June 17, Sunday - Morning
Sunday and it was so early (4:30 or 5:00) I can’t even remember at what time we had to get up to leave for the first sight of the famous temple. No breakfast, and in the dark, we made our way to the Temples of Angkor to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. I had my head lamp with me to light my way, but I must say that the walk from where the bus dropped us off, into the Angkor Wat site, was in total darkness. We walked across a causeway, and I knew there was water on both sides, but could not see a thing. As we neared the main temple, the skies slowly lightened. It was a “pinch me… Am I really here?” moment when the spires started to appear after walking through some ancient stone gates. Still too dark to take pictures however. Finally, our local guide led us to a nearby temple and we sat on the stairs to wait for the sun to rise. We waited in vain I’m sorry to say, since the clouds made the sunrise impossible to see. It just gradually became lighter until finally I could take pictures. The crowds were huge along the pond near the front of the main Angkor Wat temple, but we had a great view from the steps where we were sitting.
Angkor Wat, not quite sunrise because of the clouds, but still impressive to see it appear in the dawn
As it got lighter, I was able to move closer to the pond for my shot at the "reflection" picture that everyone wants.
Here is the temple where we sat on the steps waiting for the sunrise. Most of the people from our group are sitting on the stairs.
A look back at the gates we had passed through in the dark, and the causeway we walked on, without seeing them at all.
This is a complete shot of the back gate, with the causeway to the left.
From the window of one temple (where we sat) looking across the causeway to its twin temple on the other side.
Finally our guide got the show on the road and we walked toward the great temple.
At the main from entrance, looking across the front.
Beautiful bas reliefs adorned the walls of the front and side galleries
There are bas relief carvings all around the walls of the inner galleries; many still in excellent condition. They all recount epic tales.
A view of the galleries and the huge bas relief that adorns it.
We are able to cross over to an inner courtyard half way down the side.
The steps back up to the gallery to continue our site visit of Angkor Wat
Some of the bas relief still has a bit of colour left in the areas that suffered less damage
This is a shot of the side entrance to the temple, there are four in total: front, back and both sides.
And the bas relief adorns ALL the columns throughout the temple
The view from the back
It is HUGE ! This picture, taken from the back of the complex gives you a good idea of the size of the galleries where the bas relief carvings are located. A true work of art that needs to be preserved. That's why it was identified as a World Heritage Site.
And here is a great shot of our group with Angkor Wat in the background. PINCH ME ! I'm really here.
Our guide takes us through these galleries, shows us one of the inner courtyards protecting the inner complex, and we reach the other side of the site. Not sure, but I seem to recall it was west (front) to east (back), which is strange since most temples face east ! But I remember making a mental note to remember to return to the west gate if we got lost, by thinking of the phrase“Go west young man!”
In order to preserve the bas relief carvings from further damage, the “World Monuments Fund Conservation Project is focused on reinstating the roof’s damaged ancient drainage system. This requires replacing some earlier restoration efforts with more current technologies. This work includes: documenting the stone, dissembling the gallery roof, removing Portland cement from previous restoration efforts, desalinating any infected stones, conserving the roof stones that require intervention, restoring and stabilizing the original ancient Khmer passive drainage system, and resetting the roof stones.”
This is the path at the east end of the complex, leading out to the back gate
A view of the East side of Angkor Wat.
We walked all around the complex (like a giant C) and ended up at the other side entrance to the main inner complex, where we had a welcoming committee waiting for us.
The place was filled with baby monkeys and their mothers
And more kept coming while we were there.
It was so funny to watch these tiny babies at play. They were hilarious. Got them on film as well.
It must have been a "Mommy and me" hang out. Mommies rested and groomed each other while the babies ran around.
"Oh, oh! There's something scary under there."
The following are photos of the 4rth level, or Bakan, the inner sanctum of Angkor Wat (Angkor means “Capital City” & Wat is a Khmer word for “Temple Grounds”.)
On one of the info plaques I find out that Bakan, the 4rth and top level, had been covered by a wooden roof at some point, which may explain the strange architecture of the inner spires.
A view of the front, 3rd level portion, where people are not allowed to enter yet.
Statue: Bhudda sitting on a Naga.
From the front of the 4rth level, I get a great shot at the grounds below. We can even see the temple where we sat this morning on the steps, waiting for dawn to arrive, and the gates and wall surrounding Angkor Wat at the back. Bonus: I got a shot of the Hot Air Balloon in the distance.
The inner courtyard of Bakan
The corridors of Bakan
And the decorated bas reliefs everywhere
From the back of the 4rth level.
We make our way back out of the complex, down to level 3 and across some areas which have been colourfully decorated. This is “Preah Poan (Thousand Buddhas), a cruciform gallery dating from the“middle period” when the prestige of Angkor Wat spread across Buddhist Asia. The pillars in these galleries are covered with 41 inscriptions, largely in Khmer, sometimes in Pali, they date primarily from the 16th to the 18th centuries.”
Preah Poan (Thousand Buddhas)
It is an active temple, and people burn incense to help their prayers on their way to Buddha.
And yet another path leading to the outer walls of the complex. You can actually walk from one temple area to another if you have a lot of time and don't mind the heat.
We arrive back to the causeway across the moat / lake that surrounds Angkor Wat.
This is something else we had not seen in the dark as we walked in this morning
Looking back towards the Angkor Wat entrance gates
As we near the other end, we can see that the causeway has only been partially repaired. Repeated floodings continue to cause damage on these sites.
At the end of the causeway are giant Nagas, guarding the entrance (back view)
(Front view) As you can see, they are huge.
We are tired and hungry and it isn’t even 11 am yet ! I did not write up my notes for these days of touring the Angkor Wat temples, and I can’t remember where we ate lunch that day, all I know from my photos is that we stopped for approximately 1 hour, then continued touring the other temple sites. Since it was only 1 hour, it had to be the day we ate at the open air restaurant area near Angkor Wat. I was hesitant to eat there because I wasn’t sure of the sanitary or refrigeration conditions, but the food turned out to be quite good (though I did stick to a vegetarian meal and did not risk eating meat).
My biggest regret from our 3 days of touring temples within the Angkor complex was that we were not given a map with the temple sites we would be visiting. MUST NOT FORGET TO ADD THAT IN MY CRITIQUE AT THE END OF THE TRIP. My research on the internet, after the fact, helped to identify some of the sites we visited, but I may have gotten some of them wrong. I also picked up a Siem Reap Angkor Visitors Guide just before leaving on the last day. It has helped me with my notes as well.
Sunday and it was so early (4:30 or 5:00) I can’t even remember at what time we had to get up to leave for the first sight of the famous temple. No breakfast, and in the dark, we made our way to the Temples of Angkor to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. I had my head lamp with me to light my way, but I must say that the walk from where the bus dropped us off, into the Angkor Wat site, was in total darkness. We walked across a causeway, and I knew there was water on both sides, but could not see a thing. As we neared the main temple, the skies slowly lightened. It was a “pinch me… Am I really here?” moment when the spires started to appear after walking through some ancient stone gates. Still too dark to take pictures however. Finally, our local guide led us to a nearby temple and we sat on the stairs to wait for the sun to rise. We waited in vain I’m sorry to say, since the clouds made the sunrise impossible to see. It just gradually became lighter until finally I could take pictures. The crowds were huge along the pond near the front of the main Angkor Wat temple, but we had a great view from the steps where we were sitting.
As it got lighter, I was able to move closer to the pond for my shot at the "reflection" picture that everyone wants.
We had some time to wait until our local guide would begin our tour of the grounds, so I walked around, as many of the others in our group did, to take pictures.
Here is the temple where we sat on the steps waiting for the sunrise. Most of the people from our group are sitting on the stairs.
A look back at the gates we had passed through in the dark, and the causeway we walked on, without seeing them at all.
This is a complete shot of the back gate, with the causeway to the left.
From the window of one temple (where we sat) looking across the causeway to its twin temple on the other side.
Finally our guide got the show on the road and we walked toward the great temple.
At the main from entrance, looking across the front.
Beautiful bas reliefs adorned the walls of the front and side galleries
There are bas relief carvings all around the walls of the inner galleries; many still in excellent condition. They all recount epic tales.
A view of the galleries and the huge bas relief that adorns it.
We are able to cross over to an inner courtyard half way down the side.
The steps back up to the gallery to continue our site visit of Angkor Wat
Some of the bas relief still has a bit of colour left in the areas that suffered less damage
This is a shot of the side entrance to the temple, there are four in total: front, back and both sides.
And the bas relief adorns ALL the columns throughout the temple
The view from the back
It is HUGE ! This picture, taken from the back of the complex gives you a good idea of the size of the galleries where the bas relief carvings are located. A true work of art that needs to be preserved. That's why it was identified as a World Heritage Site.
Our guide takes us through these galleries, shows us one of the inner courtyards protecting the inner complex, and we reach the other side of the site. Not sure, but I seem to recall it was west (front) to east (back), which is strange since most temples face east ! But I remember making a mental note to remember to return to the west gate if we got lost, by thinking of the phrase“Go west young man!”
In order to preserve the bas relief carvings from further damage, the “World Monuments Fund Conservation Project is focused on reinstating the roof’s damaged ancient drainage system. This requires replacing some earlier restoration efforts with more current technologies. This work includes: documenting the stone, dissembling the gallery roof, removing Portland cement from previous restoration efforts, desalinating any infected stones, conserving the roof stones that require intervention, restoring and stabilizing the original ancient Khmer passive drainage system, and resetting the roof stones.”
This is the path at the east end of the complex, leading out to the back gate
A view of the East side of Angkor Wat.
We walked all around the complex (like a giant C) and ended up at the other side entrance to the main inner complex, where we had a welcoming committee waiting for us.
The place was filled with baby monkeys and their mothers
And more kept coming while we were there.
It was so funny to watch these tiny babies at play. They were hilarious. Got them on film as well.
It must have been a "Mommy and me" hang out. Mommies rested and groomed each other while the babies ran around.
"Oh, oh! There's something scary under there."
We continued on our way inside the complex, going through
the second level courtyard, through more galleries,
An inner courtyard like the one we saw on the other side. Check out how small the people are and how huge this temple really is. And this is less than one quater of the temple of Angkor Wat.
We are now on the third level, inner courtyard, looking up at the 4rth level. This is one of the reasons these are called "mountain temples". We needed to wait at this level yet again, for the gates to open to the inner, top level, Angkor Wat temple.
The adornments are everywhere and are beautiful.
Some of the adornments over the doorways.
Beautifully preserved compared to the surrounding area because of the type of stones used to carve them in.
The principal sanctuary (4rth or top level) of Angkor Wat is called Bakan. Finally we are allowed to climb the wooden stairs which have been built to preserve the stone ones, and ensure safety for the tourists. At one point many of the stone staircases were open for tourists to use, but “supposedly” some idiot decided to run down the steps, lost his footing and plunged to his death a few years ago; hence the added security now. {I googled this on the internet but only found the same comment from other tourists who heard it from their guide. Fact or Fiction?}
Looking down from the 4rth level back to the 3rd, where Violet was waiting for the crowds to have cleared the staircase before coming up. Smart lady !
An inner courtyard like the one we saw on the other side. Check out how small the people are and how huge this temple really is. And this is less than one quater of the temple of Angkor Wat.
We are now on the third level, inner courtyard, looking up at the 4rth level. This is one of the reasons these are called "mountain temples". We needed to wait at this level yet again, for the gates to open to the inner, top level, Angkor Wat temple.
The adornments are everywhere and are beautiful.
Some of the adornments over the doorways.
Beautifully preserved compared to the surrounding area because of the type of stones used to carve them in.
The principal sanctuary (4rth or top level) of Angkor Wat is called Bakan. Finally we are allowed to climb the wooden stairs which have been built to preserve the stone ones, and ensure safety for the tourists. At one point many of the stone staircases were open for tourists to use, but “supposedly” some idiot decided to run down the steps, lost his footing and plunged to his death a few years ago; hence the added security now. {I googled this on the internet but only found the same comment from other tourists who heard it from their guide. Fact or Fiction?}
The following are photos of the 4rth level, or Bakan, the inner sanctum of Angkor Wat (Angkor means “Capital City” & Wat is a Khmer word for “Temple Grounds”.)
“Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple complex in the world. It was built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. When King Suryavarman died, Angkor Wat became his tomb. Within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.” Though the complex was Hindu in origin (explains all the carvings of women) it was converted to a Buddhist temple in the late 13th century. “Although it was somewhat neglected after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned, its preservation being due in part to the fact that its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle.”
Did you know that the image of Angkor Wat appears on the Cambodian flag !
Did you know that the image of Angkor Wat appears on the Cambodian flag !
On one of the info plaques I find out that Bakan, the 4rth and top level, had been covered by a wooden roof at some point, which may explain the strange architecture of the inner spires.
A view of the front, 3rd level portion, where people are not allowed to enter yet.
Statue: Bhudda sitting on a Naga.
From the front of the 4rth level, I get a great shot at the grounds below. We can even see the temple where we sat this morning on the steps, waiting for dawn to arrive, and the gates and wall surrounding Angkor Wat at the back. Bonus: I got a shot of the Hot Air Balloon in the distance.
The inner courtyard of Bakan
The corridors of Bakan
And the decorated bas reliefs everywhere
From the back of the 4rth level.
As I finish my turn around the top level of Angkor Wat
and get ready to come down the stairs again to the 3rd inner
courtyard, I spot some dancers who look a lot like the ones we saw the night
before.
Peacock dancers.
We make our way back out of the complex, down to level 3 and across some areas which have been colourfully decorated. This is “Preah Poan (Thousand Buddhas), a cruciform gallery dating from the“middle period” when the prestige of Angkor Wat spread across Buddhist Asia. The pillars in these galleries are covered with 41 inscriptions, largely in Khmer, sometimes in Pali, they date primarily from the 16th to the 18th centuries.”
Preah Poan (Thousand Buddhas)
It is an active temple, and people burn incense to help their prayers on their way to Buddha.
As we make our way out of the temple, back across the
grounds and through the gates we passed in complete darkness this morning, we
come across a beautiful Buddha statue.
Another area where individuals burn incense
And yet another path leading to the outer walls of the complex. You can actually walk from one temple area to another if you have a lot of time and don't mind the heat.
We arrive back to the causeway across the moat / lake that surrounds Angkor Wat.
This is something else we had not seen in the dark as we walked in this morning
As we near the other end, we can see that the causeway has only been partially repaired. Repeated floodings continue to cause damage on these sites.
At the end of the causeway are giant Nagas, guarding the entrance (back view)
(Front view) As you can see, they are huge.
We are tired and hungry and it isn’t even 11 am yet ! I did not write up my notes for these days of touring the Angkor Wat temples, and I can’t remember where we ate lunch that day, all I know from my photos is that we stopped for approximately 1 hour, then continued touring the other temple sites. Since it was only 1 hour, it had to be the day we ate at the open air restaurant area near Angkor Wat. I was hesitant to eat there because I wasn’t sure of the sanitary or refrigeration conditions, but the food turned out to be quite good (though I did stick to a vegetarian meal and did not risk eating meat).
My biggest regret from our 3 days of touring temples within the Angkor complex was that we were not given a map with the temple sites we would be visiting. MUST NOT FORGET TO ADD THAT IN MY CRITIQUE AT THE END OF THE TRIP. My research on the internet, after the fact, helped to identify some of the sites we visited, but I may have gotten some of them wrong. I also picked up a Siem Reap Angkor Visitors Guide just before leaving on the last day. It has helped me with my notes as well.
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