Cambodia: Angkor Wat & Angkor Thom

Our third and final full day in Cambodia took us to the grand Angkor Wat. We got up again early and before the sun to try and beat the heat and the crowds.. We also got to experience the sun coming up on Angkor Wat. It was amazing. 

Nothing prepares you for the grandeur that is Angkor Wat. I mean it’s visually impressive, but to take into mind HOW it was built and at what time period, it’s amazing such a massive structure was put up. And that much of it is still standing today! The initial design and construction took place during the first half of the 12th century.  It broke the mold for the temples at the time as it was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu instead of the Hindu god Shiva whom tends to be the main figure in the rest of the temples. The entire complex is built on the equinox sun cycle with the sun rising and setting exactly dead center of the complex on the equinox. Simply amazing engineering. 

Work on the temple ended once the reign of the king at the time died and some of the relief carvings in the temple were left completely unfinished. As the area gradually moved from Hindu to Buddhist, so did the use of Angkor Wat. You can now find statues of Buddha in the holy places at Angkor Wat which are still used to this day. 

By the 20th century, Angkor Wat required considerable restoration, mainly removing accumulated earth and jungle vegetation. Restoration on the temple was interrupted by civil war in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge during the 70s and 80s, but surprisingly relatively little damage was done during the period. Our guide did show us a few bullet marks on one of the main door frames. Angkor Wat is now a powerful symbol of Cambodia, and is a source of great national pride. In fact, the temple has been a part of Cambodian national flag as well! 

Next we ventured to Angkor Thom literally meaning Great City. It was the last and most enduring capital city of the time in the late 12th century. It covers a HUGE expanse of nearly 9 square kilometers and is surrounded by  a man dug moat that at the time was filled with crocodiles to ward off potential enemies. The center was walled in and designed be fortified to the fullest. Angkor Thom is believed to have sustained a population of nearly 80,000 to 150,000 people during its prime. It was used up until around 1609 when it was abandoned. Many of the temples and stone structures survived, but perishable materials like houses have not survived. The famous Bayon temple sits exactly center of the complex, there was also a Royal Palace and on the same axis, a huge platform where the King addressed the people as well as his officers. 

The Royal Palace was home to the king and his 2,000-3,000 concubines. Talk about a lucky man. Straight outside the Palace, there was the Royal bathing pools with the concubines’ pool being three times the size of that of the King. Our guide also told us that the concubines made up mostly family of his officers and it was a huge honor to be at the service of the King… Can you imagine? 

It was ridiculously hot that day. Hence, my “it’s hot” photo while standing with the bathing pools behind me. We toured around Angkor Thom for the rest of the afternoon (I have more photos on my digital camera) and then headed back to the hotel and the pool, which was 90 degree water, but still felt refreshing! That night we ventured back out to Pub Street and a local restaurant we found online. It is called Marum. It is part of what’s called the Tree Alliance organization which takes uneducated youth and kids, teaches them vocational trades, and eventually helps them become part of the workforce. The restaurant was made up of “student” waiters, waitresses, and chefs. They were in training but we still received GREAT service and enjoyed some WONDERFUL local food dishes designed and created by the students themselves. Their presentation was great, I should have taken photos but I didn’t! Their website is great! They also had a little shop which sold items made by kids in the organization. I picked up a necklace made of spoon tops. You can’t even really tell that’s what it is. I thought it was pretty neat!

Along with the rest of my spoils from Cambodia, scarves (both silk and cotton) reign king there. I picked up quite a few for cheap and they will make great gifts. Silver work is also a big deal and I scored a neat silver cuff while there. I also picked up a journal that is covered with a repurposed concrete bag. They literally make these bags into anything and everything from shopping bags, purses, make up bags… Anything you can think of. My hubby also picked up a wood carved elephant that is pretty neat. There was such a multitude of great things to purchase in Cambodia along with the regular cheap tourist items. 

Our last day in Cambodia was wonderful. Both the hubby and I have said that if we are ever on this side of the world again, we would absolutely visit Cambodia. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there, the people are very nice and hospitable, and we felt like we could get around and find what we were looking for very easily. Cambodia will absolutely be on our list of places to visit again! I cannot suggest enough to go visit sooner than later! As tourism continues to grow in Cambodia, more and more of the temples will be shut down to visitors in order to preserve them. There were already quite a few that has limited access, but still plenty to see and take in!