Finally, the stunning 'Angkor Wat'. This temple is part of the national psyche. It appears on the Cambodian flag, and is the basis for the national beer, 'Angkor'.

The temple is massive. After crossing a wide moat you enter a gatehouse. Beyond is a vaste grass plain. Crossing the plain to get to the temple itself. At the centre of the temple are 5 tall towers. Walls surround the inner complex and contain the magnificant bas relief galleries.

I spent about 6 hours at Angkor Wat, on three return visits. Walking the corridors is like walking the halls of power - this was the centre of the Khmer empire. It is simply incredible. All I can say is 'go there'.

Angkor Wat at sunrise:

The moat that surronds the whole complex. It must be 100m wide at least:

Crossing the moat. One side of the bridge has collapsed in the past and been repaired:

On the other side of the moat you reach the gatehouse:

Walking through the gatehouse you come to the massive plain. The temple of Angkor Wat is in the distance.


Getting closer!

Standing at the main entrance, looking right:

In the centre of the temple are 5 tall towers (in an X formation). It's hard to get a shot of more than one at once, as it's a bit cramped on the ground - so here are a bunch of random shots. Sadly we were not allowed to climb up into the towers becsaue of repairs.





Two of the 1876 celestial nymphs carved around the temple:



Standard detail carved into door frames:

And a close up:

Bas relief gallery. There are four of these, running round the perimiter of the temple itself. Each is some 100m long and the carvings run the whole length. They depict famous battles, mythical wars, deamons, gods, heroes. Many have been damaged by water, but restoration is underway:

One half of one gallery (the rest is behind me). Carvings are on the left.

That's it from Angkor. Hope you liked it!

The 'Bakong' was the first real pyramid in Cambodia. Rad.

'Eastern Mebon' has giant elephants guarding each corner of the terraces:

Next on the adgenda was 'Banteay Srei'. This the the 'Citadel of Women' and is dedicated to the god Shiva. The temple is made from red brick as has some of the most detailed carvings. Every wall and door lintel is covered with inticate works of art. Just amazing.




'Kbal Spean' is off the beaten track, but worth the visit. A 30 minute motorbike ride to get there, and a 30 minute climb up a hill takes you to a river. The bottom has been carved with thousands of 'linga', symbols of fertility. The roads out here are all red dirt, which turned to mud when the ran set in. Fun.

The magnificant 'Ta Prohm' is found east of Angkor Thom. Build in 1186 , it was basically used to store booty. The site was used to film some of the Tomb Raider movies. Many of the buildings have trees growing on top of them - their roots both holding the buildings together and tearing them apart.

There are lots of other temples in and around Angkor Thom. Ta Keo, a giant three level strusture, was one of my favorites. The stairs between each level were nearly vertical.

South of the Terrace of the Leper King is the 'Terrace of Elephants'. This is some 350m long and 2m high. Royal war elephants are carved along the side. Seated atop are warriors and hunters, just out of reach of the tigers' claws. The terrace was originally used as a reception hall for guests where they could look at parades and processessions on the flat land below: