Temple Ruins of Angkor

The otherworldly experience around the Angkor Archaeological Park should be in your bucket list like it’s a non-negotiable item! The temples are mind-blowing in photos but wait until you see it in actual. It’s also interesting to see a different image of temples as opposed to what we normally see around Asia, and I must say that these ruins are so unique that you’d want re-live the past just to see a glimpse of what it’s like during its prominence. These temples, just by looking at it, are filled with so much stories that can’t be told in a day and I just can’t stop thinking how it turned out to be like a huge masterpiece over time that stretches to more than 400 square kilometers. JUST WOW.

This is more of a visual diary of what to see and expect on a day trip to the temple ruins of Angkor. At first, I thought the whole area is called ‘Angkor Wat‘ until that day when our tour guide made it clear that the Angkor Wat is only one of the famous temples to see in the park. The area is known as the Angkor Archaeological Park, and is home to dozens of other ancient ruins of the Angkorian-era Khmer Empire.

We got up pretty early with excitement, just like everybody else, since our pick up time is at 4:30 in the morning. Yup! You have no choice but to give up sleep in order to witness that famous sunrise backdrop giving a good silhouette of the Angkor Wat. It was worth all the sacrifice, sleep and breakfast! LOL! Fun fact: There were hundreds of people on that same spot. It isn’t just obvious. 😛

I think we visited around 6-8 temples the entire day and I can’t remember the names of some, but we surely did not miss out the chance of seeing the Angkor Wat, the centerpiece of Angkor, and the Angkor Thom which is the biggest temple (if I’m not mistaken) around the park. From there, we worked our way around and saw up close the quaint beauty of Prasat Kravan and Thommanon among others.

It’s very important to note, before going on this trip, that getting around the temples will require some cardio. Expect long walks and ladders to climb. Always bring water with you but not so much that you need to carry a heavy bag around, and lots of chocolates for sugar ‘coz it’s tiring as f*ck and there are no local stores nearby! Small towels to wipe your sweat, wet wipes to freshen up, and I think you’re good to go!

“Siem Reap City is the gateway to the Angkor Archaeological Park. The temple ruins contained within the Park represent the remnants of the millennium-old capitals of the old Khmer Empire. The Khmer people were and are the dominant ethnic group in Cambodia. The name ‘Angkor’ refers both to the Angkorian-era Khmer Empire that stretched across much of mainland Southeast Asia, and also refers to the capital city of the empire that was centered north of Siem Reap Cambodia. There are dozens of ruins within the Angkor Archaeological Park, others further afield. The temples vary in importance, interest and condition and are spread over a large area, often kilometers apart.“

If you noticed, I didn’t do much talking this time compared to the other travel blogs I had written. I decided to just let the photos speak for themselves. If these images didn’t, even in the slightest way, convince you to see these impressive ruins, then I don’t know what will. I, myself, while writing this makes me want to book a ticket back to Siem Riep to see the other temples I missed. Now I understand why they offer a 3-day and a 7-day pass. It’s all because they would want us to see every single temple, and I don’t mind doing it all over again!