Cambodia
Angkor, What?
Angkor Wat deserves a feature on its own. I used to draw it a lot during architectural classes at the university. Its magnificence captivated me long before I visited Tour d'Eiffel Memories of Angkor Wat are kept deep in my subconscious in the company of Machu Picchu and Jordan's Petra. I remember feeling excited in the tuk-tuk that morning on our way there.
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| Entrance to Angkor Wat |
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| We hired a tour guide, this time. |
Wat means "temple" in Khmer. It's 6 km north of Siem Reap. It was built as a Hindu Temple in the 12th Century for King Suyavarman II, which took approximately 30 years. A few centuries later converted into a Buddhist Temple. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest religious monument in the world. Tourists start their explorations at sunrise. We started ours around 9AM. The moat surrounding it paves a grand entrance towards the gateway to this majestic temple. The accurate methods of construction fascinate me. At a time when they hardly have tools or the technology to build and create intricate works of art, they simply did it in such a massive scale. It is said to be 208 hectares or 500 acres in rectangular area.
The biggest tip I'd like to share which I failed to acquire prior to our visit was to wear trousers. Anything that would cover the knees since it's a religious site and there are checkpoints before climbing the tower to ensure tourists observe this rule. I ended up paying USD$20 for a wrap around skirt which I will probably never wear again.
But you know what? It's still worth it. To see this grand architectural masterpiece, it made me really happy.
Love & light,
Arni
3 comments
What a gorgeous birds-eye view on that first photo
ReplyDeleteI remember it being so overwhelmingly hot when I visited and thus didn't enjoy it as much as I could and should've! It's great to see this and I look forward to re-visit in the future. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the lily pad photo! Sucks to have had to buy that skirt! :(
ReplyDelete