I heard someone say once that the only big tourist attractions in the world that are not overrated are the America’s Grand Canyon, China’s Great Wall, and Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. While I might not agree with that completely, it’s true that the Angkorian temples are amazing. I’ve visited them twice: the first time was during the dry season in January, and the second was during the rainy season in August. Angkor Wat itself is big and beautiful, but it’s also crowded and empty. It reminded me of Beijing’s Forbidden City in that regard. It’s the other temples, especially the ones that are falling down, that I think really make the place worth visiting. Below are more than 40 photos of Angkor Wat and a handful of other temples in the area.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat at sunrise
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat through the haze
The huge crowd that gathered to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat
One more of Angkor Wat
Carvings in Angkor Wat
Kristen and the reliefs in one of the several hallways of Angkor Wat
A close-up of the reliefs in one of the Angkor hallways
The main towers of Angkor Wat
Looking out from Angkor Wat in the rainy season
Looking out from Angkor Wat in the dry season
One of the smaller buildings inside the Angkor Wat complex
Banteay Srei, a 10th-century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva
Detailed carvings in Banteay Srei
Monkey god statues in Banteay Srei
Bayon, the temple with all of the Olmec-like faces carved into it
Bayon and its moat
Bayon in the dry season
Carvings in Bayon
More carvings in Bayon
The Bayon faces
The Bayon faces again
Really neat carved reliefs at Bayon
Neak Pean
The temple Pre Rup
The jungle from the top of Pre Rup
Some kids playing around in the moat outside of either Preah Khan or Ta Prohm
Ruins at Preah Khan
More ruins at Preah Khan
This “dinosaur” carving at Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider temple). It probabaly drives conspiracy theory folks nuts. I think it’s a lizard.
One of the crazy cool trees at Ta Prohm
Another Ta Prohm tree
Another Ta Prohm tree
Kristen riding between the temples
A little frog on Kristen’s poncho
Monkeys on a truck