One day is too few, five days too much, but three days is just right for uncovering the treasures of Angkor Wat, without getting ‘templed-out’, writes Bianca Nogrady.
FOR centuries, the dense Cambodian jungle hid the spectacular lost city of Angkor from the prying eyes of explorers, veiling its limestone carvings with vines and growing giant kapok and fig trees in its courtyards. Now the curtain of greenery has been drawn back and each year millions of visitors come from far ends of the earth to stand in awe of the thousand-year-old ruins of this once-great Khmer civilization.
While the name Angkor is synonymous with the classic three-towered image of Angkor Wat on the Cambodian flag, the entire Angkor complex spreads over 300km2 and features about 100 temples and monuments. The sheer grandeur and scale of Angkor takes your breath away, but often it is the smallest, most delicate carvings that capture your heart.
Each of the temples in the Angkor complex is unique, but top of the tourist list is inevitably the splendour of Angkor Wat. Guidebooks all advise visiting Angkor Wat at sunrise or sunset to see it at its best. I opted to not drag myself out of bed at 4am, but I was more than compensated by the evening spectacle of Angkor’s limestone surfaces suffused with delicate shades of pink and orange, reflected in the still pools at its base. The sight was enough to bring a tear to the eye, although that could also have been due to the agonising combination of unpadded bicycle seat and monstrous Cambodian potholes.
Angkor Wat also boasts its own petrified version of the Bayeux Tapestry — stone bas-reliefs depicting scenes of battle and everyday Khmer life that completely encircle the lower part of the temple. The 20,000 or so carved figures have largely withstood the onslaught of tourists and war, although curious hands have polished some parts to a high gloss.
Next stop on the must-see list is Bayon Temple, in the Angkor Thom complex, which is dominated by 50 enormous faces of an unknown king or god, smiling benevolently at some private joke we’ll never get to hear (probably something along the lines of, “Watch how much money I can spend building this massive edifice with my mug all over it then die before the bill arrives”).
The temple of Ta Prohm provides graphic evidence of jungle power versus man-power. As one of the few temples not to have undergone restoration, the complex is dominated by huge trees with snake-like roots that hold parts of the temple in a vice-like grip. Such is the strength of the trees’ hold on the ancient structures that when one tree falls it will take a large part of the structure with it.
Special mention goes to the temple at Banteay Srei, which is a half-hour trip away from the main Angkor complex, but definitely worth the effort. This ancient miniature wonderland is carved in delicate pink sandstone and features grinning faces.
While the main sights of Angkor can be done in a day, to shoot through at such speed is a sacrilege and will barely scratch the surface of its treasures. The town of Siem Reap is just a few kilometres away, packed with plenty of accommodation, eateries and markets, so most tourists take 3-7 days to do justice to the town and the temples.
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