How are you all today? Sorry its been so long but its been pretty hectic for me lately. Nothing bad just a little fast is all, but its cool.
I'm in Southern Laos now, chilling alongside the Mekong River in the little place called Si Phan Don. It means 4 thousand islands, but they're exaggerating. Regardless though, this place is very nice and very, very chilled out. You kind of get the idea that the entire island (I'm on Don Det right now) could just float down the river and no one would mind all that much. Its been a nice change from my last few days in Cambodia. That's what this update is about, specifically Angkor Wat. Enjoy.
In case you don't know, Angkor Wat is actually 2 things. In general terms it refers to all of the many temples and complexes from the Khmer Empire that are around Siem Reap. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of sights to see. From small temples that are literally being reclaimed by the jungle, to huge complexes that are really small cities that just look like they're straight out of another world. I bought a 3 day pass, and honestly, I thought I could have stayed longer. But after that I was drained and very tired so I decided to move on. But for those 3 days, I was in bliss.
My first day I was traveling with a few other backpackers that I had met in Phnom Penh. Now, for some reason they only wanted to go for one day so we all decided to see the big sights that day, and I would just do the little ones on my own. We left at 5 in the morning in order to catch sunrise over Angkor Wat. Now earlier I told you that Angkor Wat has 2 meanings. The second meaning is more specific, it refers to only one temple complex; without question the grandest and most amazing. That was what we went to see at sunrise.
It was indescribable.
Take a look at the pictures and you'll get an idea of what I saw. That's about the best thing I can do though. Any description I give will be completely inadequate. This is definitely a place that needs to be seen to be believed.
In its heyday Angkor Wat had a population of nearly 1 million people. For a comparison, at the same time London had a population of about 50,000. Today the Khmer Empire is rarely even known but in its day it was a major player in the region.
Over the course of the day we visited Bayon.
Here there are over 50 faces carved into the stone. The entire time I felt like I was being watched. In the main shrine in the interior I swear there was someone in there with me, I got very freaked and had to get outside fast.
We also visited Ta Keo
Ta Prohm, which was featured in the movie "Tomb Raider"
Then back to Angkor Wat so we could actually take pictures in daylight
And finally finished at Phnom Bakheng which is the highest hill in the area and great for sunsets.
After the first day I was spent, but very excited for day 2.
On the second day I rented a bike and went solo exploring. I was visiting some older, and less impressive places, but I still had a great day. By the end I was completely drained though.
However, I saved the best for last.
One thing I'd read about in Lonely Planet was that you could take a balloon ride about 200 meters up and get some great shots of the entire area. I knew I had to do that so I searched it out on my last day and got these pictures.
Here's Angkor Wat from the sky
Impressive huh??
Oh yeah, I also spent an hour playing with some monkeys that live around the temples.
Anyway, that was what happened to me this past week, and the reason I was so drained. Next time we talk I'll tell you about my adventures in Laos. Its only been 2 days so far, but its been fun already. However, that's another story, for another day.
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