I think it could have been psychological, but as soon as we crossed the border from Thailand to Cambodia, I felt like the temperature raised drastically and everything became incredibly dry. I was hot, but I was also in awe as I noticed that we were definitely in another country. I suddenly realized we were not in Thailand anymore, and Tola and I quickly tried to make the adjustment. Tola's Uncle Chin had offered to take us across the border and set us up with transportation to Siem Reap, and we were happy to accept his offer as tourists often get scammed traveling from Poipet (the border town) to Siem Reap. We ended up only have a small disagreemnt with our driver, but everything worked out quickly, and we arrived in Siem Reap before noon. The drive from Poipet to Siem Reap was beautiful. There were so many new things to look at and as the countryside was very flat, it was quite a contrast to the other countries we have visited so far (especially to the mountains and hilly areas we have visited).Once we arrived in Siem Reap, we quickly checked into a guesthouse and we began to make plans for our three days in the small city that caters to swarms of tourists every day. We decided that the most comfortable way to visit the Angkor Temples would be to hire a tuk tuk for our 3 1/2 day exploration. During our first night in Siem Reap, we ventured in the tuk tuk (with a driver) to Phnom Bakheng as we had heard it was a place to watch the sunset because of its location on top of a hill. We enjoyed watching a beautiful sunset with at least one hundred other tourists, but it was definitely worth the visit.
Throughout our 3 full days of touring Angkor, we ended up visiting around 16 different sights (temples and terraces). Our days felt quite loaded as we woke up between 4-5 AM every day. The whole experience of Angkor begins to feel a bit overwhelming towards the end of sightseeing because there is so much to see and take in.The land that the Temples of Angkor covers is beautiful. We are visiting Cambodia during the dry season, so everything is a bit dried out, but the landscape is something that you can stare at for a long time. Many of the temples are in the midst of lush jungle trees, and the natural life surrounding the sights is something that also needs to be taken in. There are some very old looking trees and this creates a magical atmosphere as one explores the area of the Angkor Temples.
My favorite place that we visited (besides the massive Angkor Wat) was probably Preah Khan. At one time Preah Kahn once housed more than 1,000 teachers. It may also have been a university at one time, and I found the location and history fascinating. As we made our way through Preah Khan's maze, I imagined what it would have been like to live in Preah Khan long long ago. Visiting the various structures around Angkor allowed for a lot of dreaming and imagining; sometimes it was hard to even begin to think of where we were.
We saved Angkor Wat for the last morning. Since we had adjusted our sleeping schedules, we thought it would be best to visit Angkor Wat at sunrise. We arrived at Angkor Wat's complex at about 5:20 AM, and as we walked through the entrance and along the long walkway, we saw the outline (as it was still dark) of one of the most massive structures I have ever seen. Although many people wake up early for the sunrise at Angkor Wat, it is still a very special experience that I will remember for a long time. As the sun rises, everything begins to wake up around Angkor Wat, and it is absolutely breathtaking. Tola and I didn't quite wait until the sun was up because we were getting a bit antsy, so we decided to venture into the temple before others. Exploring the corridors and the artistic designs around every corner took a long time, and we also had beautiful views of the sun shining through the cracks of the gigantic monument. Angkor Wat is definitely a monument that will be remembered, and it is something that really is hard to compare to anything else that I have seen in the past.
Beyond the beauty of the Temples of Angkor lies much more than a thousand year history. As we spent days digging into history from long ago, it was impossible to miss the present situation of Cambodia. People are striving to make ends meet and the competition between the vendors is almost hard to bear. Cambodia does has the amazing gems of Angkor, but I also know that there is so much to this country that I have yet to learn.
I think it could have been psychological, but as soon as we crossed the border from Thailand to Cambodia, I felt like the temperature raised drastically and everything became incredibly dry. I was hot, but I was also in awe as I noticed that we were definitely in another country. I suddenly realized we were not in Thailand anymore, and Tola and I quickly tried to make the adjustment. Tola's Uncle Chin had offered to take us across the border and set us up with transportation to Siem Reap, and we were happy to accept his offer as tourists often get scammed traveling from Poipet (the border town) to Siem Reap. We ended up only have a small disagreemnt with our driver, but everything worked out quickly, and we arrived in Siem Reap before noon. The drive from Poipet to Siem Reap was beautiful. There were so many new things to look at and as the countryside was very flat, it was quite a contrast to the other countries we have visited so far (especially to the mountains and hilly areas we have visited).Once we arrived in Siem Reap, we quickly checked into a guesthouse and we began to make plans for our three days in the small city that caters to swarms of tourists every day. We decided that the most comfortable way to visit the Angkor Temples would be to hire a tuk tuk for our 3 1/2 day exploration. During our first night in Siem Reap, we ventured in the tuk tuk (with a driver) to Phnom Bakheng as we had heard it was a place to watch the sunset because of its location on top of a hill. We enjoyed watching a beautiful sunset with at least one hundred other tourists, but it was definitely worth the visit.
Throughout our 3 full days of touring Angkor, we ended up visiting around 16 different sights (temples and terraces). Our days felt quite loaded as we woke up between 4-5 AM every day. The whole experience of Angkor begins to feel a bit overwhelming towards the end of sightseeing because there is so much to see and take in.The land that the Temples of Angkor covers is beautiful. We are visiting Cambodia during the dry season, so everything is a bit dried out, but the landscape is something that you can stare at for a long time. Many of the temples are in the midst of lush jungle trees, and the natural life surrounding the sights is something that also needs to be taken in. There are some very old looking trees and this creates a magical atmosphere as one explores the area of the Angkor Temples.
My favorite place that we visited (besides the massive Angkor Wat) was probably Preah Khan. At one time Preah Kahn once housed more than 1,000 teachers. It may also have been a university at one time, and I found the location and history fascinating. As we made our way through Preah Khan's maze, I imagined what it would have been like to live in Preah Khan long long ago. Visiting the various structures around Angkor allowed for a lot of dreaming and imagining; sometimes it was hard to even begin to think of where we were.
We saved Angkor Wat for the last morning. Since we had adjusted our sleeping schedules, we thought it would be best to visit Angkor Wat at sunrise. We arrived at Angkor Wat's complex at about 5:20 AM, and as we walked through the entrance and along the long walkway, we saw the outline (as it was still dark) of one of the most massive structures I have ever seen. Although many people wake up early for the sunrise at Angkor Wat, it is still a very special experience that I will remember for a long time. As the sun rises, everything begins to wake up around Angkor Wat, and it is absolutely breathtaking. Tola and I didn't quite wait until the sun was up because we were getting a bit antsy, so we decided to venture into the temple before others. Exploring the corridors and the artistic designs around every corner took a long time, and we also had beautiful views of the sun shining through the cracks of the gigantic monument. Angkor Wat is definitely a monument that will be remembered, and it is something that really is hard to compare to anything else that I have seen in the past.
Beyond the beauty of the Temples of Angkor lies much more than a thousand year history. As we spent days digging into history from long ago, it was impossible to miss the present situation of Cambodia. People are striving to make ends meet and the competition between the vendors is almost hard to bear. Cambodia does has the amazing gems of Angkor, but I also know that there is so much to this country that I have yet to learn.
Wow, many monuments & things you have seen!
So nice that you were able to see all that even it's the third time for Tola. And Emily has extraordinarily described the tings!!!
Great writting, thanks for sharing!