TLI 09 - Angkor Wat day 1 (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

TRAVEL LOG - THAILAND AND INDOCHINA (ENTRY 09) ANGKOR - The Lost City Ladies and Gentleman, here's the reason why we came to Cambodia: Angkor Wat! Yesterday, after walking for about 40 minutes, we found this guesthouse: Hao Sotha (Siem Reap) It's very cheap and it has everything we need. Private toilet, fan and on top of all, a socket. It might sound silly but it's hard to find a socket here. We are only spending 21 thousand reais per night. And if you think 21 thousand reais is expensive, that's because you are thinking Brazilian Reais. The currency of Cambodia has the same name: Cambodian Riels. Converting to Brazilian Reais, it'd be less than 10 reais (5 dollars /3 pounds) The city of Angkor is just 6 km away from Siem Reap. There are many ways to get there but the best and cheapest one, for only 2 dollars, is... ... the bicycle. 15 minutes later... We are at the entrance of the lost city of Angkor, not as lost as it used to be, Capitalism has found it and the price is in dollars (as everywhere else here in Cambodia). The ticket costs $20 for one day (£13), $40 for two or three days (£25) and $60 for a week (£38) and it's probably worth every penny. With an area of about 400 km², Angkor was the capital of the Khmer empire from the 9th to the 13th century. In 1431, a Thai attack forced it's population to move south, to the area of Phnom Phen, the current capital. The city was then abandoned and it's over one thousand temples were left to the mercy of the forest. For nearly 500 years, Angkor was only a legend until the late 19th century when the french explorer Henri Mouhot brought it back to the world map and restoration works started to bring this magnificent empire back to life. Angkor Wat Surrounded by a moat with an extension of over 3.5 km, Angkor Wat was the main temple in a city with 1 milion people, in a time when London had only about 30 thousand inhabitants. Stamped in the Cambodian National Flag, Ankor Wat is the biggest religious monument in the world. With hundreds of temples to chose from, we've jumped back to our bicycles and headed north. In the middle of the way, though, we were forced to stop and register the powerful sound of the jungle. F***ck! That's loud! Further ahead, we stopped again. This time, to interact with the most primitive inhabitants of Angkor, the wild monkeys. Angkor Thom Also surrounded by a moat and with a total area of 9 km², Angkor Thom boasts exuberant gates in the four cardinal points. Bayon Built by the king Jayavarman VII, the main temple in Angkor Thom is the Bayon. Originally built with 49 towers, all of them are engraved with the same face you'll find all over Angkor Thom. Recent studies shows that this enigmatic face is a mixture between that of the king Jayavarman VII, with the complacent face of Buddha. Just like the All Seeing Eye, no matter where you are, you'll be left with the disturbing feeling that you are being watched. On our way out from the Bayon, we got hit by a torrential rain and forced to put the camera away. Believing it was over, we hit the road again just to be stricken by another wave of heavy rain. We then ran to the nearest shelter. A building unknown to us and that'd have gone completely unnoticed, wasn't for the rain. Suor Prat Towers Suor Prat Towers and the vision of the paradise on earth Luckily, we are not made out of paper. But our map was and melted down. As a result, when the time came to go back to the hotel, instead of going south to Siem Reap, we headed east, pedaling 40 km more than we should have in between giant insects and unfit roads in absolute blackout. F***cking ***!