Siem Reap trip in Feb 2010 (part 1)

I went on a short trip to Siem Reap in February 2010.

Here's the run down on the places to visit if you're on holiday at Siem Reap.  Almost all the famous sites are enclosed in the Angkor Archaeological Park, but its pretty big, so you will need a few days to cover all the places.

Map

Bayon - temple with many 4-faced reliefs
Built in the latter part of the 12th century by King Jayavarman VII, Bayon is one of the most widely recognised temples in Siem Reap because of the giant stone faces that adorn the towers of Bayon. There are 54 towers of four faces each, totaling 216 faces. 


The best to visit Bayon when there is plenty of light (i.e. from 10am - 4pm).

South gate of Bayon

This is the spot to see the most number of 4-faced carvings

Flowers contrasting against the b/w stone carvings

As I was walking, I saw an elephant approaching. I thought that it would make a good picture.  Fyi, elephant rides take you from the gate into Bayon and will set you back US$10 per person 

Elephant rides

Phimeanakas - a Hindu temple with a tower on top of a pyramid.  Legend has it that the king spent the first watch of every night with a woman thought to represent a Naga in the tower.  During that time, not even the queen was permitted to intrude.  The queen only gets to spend time with the king in his palace in the second watch.  If the naga did not show up for a night, the king's days would be numbered but if the king did not show up, calamity would strike his land.   

The stairs to mount Phimeanakas

The reverse - looking down

Showing how steep & treacherous it is

Phnom Bakheng - best place to see the sunset

Phnm Bakheng from mid hill

As the sun sets, a hot air balloon rises on the left

Angkor Wat - Star attraction since its the national icon, but also good for sunrise.

First of all, arm yourselves with a good torch.  We were unprepared and this is what you'll see (or rather, can't see) when you don't have a torch.  Yup, its pitch black.

After a while, you'll see the sky change colours as the sun rises bit by bit.

We then decided to venture into Angkor Wat for a while before heading back to the hotel for breakfast and then coming out again to sightsee.  The picture below shows you where we were and how many more people there were fighting for space and the best photo spot in the dark.  It definitely helps to be tall!

At around 7ish, after we were done touring Angkor Wat, we then realised that's the best time to take pictures because you can then see the reflection of Angkor Wat in the lotus pond.  Wahhhhh..... So depending on your preferences, you need not go to Angkor Wat at 5am just to wait for the sun to rise because that's not the best time to get your perfect pictures.  My personal recommendation is to arrive at 6.30am and stand by for the perfect timing at around 7am-7.30am when the sun is high enough to be reflected in the pond.

This is the reflection of Angkor Wat in the lotus pond.

More places I visited in the next Siem Reap post...