Thursday, 19. 4. 2018
This Thursday was one of the very few days of this trip without a flight – but instead photographing old stones in the middle of the Cambodian jungle. If you’re just here for aviation photos you might want to skip this part.
I got up very early to get a proper breakfast as this day would be loooong and strenuous. The breakfast at Borei Angkor Resort is still pretty good, especially the different places where you can get fresh dishes created for you (crepe suzette, Cambodian soup, stir fry noodles, omelettes). I chose some very healthy options:
I packed my photo backpack for the day (EOS 6D, 3 lenses, filters, tripod) and met my driver Mr. Mao right in front of the hotel at 8AM. This was the route I’ve put together for the day:
It’s highly recommended to build your own route beforehand so you know exactly which spots you’ll go to. The drivers have their best in mind to show you around, but sometimes their plans might not match up with yours.
Our first stop that day was Angkor Wat which was even way more crowded than 6 years ago. Sure, the temple is still a highlight – but it’s hard to really enjoy the place properly when there’s just so many people around (I know, I’m also a part of the problem). The light was bad for photos as well, so I only spent very little time there.
At least there were some more hidden photo spots that were worth the visit:
Once you’ve made it out of the 2-3 main attractions of the Angkor complex, it gets way better: most tours just seem to visit Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm, but leave out the surprisingly empty rest of the enormous complex. We entered Angkor Thom via the Southern Gate…
...and I toured around Bayon first, the temple of many faces:
That was my POV then, right in the middle of the insane Cambodian heat:
I walked over to Baphuon next, which you can climb using a set of steep stairs:
As promised Mr. Mao was waiting on the other entrance after an hour of Angkor Thom, and as most drivers he had some (well needed) ice cold water for me. It was 11AM already and getting really got, so the wind while driving around with the Tuktuk was really welcomed. The next stop on my list was Preah Khan, where you can find wonderful carvings on the wall…
...long, emtpy hallways...
...and a wonderful two-story building:
Plus you’ll get a first taste of the enormous trees that made their way onto the temples over the years. As the bigger tourist groups don’t go there, it was surprisingly empty:
The last two stops on the afternoon were Ta Som, where a tree beautifully covers a whole temples...
...and Ta Prohm that rose to fame as the set of the Tomb Raider movie. Fame equals tourists, and this place was PACKED! With all the colorful Chinese tourist groups around you, it’s nearly impossible to take a good photo and there’s a literal traffic jam in some of the buildings.
It was 4PM in the afternoon then and after 8 hours in the heat (with a heavy backpack) was enough, I was just exhausted. Mr. Mao brought me back to the hotel after a wonderful day, and I took a long shower and raided the minibar. After some time to relax I wanted to end that beautiful day accordingly, and went to the Damnak Lounge on the Privilege Floor – located just a few steps from my room. Appetizer and Main were surprisingly good, especially considering the price.
Afterwards I went back to my room and feel asleep immediately...