# The Temples Of Angkor Wat



## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

I've just managed to talk a friend into spending a few days in Siem Reap, from where you can spend as much time as you like exploring the unbelievable temples of Angkor Wat. I had the privilege of doing the same a couple of years ago and was just reminiscing with my pictures and thought I might bore you all with some of them, sorry! I'm certainly not showing off my photography skills as you'll see but hopefully the subject matter will make up for that! These were all taken with my trusty little Samsung point and shoot. Simple as it is, I still didn't know what I was doing with it at the time.

Our trip began in Thailand and we had the choice of either flying to Siem Reap or taking the notorious road route. We crossed the border by road.










The road trip is notorious because there isn't actually a road, more a part time, cratered dirt track which took our unlicensed driver 3 hours to complete going a minimum of 70mph all the way. The conspiracy theory goes that Bangkok Airlines pay the Cambodian Govt not to build a road to make sure everyone takes their flights - they are the only airline flying into Siem Reap. After 3 hours of bouncing around, and about 5km out of town, this was always going to happen










Anyway, after a couple of skirmishes with the local tuk-tuk drivers, we made it into town and finally found a hotel to spend the night. On the back of the bedroom door was this, not your usual fire escape procedure notice










I have reconsidered what I was going to write there because of our friends at GCHQ.


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

The temples were built between 900 and 1400AD by the Kymer's. They are all named individually and spread out over the space of a city, the main temple being called Angkor Wat. These were forgotten by history and only rediscovered in the early 1900's by which time the jungle had engulfed much of it (literally) and since then the Kymer Rouge saw fit to destroy much of it.

This is the approach to Angkor Wat. The wall around it the temple is about 2 miles long in total and is surrounded by a man made moat.


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)




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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)




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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)




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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

Are you bored yet?!

Here's some of the other temples, alas I cannot put a name to all of them...


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)




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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

That was day one, before heading back for dinner...


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

Perhaps one of the most famous and best examples of where the jungle had really taken over the temples is Ta Phrom, real raiders of the lost ark territory




























I'll leave it there for now as I could go on forever, I must have taken over a thousand pictures of the place and I've bored you enough already.

Back to work tomorrow.


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

KrispyDK said:


>


I'm not sure what this third icon means. "No drugs, no bubbles, no chewing gum?" "No drugs, no soda pop, no rolling papers?"



KrispyDK said:


>


My favorite pic....



KrispyDK said:


> That was day one, before heading back for dinner...


Ah,... dinner! :sly:


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

David Spalding said:


> Ah,... dinner! :sly:


I'm pleased to inform you that no animals were hurt or injured in the making of that photograph. Believe it or not, those pigs were still alive!


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## ketiljo (Apr 22, 2009)

Brilliant pictures! I was there some 11 years ago. At that point, there was only one "luxury" (read=expensive), which of course we didn't stay one. Instead, we stayed at a guesthouse, having "happy chicken soup" for supper. The road from the Thai-Cambonidan border took us 12 hours since it was during the rainy season and we had to change "car" several times since the bridges where gone. Great trip, in retrospective though. I loved the temples. I guess they are more crowded now than before, but for such a big area, there's plenty of room.

cheers,

Ketil


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

ketiljo said:


> Brilliant pictures! I was there some 11 years ago. At that point, there was only one "luxury" (read=expensive), which of course we didn't stay one. Instead, we stayed at a guesthouse, having "happy chicken soup" for supper. The road from the Thai-Cambonidan border took us 12 hours since it was during the rainy season and we had to change "car" several times since the bridges where gone. Great trip, in retrospective though. I loved the temples. I guess they are more crowded now than before, but for such a big area, there's plenty of room.
> 
> cheers,
> 
> Ketil


12 hours down that road?! I'm glad our 'driver' floored it all the way then! I'm glad we took the road rather than flying, it certainly added to the adventure.

Looking at some of the pictures online now it looks like there's a lot more barriers/restrictions around the temples, which is understandable especially if it does grow in popularity. When I was there you could clamber over, under and through anything you like.

Oh, those happy pizza's! 'You want happy, or very happy?'.

Very happy my good man!


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

ketiljo said:


> Brilliant pictures! I was there some 11 years ago. At that point, there was only one "luxury" (read=expensive), which of course we didn't stay one. Instead, we stayed at a guesthouse, having "happy chicken soup" for supper. The road from the Thai-Cambonidan border took us 12 hours since it was during the rainy season and we had to change "car" several times since the bridges where gone. Great trip, in retrospective though. I loved the temples. I guess they are more crowded now than before, but for such a big area, there's plenty of room.
> 
> cheers,
> 
> Ketil


12 hours down that road?! I'm glad our 'driver' floored it all the way then! I'm glad we took the road rather than flying, it certainly added to the adventure.

Looking at some of the pictures online now it looks like there's a lot more barriers/restrictions around the temples, which is understandable especially if it does grow in popularity. When I was there you could clamber over, under and through anything you like.

Oh, those happy pizza's! 'You want happy, or very happy?'.

Very happy my good man!


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## med (Feb 14, 2011)

love the last one in that set. Great photos!


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

med said:


> love the last one in that set. Great photos!


Cheers! Just wish I knew what I was doing with the camera at the time!


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## sam. (Mar 24, 2010)

This is my favorite!










What a magical place,well worth a visit,great photography.


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

sam. said:


> This is my favorite!
> 
> What a magical place,well worth a visit,great photography.


Thanks Sam.

It is a wondrous place and I would recommend going there to anyone. We travelled throughout the country and the scars of their recent history can be seen everywhere - both on the buildings and the people. The majority of the people have nothing and their families have been through hell, yet they all have a smile for you. Some of the nicest people on earth.


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## med (Feb 14, 2011)

KrispyDK said:


> med said:
> 
> 
> > love the last one in that set. Great photos!
> ...


That's the sort of thing that comes with loads of practice. Cliche maybe, but true.


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