We slept in a bit today before heading to Angkor Wat. As the largest religious building in the world, Angkor Wat rivals the
Taj Mahal in fame. Unfortunately, because I had built it up so much in my mind, seeing it in person was kind of a letdown. Sure it's big, but it is very compartmentalized, so it doesn't
feel that big. The area around it has also been
thoroughly cleared, so the structures sit
on a dusty field broken only by the admittedly impressive reflecting pool.
All that said, it is still a pretty impressive complex of buildings
with many really lovely
bas relief sculptures. Furthermore, there are several alleys and
galleries occupied by
Buddha statues wrapped in saffron with offerings at their feet and monks and tourists alike paying their
respects. And, despite being a
a little disappointed in it, there is
still definite spark of excitement simply by being in the middle of
Angkor Wat. It could simply be a heap of rubble, a
nd the name and
connotations alone are enough to
make it feel exotic and exciting.
It might not feel so big, but it did in fact take us most of the day to visit. When we were finally '
templed out', we ate a late lunch at
Angkor Cafe, and headed b
ack to our guesthouse. Strangely, the cafe was
not hugely overpriced despite being slap-bang across the street from the
wat. I suspect that this is the case
because most of the tour groups head into town for
lunch and a rest in the mi
ddle of the day. Which
has a double
bonus of cheap eats at the ruins, and if you are willing to brave the sun or choose shady temples, you have the monuments almost entirely to yourself.
After a short rest and shower -
Angkor Wat is DUSTY, we piled back
into a tuk-
tuk to take in the temple at sunset. Keen to
avoid the zoo on the hill, we opted to watch the light change over the big temple itself.
It was sort of nice
walking into the complex as everyone else was leaving. I don't
understand why the hill is so popular. The view was far superior (and far less crowded) right in the temple.
We slept in a bit today before heading to Angkor Wat. As the largest religious building in the world, Angkor Wat rivals the Taj Mahal in fame. Unfortunately, because I had built it up so much in my mind, seeing it in person was kind of a letdown. Sure it's big, but it is very compartmentalized, so it doesn't feel that big. The area around it has also been thoroughly cleared, so the structures sit on a dusty field broken only by the admittedly impressive reflecting pool.
All that said, it is still a pretty impressive complex of buildings with many really lovely bas relief sculptures. Furthermore, there are several alleys and galleries occupied by Buddha statues wrapped in saffron with offerings at their feet and monks and tourists alike paying their respects. And, despite being a a little disappointed in it, there is still definite spark of excitement simply by being in the middle of Angkor Wat. It could simply be a heap of rubble, and the name and connotations alone are enough to make it feel exotic and exciting. 
It might not feel so big, but it did in fact take us most of the day to visit. When we were finally 'templed out', we ate a late lunch at Angkor Cafe, and headed back to our guesthouse. Strangely, the cafe was not hugely overpriced despite being slap-bang across the street from the wat. I suspect that this is the case because most of the tour groups head into town for lunch and a rest in the middle of the day. Which has a double bonus of cheap eats at the ruins, and if you are willing to brave the sun or choose shady temples, you have the monuments almost entirely to yourself.
After a short rest and shower - Angkor Wat is DUSTY, we piled back into a tuk-tuk to take in the temple at sunset. Keen to avoid the zoo on the hill, we opted to watch the light change over the big temple itself. It was sort of nice walking into the complex as everyone else was leaving. I don't understand why the hill is so popular. The view was far superior (and far less crowded) right in the temple.
1 comment:
I vaguely remember a documentary that said locals believe the place is haunted and are reluctant to be in the temple at nightfall. So maybe that's your answer!
Marci
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