The limbs of a four hundred year old tree grips to an ancient building like an alien’s tendrils on a human face.
Just one of the awesome sights to behold at Angkor Wat, a wonder of the world the size of Los Angeles.
Angkor Wat Temple Complex
We went on a guided day tour with the excellent Mr John and joined the throng of visitors to the largest religious building on the globe, described as heaven on earth.
Amazingly, it kind of floats on a water-rich sand base.
Yet more amazingly, with Nazca in Peru, it lies on the great circle centred at Stonehenge.
Be prepared for quite a bit of walking and climbing in strong heat, so have plenty of water to hand – ideally in a cool bag.
And guard your water and snacks from a possible mugging by a long-tailed macaque, families of whom call this place home and roam freely around the grounds.
You also need tickets and women must cover up bare shoulders and legs.
Angor Wat Temple
The site is so vast as you set off for an explore you can find your own, tranquil spot on the grass leading to Angkor Wat‘s iconic five spires.
Angkor was the capital city of the Khmer Empire, a megacity which flourished from about the 9th to the 15th centuries.
There are well preserved stone carvings galore, some still bearing the red paint with which they were first adorned.
You can climb steep wooden steps up to one tower and get a great view of the jungle fringed, blackened buildings.
Ta Prohm Temple
We next visited Ta Prohm Temple, referred to as Tomb Raider Temple due to its depiction in the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
This is where mighty trees clamp on to the old stone buildings and it is quite a sight to behold.
Try and go between tourist groups or you have to fight for a personal photo opportunity.
Look carefully and there is even a stone carving of a Cambodian dinosaur!
After a spot of lunch at a nice little restaurant we were bussed to the next venue.
Ta Keo Temple.
Ta Keo is a temple mountain, in the Angkor Wat Temple Complex, possibly the first to be built entirely of sandstone by Khmers.
Steep stone steps up to the temple were tiring and a bit precarious here, especially after a brief rain shower, though not as bad as having to climb the steps on your knees as the Khmers would have done.
If you do it the views of the ornate building and thick jungle beyond are worth it.
Bayon Temple
Our last temple was richly decorated Bayon, the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII.
There are 216 carvings of gargantuan smiling faces here, and it is fun to grab close-up photos of them as you stroll your way around.
Sunset at Phnom Bakheng Temple.
As the clock ticked along from afternoon to early evening we took a sweaty walk, with a big crowd of tourists, up to Phnom Bakheng Temple.
This Hindu and Buddhist temple is in the form of a temple mountain.
Dedicated to Shiva, it was built at the end of the 9th century during the reign of King Yasovarman.
The expectant crowd amassed at a corner as the sun slowly set over Angkor Wat.
And, with videos and photos done, there was a round of applause as the sun finally sank and a night in Beer Street beckoned.
Kulen Mountain Trip
After a day’s break we did another tour with Siem Reap Shuttle, and another excellent guide called John, to discover the holy grounds of Phnom Kulen.
We entered a tropical forest and drove up to a cliff top with stunning views of a vast jungle landscape.
It was sobering to think that one false move on the edge would mean instant death.
People still perched in precarious places for a good picture though.
We next motored on via a bumpy track, passing waving children, to the River of 1,000 Lingas.
Lingas (phallic symbols) were elaborately carved into the rock riverbed when the water was diverted.
You can pick out images of Hindu deities dotted about the area and also see a spring bubbling up into a pool.
Next up was a visit to an impressive reclining Buddha, where worshippers flocked around the mighty carving and rubbed it for luck.
The intermittent boom of a gong gave the setting a special aura.
Climax of the tour was a visit to a mighty waterfall, under which we were able to swim and get an invigorating natural power shower.
You need to be a strong swimmer to get close to the thumping cascade of water, and watch out for rocks under the water.
We rounded off the day with a nice meal at a restaurant, before dropping in on a family making palm sugar products such as palm wine and jaggery (raw palm sugar).
The golden sun then set on another fab day in beautiful Cambodia.
