the magic of angkor.

before you start reading this post, i want you all to open this in a new window and listen to the song as you do.

ok. so now youre in the proper mindset to experience the magic that is angkor wat. ill start with some pictures to further inspire you:

our first full day in siem reap was spent at the temples.ta phrom, known as the 'tomb raider' temple, was our first stop. this one is well known because it is one of the only ones in which they left the jungle as it was, taking over the structures. the trees are gigantic and roots intertwine with all of the walls and constructions.

much foliage around the temple.

(sorry, ive never seen tomb raider so i couldnt act it out.)

overgrown roots.

next we climbed up the steep steps of a nearby temple of which i have forgotten the name, and got a nice view of the area from 50 meters up.

my big feet make it difficult to climb these tiny steps.

view from the top.

the best part of all of the temples was our next stop, the bayon temple inside of angkor thom, which was the walled city that served as the khmer capitol in the thirteenth century. the reason why this temple was so amazing was that it had hundreds, possibly and probably thousands, of these faces carved into it. apparently it is also interesting because the layout of the temple was an experimental design and so it is different than most others.

close up. of one of the faces.

carved faces at bayon.

for our second day at the temples, we got up early to go watch the sunrise over angkor wat. even though the entire site of all the temples is referred to by that name, the one wat that is most famous is actually called angkor. hundreds of people gather at angkor each day to watch this event, and once you see it, you understand why.

angkor wat at sunrise. picture not doing it justice.

this is one of the largest temples and so we blocked out a few hours here. it was nice because it was still early in the day and while it was still hot and we were still sweaty, it wasnt quite as bad as the day before. we came across one spot that said we could climb up and get a view from the top, but that it didnt open until 8am. it was just after 7 and so we decided to sit back, watch the japanese tourists for a bit (because even here in asia they are very humorous), and wait to be the first ones up. an hour later, as we are standing in line, we are told that what we are wearing (shorts and tank tops) is not appropriate to climb up in. obviously we were quite angry. we debated getting people to let us borrow their shorts to cover our knees, but this was not a likely possibility and so we trekked on to the back of the temple where we found some interesting characters who gave us some great last shots at the temples.

mama and baby sharing a tasty banana!

fascinated by the mirrors on the motorbike.