Wats, Monks and Tourists of Angkor

Hello there viewer! 

The photographs that follow will take you to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The exploration of this UNESCO World Heritage site was part of my most recent trip to Southeast Asia. Enjoy. This is backpacking at its finest, albeit the heat. 

The typical itinerary of a one-day trip to this Archaeological Park consists of the three most famous temples namely Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (Bayon Temple) and Ta Prohm. This area is a conglomeration of Buddhist and Hindu temples, most of which already restored to good shape. I am not sure if it is worth your time visiting the other temples. After all, they all look the same. All made of rock, each with its own bit of history.

I expected the temples to be full of orange-robed monks. I was clearly mistaken, the halls were filled with people from all parts of the world. And like the Philippines, the top tourists visiting were the Koreans, Chinese and Japanese. What is with the East Asians invasion???

Beautiful sunrise beside Angkor Wat

One of the rare monk encounters

That structure on the 12 o'clock position is a library without books.

These statues supposedly represent animal hybrids in their more famous attributes.  

Angkor Wat silhouette

Angkor Thom's gates are lined up by multiple statues seemingly guarding the gate.

Official UNESCO Mondial

Pillars at Bayon

Some East Asian tourists

How many faces do you see? Stone faces were patterned from a single face but each carved by a different artist.

Meet my travel buddy, StarApple. 

My brother's back against a Bayon background

On the sides are neglected temple structures

Trees have penetrated the walls of this temple. Ta Prohm has been immortalized in the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Look closely, when you see it. It smirks right at you.

Do you know the difference between a Hindu and a Buddhist temple? One requires you to go up the stairs reaching highest point of the temple for worship. One assumes everything to be on equal footing.