Our original plan to tour the Temples fell by the wayside as soon as the both of us were wide awake by 6am following a solid 8 hours of sleep. We headed down to the hotel restaurant for the (free) breakfast buffet. The hotel isn't very big so the restaurant has maybe a dozen tables.



Poolside Table


Warning Signs for Picky Eaters Like Me


Banh cheav


My Wife's Trip Addiction: Dragon Fruit


Custom Omelet

I had arranged to have a tuk tuk driver for our two days of exploring the Temples. Forgot where I found him but he came highly recommended from several sources. I messaged him asking if we could move our pickup from 12pm to 10am. He shot back saying he'd see us at 10am. Perfect.



Life With Pi

There are several ways to transit to the Temples. Some choose to bike, some choose vans or cars. We chose the tuk tuk because, well duh, we've never been in a tuk tuk before. It seemed more organic and we were very happy we did it. The weather was overcast and in the 80s (F) but we felt great when we moving and a sense of actually being in the middle of the very vibrant town we were traveling. I imagine using a car would've lead to a feeling of disconnect.

The Temples are a national park (and huge sense of pride for Cambodia). Entrance requires a ticket so we headed north, then east to the visitors center to purchase our tickets. You can by single day, three day, or one week passes. We intended to visit for two days so we bought three day pass for $72 each. You are photographed and issued a paper pass with your picture to keep on you while visiting. It did not take long for my wife to purchase something (t shirt) while waiting for me to pay and our tickets to print out. This was also our first taste of being approached by "guides" wanting you to hire them for the day. There are many guides that are registered and uniformed that speak many languages. We like to move at our own pace and having a third wheel is tiresome and intrusive to us.



Visitor Center Signage


Visitor Center Signage


We headed back west and then turned north again to head up the main drag to Angkor Wat. There was a check on the main road for tickets. Ours were then punched with a hole to indicate we had used our first allotted day. We then arrived to a parking lot that looked part carnival/part demolition derby/part flea market. Vendors hocking food, tuk tuks/cars/buses/random cows sprawled everywhere, and vendors selling statues clothes painting, etc. It kind of added to the anticipation and excitement. It was then on to the edge of the moat where you cross a plastic pontoon bridge to reach the outer wall of Angkor Wat.

Visiting Angkor Wat had always been a dream of mine. I'm the history guy, remember. My wife, the spiritual one, didn't get excited about this stop until she saw an article in Yoga Journal about the Temples. I'm not going to bore you with too many pics, having taken hundreds, but it was spectacular.



Monkeys And The Pontoon Bridge


Angkor Wat


Angkor



Angkor Wat Interior


Ascending


View From Above


Descending


Statue



Headless



Shrine


Wife Receiving Blessing From Monk


Temple Guards


Very Cool Cat


Gateway

We walked the grounds, window shopped at the stalls and made our way back across the moat. We reunited with Pi and tuk tuk'd our way over to Angkor Thom.

Angkor Wat gets all of the glory but Angkor Thom is a lot larger and has just as many picturesque sites to see. Pi dropped us off at the bridge leading to Thom so we could walk over the moat. We would meet him on the other side of the South Gate.



Angkor Thom Bridge and South Gate

Pi then drove us a short distance to the Bayon Temple. The Temple is loaded with scores of smiling faces carved into her towers. We also had our first glimpse of the unique trees that grow within the Temples (more on that later).


Smiling Lady


Thom


Profile


Thom Carving


The Trees


Thom Side Door


Thom Bridge

We exited the above pictured side door and found ourselves to make our way over to the Baphoun Temple.


Baphoun Sign


Baphoun


Baphoun


Baphoun Side Stairs


More Trees


Baphoun Bridge


Terrace Exit

Regrettably, Terrace Of The Elephants was closed and we decided to call it a day. We were still battling the 'Lag and my wife, having broken her foot seven weeks earlier, was starting to feel it. The heat was present at all times but at no point were were overwhelmed by it or even uncomfortable. The crowds were greater at Angkor Wat but it didn't dampen our visit there. Angkor Thom was way less crowded. So it was back to the hotel, a dip in the pool, and then grabbing lunch at the hotel. We were beat.

Up Next: Sunrise at Angkor Wat and a visit to some lesser known Temples