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Angkor Wat Angkor Wat
277 Reviews We started our tour with Angkor Wat. This is just one of the many Angkor temples in Siem Reap. It took us more than one hour to see everything here. The tour guide vividly explained everything we need...
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Sunset at Bakheng Hill Angkor Wat
48 Reviews To catch a spectacular sunset, climb the steps leading up to Bakheng hill. The colours are very rich and deep. It feels like a big social event as there will be plenty of other tourists waiting for...
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Angkor Thom Angkor Wat
146 Reviews The four tiers of aspara here are incredible. They are more than 700 years old but many are extremely well preserved, likely to be a result of them having been covered over by the front...
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Ta Phrom Angkor Wat
79 Reviews Ta Phrom was formerly called the royal monastery, dedicated to the former King's mother. THis temple was left to age in its natural state. Large trees have overgrown these structures and gives the...
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Lake Tonle Sap Angkor Wat
26 Reviews somewhat of a surprise as i heard it was very tourisity,but the lake and flooded forrest is awesome and a highlight of our trip.we went with the recommended way in the lonely planets guide with the...
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Banteay Srei Angkor Wat
60 Reviews Almost near the foot of Kulen Mountains, Bantaey Srei stands with its mix pink sandtone and wood temples with exquisite decorative carvings which have miniature resemblance of other Angkor Temples....
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Prah Khan Angkor Wat
22 Reviews This place appears to be a former Budhist university with its long narrow hallways and several small enclosures. However, history points to some evidence that this temple was constructed on the site...
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Neak Pean Angkor Wat
16 Reviews Unlike most temples Neak Pean is a temple which consists of ponds in a crucifix formation. It is said to have miraculous healing from the four representations of the mouths of a lion, elephant, horse...
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We got to this doorway right next to the echo room and couldn't turn around and leave right away because there were a lot of people behind us pounding their chests to see if they could hear the echo of their beating heart. No hurry...we stopped and enjoyed a few mins taking pictures of each other :-)
If you're unfamiliar with the temples and architectural styles of the different kings of the Khmer empire, you will probably think all the temples are pretty much the same. If I didn't view my pics from the digital files in the order they were taken, silly me would have thought the photo below is one taken at Bayon but, it isn't.Ta Prohm was built by Jayavarman VII who also built the Bayon hence, the similarity in style of the big, crude stone faces.
One of the advantages of hiring a guide is that you now have someone who will take pictures of you and your friends together! More often than not, because I'm the one who takes the most pictures, I end up not being in them. Not on this trip. I made sure of that :-p!Seriously though, a guide will be able to tell you more of the history of Angkor's temples than just the lonely planet guide, and also provide information about Cambodian life.
Haggle if you must with your driver if he charges you an extra $10US to take you about 45 mins away from Angkor but please do not, under any circumstance, miss Banteay Srei while you're in Siem Reap. If you only have a day, make it your priority next to Angkor Wat. The intricate carvings on pink sandstone are so beautiful and graceful.
We sat outside the temple by the lagoon to cool down with bottles of water (pay no more than $.50US please) and waited for the sun to set.We had only been in Siem Reap for 6 hours but we've already seen 3 temples. So far, so good. Now it's time to go back to the hotel and enjoy the spa until it's time for dinner.
What I noticed most about photos I used to see on VT and other sites when I researched Angkor were the many doorways and hallways in the temples. Again, to people who have yet to visit Angkor, seeing it in photos make these seem almost ordinary...but they're not. When you're there, you can actually imagine what it was like for the khmers who first inhabited these temples.
Angkor is still home to some buddhist monks. You'll see a few of them walking around. In some parts of the temple, you'll find buddha images where people come to pray and burn incense probably just like people used to do nine hundred years ago. Take a look at the second pic in this tip. It seems as though the monks' robes became two toned as they walked away and moved into the sun from the shade.
They say it's best to go to Angkor Wat at surise and at sunset. On our first day, we went in time for the sunset.As you can see in the photo, the afternoon crowd at peak season can make taking people-free pictures seem impossible but if you take your time, sometimes you'll get a few winners.
If you take the time to notice the detailed carvings of apsaras in the temple, you'll notice that some of them have been defaced or some have missing noses. I had to look around for some that were in near perfect condition which is pretty amazing that some of them are well preserved because they've been around of almost a thousand years.
We wanted to hire a guide to go with us to all the temples but because it was peak season and we arrived after noon, we were unable to get a hold of one on our first day. We had to rely solely on the Lonely Planet so Bing had to stop every few mins. to read the guidebook.What was interesting was that even the locals, like our driver, used the Lonely Planet as reference.
La Residence d'Angkor Siem Reap
1 Review and 310 Opinions The hotel is simply splendid. The spa is the ideal manner for relaxing after a long sightseeing of...
The Kool Hotel Siem Reap
1 Review and 499 Opinions Rooms are a quite big size, clean and comfortable. We Stayed at this place for 4 nights. staff are...
Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa Siem Reap
1 Review and 364 Opinions The Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa was our haven during our stay in Cambodia, and it was wonderful!...
Reviews and photos of Khett Siem Reab attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Khett Siem Reab sightseeing.
Q: Hello, I'm scheduled to arrive in Siem Reap on November 13 (and leave on November 16, originally to go to BKK, but will have to...
A: My brother who lives in Siem Reap wrote a couple of days ago to say that the flooding has eased in Siem Reap. He runs the Mandalay Inn and had very few guests but he kept...
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