August 11… After breakfast at the hotel, we proceeded to our first stop in our tour… Ta Phrom Temple… also famous for having been the site of a scene in Tomb Raider Movie… The Ta Phrom temple has been built late 12th to early 13th century… This has been left in its natural state and over the years (or centuries rather), trees (century fig tree and strangler fig tree) have grown intertwined among the ruins. Started our trip here from the rear end of the temple (best parts of Ta Phrom are in the rear end)… and the combination of an ancient ruin and large fig trees create such a nice scenery.
Angkor Thom area was next… where we visited Elephant Terrace (late 12th century), Lepper King Terrace (13th Century) and the Bayon Temple (Late 12th Century)… The Bayon Temple is the major attraction in this stretch; which features 37 towers carved with the four faces. The Bayon Temple sat in the center of the Angkor Thom. I’m still at awe with this structure with it’s vast mountain-like landscape and all those towers with carved faces makes the climb worth it… Not everybody climbed the peak area of the tower but even if it were my second time here… I still had the zest in me to go for another climb…
And saving the best for last, we then proceeded to Angkor Wat Temple… Angkor Wat Temple (early 12th Century) was one of the 21 candidates for the new 7 wonders of world… Angkor Wat is the world’s largest sacred temple. Angkor Wat is noted for its intricate ornamentation and striking beauty. The moat in front of the temple creates a nice reflection of Angkor Wat Temple for pictures. Inside Angkor Wat, there’s a place where you can climb but just be careful since the steps are steep and you have to climb with no gear… We (Me, Alex, George and Maritess) took the risk and still went for the climb… It was a really fulfilling climb and on top there’s a nice view around the place… It’s something you won’t do daily…
It was back to Phnom Penh after… ending another breath-taking tour of one of the world’s better wonders…
photos here
4 Responses to Another Angkor Wat Adventure