CAMBODIA – ANGKOR WAT

FEBRUARY 7 – 14, 2026

BOU SAVY GUESTHOUSE had their own tuktuk drivers to take us to the sites for the three-day pass to Angkor Wat. All transportation was very reasonably priced, super friendly and (rough) English speaking, but very much appreciated. Cold water was kept in a cooler under our seat and provided whenever we needed, which was often in the sweltering heat.

The firsts day we went to ANGKOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK, commonly referred to as Angkor Wat. The three-day pass covers much more than Angkor Wat. In fact, we did not go to that temple until the next day.

The first day we went to Temple Pre Rup (circa 961), Banteay Samre Temple (early 12th century), East Mebon Temple (10th century), Ta Som Temple (late 12th century), Neak Poan Temple, Preah Khan Temple (12th century), and passed through the North and South Gates. The temples were basically all the same, but different, with different layouts, prangs and side buildings. I will cover the ones that stuck out for me.

Some were in better shape than others. Restoration projects are still being conducted on most sites, but with the piles of rocks that we saw, it seems like trying to put together a million piece puzzle with no picture to follow.

Some of the pieces laying about gave us a clue as to how some of these centuries old structures had walls as straight and strong as the day they were built. We saw evidence of rocks with a tongue-and-grove system.

Every temple had intricate carvings and sculptures carved and etched right into the brickwork on every conceivable surface. We could tell that some were restorations, but others were definitely OLD.

I think my favorite temple was PREAH KHAN TEMPLE. It was the most dilapidated, yet it had some features that screamed of its former beauty. The temple complex combined the roles of city, temple and Buddhist university: there were 97,840 officials, attendants and servants, including 1000 dancers and 1000 teachers.  It was huge. Surrounded by a moat, it measures 800 by 700 m (2626 by 2297 ft) and encloses an area of 56 hectares (140 acres). There was a major east-west access and another major north-south access through the centre.

The restoration of this temple has been more of a maintenance program. Restorers are not sure of the actual layout of the structure, as such, they do not want to rely on guesswork, thereby falsifying history. The clearing work left the large trees intact. It was felt they add to the ambiance and do not constitute any danger.

I asked a guard (every temple had guards) why there were holes in the walls. They were used to hold bronze plates which would have decorated the entire temple, both inside and out. 1500 tonnes was once used to decorate the whole temple. Other treasures of this ruin once included gold, silver, gems, 112,300 pearls and a cow with gilded horns.

The guard then brought us to a tiny alcove, that was hidden behind fallen bricks. It housed a carving of the queen. I fit inside to take a picture, but the crawl space was too small for Pierre to fit. The guard said she used to have a diamond in her belly button. 430 other deities also had shrines on the site.

There was something in the worn down beauty of this temple that I found fascinating.

Neak Poan Temple was on an artificial island with a main pool and four smaller attached pools at the centre. It was designed for medical purposes with the belief that the four pools would balance the water, earth, fire and wind elements in the bather, thus curing the medical condition.

On the second day we went to see the sunrise at ANGKOR WAT. We went back on day 3 to see the sunset. I recommend the sunset, as the sun reflects off the wat. In the morning, the sun is in your face and the wat is merely a shadow. And there are hardly any people in the evening. Compare this photo to the one at the top of this page.

Once the sun was up, we explored the interior of Angkor Wat. It is in the best shape of all the wats we visited. There are hundreds of metres of etchings along the cloistered walls telling various stories. They are so detailed it is impossible to know what is being told if you do not have background knowledge (such as the Stirring of the Ocean of Milk told further below)

The very top of the wat was closed for some reason (things tend to be closed for a variety of reasons, Buddha Day, Full Moon Day, 10% Tuesday (kidding). We went back the next day and made it to the top before watching the sunset.

Other places on day 2 included the South Gate, Bayon Temple (late 12th or early 13th century), Baphuon Temple (11th century), Phimeanakas Temple (late 10th century), Elephant Terrace, Terrace of the Leper King, Ta Prohm Temple (12th century) and Banteay Kdei Temple (12-13th century).

The SOUTH GATE is the better preserved gate. It was built in the 12th century.  The 20-meter high gate is adorned with four massive smiling faces of Buddha. There are massive elephant heads flanking the archway, with their trunks looking like columns.

It features a bridge over the moat that is flanked by 54 gods and 54 demons, representing the “CHURNING OF THE OCEAN OF MILK“. This scene is seen throughout Asia, so let me explain it. The Hindu story goes that the gods were weakened by a curse. With the promise of half the elixir of immortality, the demons agreed to help the gods to obtain said elixir. Using a giant serpent as a rope, the gods held the tail and the demons held the head, they used Mount Manadara as a churning rod to stir the Ocean of Milk to get the elixir. Vishnu (the protector of life) assumed the form of the turtle Kurma to support the mountain on his back so it would not sink. They unearthed the elixir but also a deadly poison, which Shiva (the destroyer) drank in order to save all forms of life. This is why Shiva has a blue tongue. The demons ended up stealing all the elixir (probably because it was in Shiva’s throat) but Vishnu tricked them and got it back. The gods did not share their half as promised. The story symbolizes the struggle between good and evil, the necessity of cooperation and the pursuit of spiritual knowledge through conscious effort of churning one’s mind in order to transform. And there is your Hindu lesson!

At BAYON TEMPLE we met a young fellow who showed us the best places to take pictures. He had us pose in various places while he took incredible pictures of us. He was an amazing amateur photographer.

He said he lived nearby and used to come here as a child and play amongst the ruins with his friends. I asked if they played hide and seek. “Of course, that’s why I know this place so well.” He learned English, Japanese and French from hanging around the tourists. When I asked him his name he said what sounded like Devon, but said, “I don’t know how to spell it because I never went to school.” Did I mention he was a talented photographer??

He also gave us some history about the temple. It is known as the Temple of Many Faces because there are 54 prang with 4 faces on each prang, for a total of 216 Buddha faces. Devon knew exactly were get the best shots.

We happily paid him $20 for his guiding and photography services. We then went back inside to look at things again. He was so quick taking us through short-cuts and we were so busy trying to keep up crawling over stones and under half fallen arches, that we felt we missed a few things. We didn’t. He managed to cover everything.

BAPHUOUN TEMPLE was an impressive 3-tiered temple that is 120 metres (394 ft) by 100 metres (328 ft) at the base. The temple itself stands 34 metres (111 ft). It once had a tower that stood another 16 metres (52 ft) higher. There were faint carvings on every conceivable surface.

There was a really LONG causeway leading up to the temple.

There were lots of covered cloisters.

Even the bricks were positioned to create a pattern.

PHIMEANAKAS TEMPLE was built at the end of the 10th century and still looked as straight and strong as ever.

The ELEPHANT TERRACE was used by the king as a platform from which to view his victorious returning army. It is 350 metres (1148 ft) long and named for the life-sized elephants carved into its eastern wall. It was once attached to Phimeanakas Temple, but only a few of those connecting ruins remain.

TERRACE of the LEPER KING (7 metres /23 ft high) is a U-shaped terrace built more like a maze than a U. It has turns and bends, with all the walls etched with carvings. The statue at the top is called the “Leper King” because of its discolouration and moss growing on it, looking like the symptoms of leprosy; connecting it to a Cambodian king who really did have leprosy. It doesn’t help that there is an inscription on the base that refers to the god of death and ruler of the underworld. The original statue is in a museum. There is a theory that this place was the royal crematorium.

TA PROHM TEMPLE is the one often shown in National Geographic and travel brochures because of its crazy tree roots crawling over and around the buildings. This is due to the fact that the temple was built without mortar; baby roots could crawl between the cracks. It is hard to tell if the building is supporting the tree or the tree is supporting the temple.

It was once the Royal Monastery dedicated to learning. Almost 80,000 people were required to maintain or attend at the temple, including over 2,700 officials and 615 dancers. We could see detailed etchings testifying to the beauty it once had.

The size of the tree roots is impossible to imagine, until you’ve seen it.

On the third day of our 3-day pass we went to some smaller, but no less lovely temples. PREAH KO TEMPLE was not big, but the sandstone prangs were beautiful.

It absolutely floored me how they were constructed so that the roof did not fall in.

BAKONG TEMPLE measures 65 (213 ft) by 67 (220 ft) metres at the base and rises through five levels to a summit sanctuary. The construction bricks were bigger on the bottom levels than on the upper levels.

Some stone bricks had chipped showing evidence of the pinkish colour this structure once was. What a sparkling sight it must have been in its heyday!

There were still a lot of reliefs etched into the bricks.

There were elephant statues on the corners of the levels and lion statues guarding the staircases. The threshold of the staircases were elaborately shaped and had etching on the risers.

This temple stood on a little island, surrounded by a tranquil moat.

That evening we went back to Angkor Wat to see the sunset against the temple. As mentioned above, I think the sunset is nicer than the sunrise.

SIDE NOTE: There were often no toilets at the temple sites. We were directed to their FOREST TOILET. Beware of bushes with thorns.

Microbial biofilms have been found degrading sandstone at these magnificent temples. The bacteria can produce organic acids that degrade the stone. I am blessed to have seen these glorious structures before time eats them away to memory.