A LOT of pics as you can probably tell).

This is what we looked like at the end of the first day. Not pretty.

On the second day, we headed out a bit farther to see some of the farther temples but the ride out was actually more interesting. We passed lots of houses and villages, which gave us a glimpse of actual Cambodian life rather than the tourist bubble of Siem Reap. We also saw some great crumbling wats with some overgrowth, fallen stones and these huge trees that have reclaimed the structures. We also made it back to Angkor Wat for a second viewing, this time in the sunlight and without rain (highly recommended without rain).

We drove past many houses on stilts like this. They varied a lot in quality from mansion-y looking ones to ones with walls literally made of palm leaves. We speculated on which one Angelina owned though probably not this one.

A lot of the ruins had these huge trees that took them over like this one. It was amazing to see these huge stone structures, dwarfed by the trees around them, taken over by the roots.

This was at our favorite wat. I don't remember the name (sorry, there were just so many) but it was in its original, pre-restoration state. You could see the crumbled stones and jungle/moss growing all over them. Spooky and surreal.

Standing amongst the ruins.

And now! The moment you've all been waiting for.... Angkor Wat! We hunted everywhere for the classic Angkor-Wat-reflected-in-the-pool shot. There was this rinky-dink pond to the side of the entrance so surely it couldn't be it. But it was! Actually, it didn't seem like many tourists figured it out but it was worth the hunt.

Look at the stone carving work. It boggles the mind to think of the work that went into building and carvings these huge and intricate buildings.

The stone towers up close. Angkor Wat is actually 3-D with 4 towers surrounding the tallest middle one though from straight on it only looks like 3.

We first went to Angkor Wat on the first day to see the sunset except it rained and was way too cloudy. Its a very popular time to be at Angkor Wat and the place was crawling with tourists and tour groups everywhere. There was even a line to see some things! We came back in the early afternoon the next day and it was empty. Insane!

By the third day, we were pretty templed out but we forged on, determined to finish! We went out to the Ruluos Group, which weren't as impressive as the others we had seen. Maybe it was because it was the 3 day and had that seen-that-been-there vibe but we were pretty tired. The best part of the day was definitely visiting the Ruluos town, a virtually tourist free town. Our driver looked a bit concerned about us walking around on our own so he came along and explained a lot of what was going on. He even took us to his home afterwards to meet his kids and family. We ended up talking to his father-in-law, who spoke great, if a bit loud, English. It was interesting to get his insight on the government and economy of Cambodia from his viewpoint.

Goofing off at the ruins on the third day. They all started to look the same after awhile so we needed to break it up somehow!

There was no one to stop us so we went nuts! Though we definitely are not as nimble and flexible as we used to be.

Ang, about to take off!

The little town of Ruluos. We were like celebrities! Everyone stared and pointed but it was interesting to see what a real Cambodian town was like. Very rural with everything from bathroom cleaning supplies to silvery river fish were sold in the market.

Some of the local kids came by when we were at the tuk-tuk drivers house. They were all very curious though shy until the camera came out! Nice to know kids are kids no matter where they come from.

We topped our time of in Siem Reap with some shopping. Lots and lots and lots of shopping. They had some really great high-end silk shops and we couldn't resist. Plus, a couple of the best shops benefited the local artisans and disabled people so we really couldn't walk away without doing our part :). We spent a lot, even by US standards, but when will we have the chance again? These souvenirs are also part of our trip and want to remember as much about it as we can. I travel on a pretty strict budget but I never really stop myself from buying things. And I would definitely rather shell out for the authentic, high quality goods rather than less than $1 crap you find in the markets that will fall apart before the photos can even be printed. And since Ang is heading back to the States, I could buy things knowing she could take them back for me.

We're off to Phnom Penh next. We wanted to take the boat but we were told there wasn't enough water for the boats to run. Of course, since its the rain season. So we're booked on the bus but all the guidebooks have pretty dire warnings about the road so we'll see! It'll be another adventure!!