Cambodia: Temples and Ruins that will make you want to go and see for yourself (Day 1 and 2)

I often tell my husband @starthere that with all the natural disasters like earthquakes, floods and more becoming more frequent these days, that we should make it a priority to travel to places that have old structures while they are still somehow intact. Cambodia is just in our neighborhood and Siem Reap is the gateway to the ruins of the Angkor, the seat of Khmer Kingdom from the 9th to 15th centuries.

I did a little bit of study before we traveled, watched a lot of documentaries about Angkor Wat as well as the ruins that surround it. It got more and more fascinated and excited. I also did research on off the beaten path locations that would make the trip unique.

I will be sharing our 4 day Itinerary in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Day 1: Koh Ker and Bang Maleaa

We hired a car, a driver, and a guide for the entirety of the trip. We started on the first morning at around 8:00-8:30 am. First stop: a 2 hour ride out of town to see Koh Ker. It is said that only about two dozen monuments can be visited by tourists here because most of the sanctuaries are hidden in the forest and the whole area has not yet been fully demined.

Seven tiered pyramid at Koh Ker known as Prasat Thom

Khmer kids hanging out at the entrance of Prasat Thom

A Khmer woman sitting and stitching - also in the entrance of Prasat Thom

Kids playing hide and seek in the old ruins

Some smaller temples that can be found along the way.
There are no words to describe how beautiful these are or how brutal nature can be when it decides to takes over.

We took a break over lunch time and went into a local restaurant to try a famous Khmer dish, Fish Amok. A steamed fish curry served in a coconut. Served with a hot bowl of rice and it was delicious!

We went on to the next the next destination, Bang Maleea. Bang Meleea is a temple that was long lost and forgotten and it had completely fallen to ruins. The jungle nevertheless adopted the ruins and trees grew upon the ancient buildings. For years it was difficult to reach, but a road recently built to the temple complex of Koh Ker passes Bang Maleea and more visitors are coming to the site.

It is relatively peaceful and quiet, set amidst the shady greenery. Visiting the temple actually involves climbing over the rubble and ducking under the doorways.

More Khmer kids plays hide and seek among these ruins. This is their playground.

Day 2 : Bantey Kdei, Ta Phrom, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Bayon Temples, South Gate Angkor Tom

Ruined Temple of Bantey Kdei. These saffron robed monks really makes the photo more interesting.

The question for someone visiting Siem Reap is: How many temples can you digest? (that's me by the way!)

Vendors selling colorful artworks at the entrance of Tah Phrom.

Ta Phrom was built around the late 12th and early 13th century. Fig, banyan, and kapok trees spread their roots over stones, tearing the walls apart.

Ta Phrom is quite famous because Tomb Raider was filmed here.

Very old Sanskrit carved on the temple walls of Terrace of the Elephants

Phimeanakas was built around late 10th century and early 11th century. According to the legend, the King would have to go every night to the top of the structure alone where he would meet a Naga girl (a mythical Hindu serpent deity). If the king didn't show up to meet her, disaster would strike his empire!

Climbing at the top of Phimeanakas in the middle of the day wasn't the best idea. We went there around 11-ish so the sun was high and it was hot. Maybe if we went late in the afternoon,it would have been perfect.

Baphuon Temple. Look closely and you will see the face of the reclining Buddah.

Bayon Temple was probably one of my favorite. It just took my breath away the moment I saw it.

There are 216 happy faces carves on its temple.

Beautiful carved wall of Bayon Temple which shows the everyday life of the Khmers.

To end the day, we went to the South Gate Angkor Tom to watch the sunset, still saving Angkor Wat for the last day.

Watch out for the Day 3 and 4 itinerary at Siem Reap, coming soon!