For day 2 of our three day Angkor adventure, we woke up at 4:30 to arrive at Angkor Wat itself before sunrise. 
Well, we arrived REALLY early, and spent half an hour using flashlights and a pre-dawn glimmer to check out what we could of the iconic temple complex. It was very dark and nearly deserted except for a few other intrepid tourists who had also decided to make the foray into the temple itself. Unfortunately, the very top tier was closed for reconstruction work, so we couldn't climb to the vantage point we'd hoped for. As the sky began to lighten we headed back out front to try to catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat... and found a couple hundred other people waiting for daybreak. Ah well, we got the shot. 
And the shot. And the shot.
Well, we arrived REALLY early, and spent half an hour using flashlights and a pre-dawn glimmer to check out what we could of the iconic temple complex. It was very dark and nearly deserted except for a few other intrepid tourists who had also decided to make the foray into the temple itself. Unfortunately, the very top tier was closed for reconstruction work, so we couldn't climb to the vantage point we'd hoped for. As the sky began to lighten we headed back out front to try to catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat... and found a couple hundred other people waiting for daybreak. Ah well, we got the shot. 
And the shot. And the shot. 
Taking advantage of our early start, and stopping only for coffee, we set out on the "big loop" to see some of the temples slightly farther out than Angkors Wat and Thom. We headed straight through the Angkor Thom complex, stopping only for the magnificent head adorning the eastern side of the North Gate. 
First stop was Preah Khan, which, along with Ta Prohm, was one of my absolute favorites. They share a certain similarity as each are curled, here and there, in the grasp of huge trees, and feature plenty of crumbling corners. 
We continued on, stopping at some smaller structures as well as the lovely fountain and reservoir area of Neak Pean, the smaller temple of Ta Som, and Pre Rup, a beautiful Angkor Watlike temple made of a redder stone and built with several layers around the central tower whose corners were punctuated by elephants.
By Pre Rup, we'd put in most of an 8 hour day and it wasn't even 1pm yet... time to head back to our guesthouse and rest. As we headed home we stopped in for a quick look at Prasat Kravan, a small structure made of brick (and now fully reconstructed) with a very different feel than the rest of the Angkor temples.
We continued on, stopping at some smaller structures as well as the lovely fountain and reservoir area of Neak Pean, the smaller temple of Ta Som, and Pre Rup, a beautiful Angkor Watlike temple made of a redder stone and built with several layers around the central tower whose corners were punctuated by elephants. By Pre Rup, we'd put in most of an 8 hour day and it wasn't even 1pm yet... time to head back to our guesthouse and rest. As we headed home we stopped in for a quick look at Prasat Kravan, a small structure made of brick (and now fully reconstructed) with a very different feel than the rest of the Angkor temples.
1 comment:
So pretty! I love all the pictures--the pictures with the trees growing on top of the temples never get old. I also like the happy faces and the elephants! This makes me that much more excited to get here sooooon! Miss you two intrepid travelers :)
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