Siem Reap and Angkor - Day 1

Years of staring longingly at pictures and models of Angkor Wat, months of research, weeks of planning and finally the day arrived - the day we were actually going to see Angkor Wat!

To be honest, Angkor Wat is just one among the dozen or more fantastic temples and monasteries found in the Angkor region. But it was Angkor Wat that lured tourists from far and near. It is the symbol on the flag of Cambodia. It is the largest hindu temple in the world and I heard no camera has been able to capture the entire breadth of this humongous temple.

It remained virtually unknown to the world until the 21st century when its photographs were published to the western world and the entire Angkor region became a UNESCO heritage sight. And that's when tourists started trickling and then flocking in to see this majestic sight. Today, it remains the most identifiable sight in the world.

Many countries, including France (largest presence), Japan and India, have been involved in clearing and restoring the temples. With the unrest during Khmer Rouge work on these temples were temporarily stopped before being resumed. Post Khmer Rouge there was also the job of clearing land mines. Thankfully, all the tourist frequented spots are land mine free today.

After reaching late the previous night by China Eastern Airlines through Shanghai, our 2 hour ahead body clocks woke us all up as early as 6 AM. We were out to have breakfast by 7:30 and were picked up by our tuk-tuk driver at 8:30 (considered late by Cambodian standards as most of them were already at the temples by 7:30). Our first stop was the ticket office to purchase our 3-day Angkor Pass. A few minutes of wait, our pictures taken and we were out holding our 3 day pass! 

I had heard about how humid and hot the weather was but we soon discovered that riding the tuk-tuk we actually felt cool in the breeze. 

Srah Srang

Our first proper sight-seeing stop was Srah Srang - the Royal Bath. An expansive stretch of water (not the most expansive, however), with a terrace built using sandstone and laterite between the 12th-13th centuries. Though the spot was famous for sunrise, it still looked serene and peaceful in the nearly mid-day sun. The terrace was flanked by nagas and lions. As with all steps in Angkor, they were quite steep. 

Banteay Kdei

We then walked across from Srah Srang to Banteay Kdei's east entrance, which was also built around the same time. Though I've read about how big it was, I was taken in by it's size. After a long walk from the east facing gopura with it's face of the Lokeshvara, we arrived at a nearly deserted temple. Walking across the terrace bordered by naga balustrades, we entered the roof less temple and gaped in awe at the layout, the courtyards and the beautiful carvings of apsaras among others on the walls. There was a huge silk cotton tree at the western end of the temple facing a pond. Though there were a few headless Buddhas, no one was quite sure to whom this temple was dedicated.

The east Gopura with the face of Lokeshwara

An inner courtyard at Banteay Kdei

The silk cotton tree at the western face of the temple

Some of the amazing carvings and statues at Banteay Kdei

We then met our tuk tuk driver at the western entrance and rode it to our next stop.

Thommanon and Chao Say Tevoda

Chao Say Tevoda

Two very compact temples on either side of the road both were similar and built in the 11th-12th centuries. It was nice to get a picture of a complete temple in one shot. This was also nearly deserted and had perhaps a handful of tourists until a tour bus arrived after which we left in haste!

There were lot of trees and most of Thommanon was in the shade. So we allowed ourselves a short break and sat ourselves on the remains of the laterite wall and stared  at the small but stunning temple.

Thommanon

After crossing the road we spent quite a bit of time at Chao Say Tevoda, exploring the different sanctuaries. It seemed slightly different from Thommanon with a neat causeway leading to the eastern sanctuary. There was shade in front of the temple but not otherwise and it was getting very hot. While waiting for some tourists to finish taking their pictures I put my copy of the Ancient Angkor book on the causeway, only to forget it and leave it behind.

Angkor Thom

Most of what we know today about Angkor and the life back then are through the accounts of a Chinese traveler, Zhou Daguan, who visited and stayed in Angkor Thom in the late 13th century. 

Angkor Thom was an ultra large city by his accounts. It had over 1 million people living in it at its peak. It had 5 gates and encompasses an area of roughly 900 hectares covered by 4 walls of 3 kms each in the four directions. It houses impressive ruins, the most popular of which is the Bayon.

Victory Entrance at Angkor Thom

We were hot and tired by this time and we decided to break for lunch. Our tuk tuk driver took us through the victory gate of Angkor Thom to a large eatery across the Elephant terrace, perhaps catered to by different kitchens. We were seated under some fans and quickly ordered two very large refreshing coconuts! They were humongous and even after sharing it among four of us we struggled to finish it. The Amok was of average quality. After our restroom breaks and some shopping (who can avoid it when it's right across!), we were on our way to visit the terraces during the hottest part of the day!

Souvenir shop right across the eatery

Good place to buy some elephant pants for $2

Terrace of the Elephants and Leper King

Terrace of the Elephants

Arriving here in the mid-day sun, we weren't too thrilled with the carvings here. We walked in the shade between the terraces and soon wanted to move on.The terraces are believed to receive victorious armies through the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom.

We passed by some more ruins on our walk to the Bayon which we had no clue what they were as we had lost our prized possession - Ancient Angkor. Our tuk tuk driver wasn't too forthcoming about making the trip back to Chao Say Tevoda and dissuaded us saying it'd have been taken by someone else. A brand new book.. perhaps resold to unsuspecting tourists.

Bayon

Built between the 12th-13th centuries by Jayavarman, Bayon was over run by the jungle when it was rediscovered in the early 20th century. The trees that had grown out of the temple had to be cleared to ensure the temple remained standing. It is believed that the temple was built over a period of time with many chambers and sanctuaries added much later on.

Bayon from the reflecting pool on the south

We made our way across to the northern entrance of one of the most popular and photographed monuments in the Angkor region. As we approached the entrance all we could see was a muddle of grey stones. Climbing up some steep stairs, we soon found ourselves looking at some wooden stairs that were leading up to the terrace but with a "no entry" sign. So we walked around to the east of the temple crossing chamber after chamber where we found a lone Shiva Linga. 

Doorways of the chambers inside Bayon

A lone Shiva Linga in one of the east facing chambers

We soon found the way to head up to the terrace and we gladly raced up stairs to look at the faces of Avalokitesvara. 200 of them, smiling down benignly at the tourists who crane their necks to take in the majestic sight. 

We let our imaginations drift.. perhaps these heads would be sharing stories from the day long after the tourists were gone a la "Night at The Museum"? Sharing funny incidents, perhaps a joke about the silly, insignificant tourists?

We spent quite a lot of time on the terrace in spite of the heat. There was some shade available and we sat ourselves to people watch and that included the faces of Avalokitesvara!

We then took the western stairway down only to be mobbed by an arriving Asian tour group. The stairs had no railing and was quite steep and I was afraid of being knocked over by the eager tourists. I sat down right on the stairs to let them pass before heading back down for a bottle of refreshing cold water in the tuk -tuk.

Devas churning the milk ocean near the south gate of Angkor Thom

We then took the south gate with the Devas and Asuras churning the milk ocean to the grand finale of the day's touring - The Angkor Wat!

Angkor Wat

Nothing really prepares you for the sight of this majestic temple. H-U-M-O-N-G-O-U-S !!  Built in the first half of the 12th century by Jayavarman, it was intentionally built facing west. Due to this many believe it to be a funerary temple. The temple measures 1.5km x 1.3km and is supposed to have contained a city in addition to the temple. The moat, the tiered temple galleries and the quincunx of towers were supposed to signify the mythical Mount Meru of Hinduism, the centre of the Universe. 

Angkor Wat from the floating bridge

Angkor Wat was largely well preserved in comparison to other temples as many Khmer people continued to inhabit its premises and the super large moat also helped in keeping the jungle growth away.

The original causeway was under restoration so we made our way over the moat on a floating bridge. Needless to say, the moat is huge. It can pass off for a river! 

The statue of Lord Vishnu in the outer gallery

We entered the outer gallery on the far south and walked across to see the idol of Lord Vishnu, perceived to be the originally inside the central sanctum of this majestic temple. The person whom this temple was built for, before being moved away when the country and it's people embraced Buddhism. 

Everyone wants a picture here!

We then made our way to the most crowded spot - the pond on the left with a reflection of the five towers of Angkor. When we set up our tripod, some kind guides offered us some suggestions on the angle and pointed out how to get the five towers and their reflections. So we clicked a zillion pics before we moved on back to the causeway and to the main temple.

Angkor Wat from the causeway

The access to the main temple was from the cruciform terrace which was elevated a few steps from the causeway. On entering the temple, the entrance was flanked by a cloister that had 2 pools on either side. Bang in the middle of the cloister the compass on an iPhone displayed 0 degrees exactly - the centre of the universe, indeed!

We then took the stairs directly ahead to reach the next level of the temple which opened into a large open courtyard and the view of the central gallery gleaming in the setting sun.

The central gallery and three of the five towers

The sun was at an angle and the main towers and the central gallery was nicely lit. We walked around to the east to join the queue to go up to the top gallery when we were told our younger daughter would not be allowed inside as she was under 12. So one of us had to stay behind and that happened to be me. I never got a chance to go up as they closed entry by 5 pm. One reason to make another trip!

One of the corner towers, sanctuary and steps gleaming in the setting sun

The steep steps to one of the corner towers

We made our way to the north-western gallery to watch the sun dipping below the horizon behind the library.

Sunset from Angkor Wat

It was pretty dark by this time and we carefully climbed back through the cloister to the entrance before we were hastened to leave by the Apsara personnel.

Entrance Cloisters

As we made our way out of Angkor Wat through the causeway and the moat we realised that we did not see the whole temple, especially the bas reliefs in the outer gallery. That's 2 reasons to make another trip!

We were completely drained and tired with only a few hours of sleep the previous night. The only thing to look forward to that night was dinner at the Haven. 

We reached our hotel on Taphul Street at about 6:30 pm and soon refreshed ourselves before taking a tuk tuk to Haven in Chocolate Road. I made reservations through email just a couple of days before and though I had it planned for the next evening I had to movie it up as they were full. 

Dinner at Haven

We were seated in the balcony as I had requested in my email and were presented with the menu by a charming Khmer girl. There were ample vegetarian choices and enough variety to please my rice-unfriendly girls! And of course we had to have coconut!

The food was absolutely delicious! The best food I ever had in Cambodia and I sure would have gone back the next night if they hadn't been full!

After dinner we walked to Angkor Mini Mart to pick up some basics and I had to use offline Google Maps to direct the tuk tuk driver to our hotel!

Quite a long day, extremely well spent, we retired with a heart brimming with satisfaction and a body that was already supposed to be in deep sleep by it's clock!

Day 2 - Ta Prohm, Grand circuit and an evening in town >>>

Top 10 FREE London attractions and experiences

The quintessential London experience that’s absolutely free! Yes, you heard it right! 

London can be an expensive city. The cost of transport isn't cheap either. Entrance to some of the popular attractions range from £20 per adult. However, thankfully, London has many world class attractions that are absolutely free to visit and experience. It could take anywhere from 3 to 5 days just to visit the free attractions that London has to offer. If you are on a tight budget this is the way to go!

If you have some must see sights that need an entrance ticket, you do not have to forgo them. Every sight is worth it's spend. Being one of the oldest cities in the world, many buildings need regular up keeping and maintenance. You are only paying a small contribution towards that!

Here are the Top 10 Free Attractions in London!

Tower Bridge

The Tower Bridge

Built for about 8 years, Tower Bridge across the Thames was opened in 1894 and since then has been perhaps the most important icon of London. Towering 65 meters above the muddy brown waters of the Thames, this is one of the most photographed bridges in the world. Views of the bridge from the Tower pier and the north bank is as impressive as from the south bank. You can also time your visit to see the bridge lift to allow certain ships to pass. Check http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/lift-times/ for the bridge lift times. From the Tower Pier, walk along the cobbled foot path on the north bank along the Tower of London for enchanting views of the bridge and the South bank, where you can see the London city hall, the Shard and HMS Belfast.. Climb the stairs up to access the Tower Bridge and walk across to the south bank for views of the north bank - the glittering new commercial buildings alongside the century old Tower of London.

Allow: 30 - 60 minutes (if you are not taking the paid tour to top of the Tower Bridge)

Tower Hill

Fenchurch Street

Tower Gateway

St. Paul’s Cathedral & the Millennium Bridge

St. Paul's Cathedral from the Millennium Bridge at sunset

To visit the St. Paul’s Cathedral on a Sunday is absolutely free. No pictures are allowed inside the cathedral so unless you are very interested in exploring every part of the interior or interested in taking a guided tour, you might as well visit on a Sunday. Sometimes there is a service going on or even a choir. The interiors are brilliant and it takes only a few minutes to experience the atmosphere. Built in the late 17th century by Sir Christopher Wren, the St. Paul’s Cathedral sits on Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the city of London. This also happened to be the tallest building in London until 1967. Reminiscent of the Capitol building in Washington DC, St. Paul’s dome is a prominent icon in the skyline of London. The views of the dome are impressive from the Millennium Bridge. The pedestrian only bridge also offers views of other bridges and iconic buildings along the river Thames. There's also the One New Change mall right behind St. Paul's if you want to do some shopping.

Allow: 30 minutes

St. Paul’s

Trafalgar Square & National Gallery

Trafalgar Square and National Gallery with the Norwegian Christmas Tree

Trafalgar Square is a large square in the city of Westminster with the National gallery at one end. This also happens to be the junction from which several roads lead to other important areas of London. To the right of National Gallery is the mall which heads to Buckingham Palace. To the left is the Strand which heads off to St. Paul’s and east London. Just ahead the road to Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament. Behind the National Gallery is the National Portrait Gallery and Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. There are two large fountains in the square. The Nelson Column at one end of the square has statues of 4 large lions. Trafalgar Square is the beneficiary of a large christmas tree from Norway every year during the holiday season. A place that was infested with pigeons until the last millennia was eventually recovered at the beginning of the 21st century.

The National Gallery is home to some of the top masterpieces of art in the world and unlike the top art galleries of mainland Europe, it’s absolutely free to visit. Artists whose works have found their home in the National Gallery include Leornado da Vinci, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Michelangelo, Van Gogh and Rembrandt. A map can be picked up for a small donation at the entrance.

Allow: 2-3 hours (or more if you can stare at art all day long!)

Charing Cross, Embankment

Charing Cross

Southbank, Big Ben and Westminster

The landmarks of London and South bank from the Golden Jubilee bridge

Nowhere is more happening than London's South Bank and the Queen’s walk. Stretching north and then east from the Westminster bridge, the south bank boasts of street performers, a carousel, restaurants, the London Eye, Shrek, Sealife aquarium among other things along with some of the best views of London. Start at the Golden Jubilee bridge (along the railway lines to Charing Cross station) which offers views of the Thames with two of the famous icons of London - the London Eye and the Big Ben - on either side of the river. Climb down the steps and turn left towards the Royal Festival Hall for restaurants or turn right for some of the top paid attractions in London. Continue along the Queen’s Walk and just south of the Westminster Bridge is an unhindered view of the Big Ben and the British houses of Parliament. The clock on Big Ben chimes every 15 minutes but you would want to catch it on the hour where the chimes representing the hour are preceded by the famous Big Ben musical chime. An active and happening area, one can spend hours people watching or ferry watching. 

Allow: 1-2 hours

Westminster, Embankment, Waterloo

Charing Cross, Waterloo

British Museum

The Great Court of the British museum

One of the largest museums in the world with about 8 million works, the British Museum has collections from all the continents. From real mummies from 3400 BC to a colossal bust of Rameses II from 1250 BC, from the Rosetta Stone to an Easter Island statue, vases from the Ming Dynasty to stone structures from India, it would take more than a day to finish viewing every item on display here. Visit http://britishmuseum.org/visiting/planning_your_visit.aspx to get an idea and plan your visit before you do so. Unlike many of it’s counterparts across the world, the British Museum does not cost a penny to visit.

Allow: Half a day for a whistle stop tour of the top displays, 1 day for covering a reasonable part of the museum and 2 days to see every exhibit

Tottenham Court Road, Holborn or Russell Square

Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria and Albert museum

The central hall of the Natural History Museum

Located in the museum corner of London, i.e., South Kensington, the three museums are located adjacent to each other and can be entered absolutely free, This often means long queues to enter and huge crowds especially in the Natural History museum. 

The Natural History Museum is housed in an impressive building which in itself is a great photo-op. The dinosaur collection is the most popular exhibit in this museum. Some of the specimens collected by Charles Darwin are also present here. 

The Science museum is located right next to the Natural History Museum and has an impressive collection of objects on display including R L Stevenson’s Rocket - one of the earliest steam engines, a working copy of Charles Babbage’s Difference engine and documentation of the world’s first typewriter. 

The Victoria and Albert museum houses a collection of decorative arts and design. It has designs and works of arts from all over the world with separate galleries based on the nature of the materials used in addition to galleries representing the different cultures of the world.  

All the museums have hands-on exhibits to sustain interests of children.

Allow: 1/2 a day each or 3 in a day depending on how much interests you 

South Kensington

Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Covent Garden

Covent Garden decked up for Christmas

All time happening and crowded places in London, these three are located quite close to each other and also to Trafalgar Square.

Piccadilly Circus can be compared to NYC's Times Square. Colourful LED panels surrounded by Victorian buildings it is a major traffic junction from the 1800s. The Shaftesbury memorial fountain was added in the late 1800s. The area is shopping, restaurants and theatre galore. 

A little walk away is Leicester Square, a large open green space surrounded by more shops, restaurants and theatres. M&M's World, Lego Store and Nickelodeon are some of the stores that draw children (and some adults) like a magnet. The Lego Store has a few London-inspired models like the Big Ben and the Underground train. The Lego Store is home to the Mosaic maker where you can have a Lego blocks kit to match your portrait. Do bear in mind that it doesn't come cheap! During school and other holidays there's often a large queue to enter the Lego store.

Covent Garden is a covered former fruit and vegetable market but a happening restaurant, shops and touristy market now. The site dates from 7th century while the building was built in 1830 to organise the market better. Flanked by the Royal Opera House, the Drury Lane theatre and also the London Transport Museum, Covent Garden has street side performers and also a huge tree during the holiday season.

Allow: 2-3 hours

Piccadilly, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Embankment

Charing Cross

Oxford Circus and Regent Street

Shop, shop, shop; Shop till you drop! The most popular area in London for Shopping. Every store has its presence here including the Mecca of toys called Hamley's. There's also the Disney store decorated with props representing their latest release and UK Disney souvenirs. There's John Lewis, there's Debenhams, there's Selfridges, H&M.. well, even a Primark! There are ton of souvenir shops too with some of them have reasonably priced  merchandise.

Allow: 1-2 hours for a walk through, 3-4 hours for visiting a few of the stores and a couple of days for a serious shopper!

Oxford Circus, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Marble Arch

The Sky Garden

Views over London from The Sky Garden

20 Fenchurch Street, or the more adorable name for it locally, the walkie-talkie tower, rises unassumingly among a group of short storied buildings. A well-known landmark in the new and changing skyline of central London, it opened it's top floor, called The Sky Garden, to the public just over a year ago. The gallery and terrace offers views from Canary Wharf to the Wembley Stadium and everything in between. 

Click here for information on visiting this free but enthralling attraction.

Allow: 1-2 hours

Monument, Bank, Tower Hill

 Fenchurch Street

 Tower Gateway

The Royal Parks of London

Winter Wonder at Hyde Park

It rarely snows in London and hence the grass is always green in London. St. James Park, Hyde Park, Regent's Park, Kensington Gardens - take your pick! All the parks are very well maintained and offer beautiful landscaping, water bodies and fountains. There's also the Winter Wonderland happening in Hyde Park in winter.

Allow: A short break for a picnic if the weather is good and/or you want to rest your feet and 2-3 hours if you're interested in the Winter Wonderland

Marble Arch, Hyde Park Corner for Hyde Park; St. James' park for St. James Park; Regent's Park, Great Portland Street and Baker Street for Regent's Park; Lancaster Gate, Queensway and South Kensington for Kensington Gardens

(Bonus)  Greenwich Royal Observatory Park

Views from the Royal Observatory

Though technically not in London, Greenwich's Observatory is just a few stops away on the underground/DLR or the ThamesLink. The sprawling park and the hill on which the Royal Observatory is located offers lovely views across the Thames to Canary Wharf, Millennium Dome and the Emirates Air Line. Though it costs to enter the Observatory for a glimpse of the Prime Meridian, ( it is available at a lot of other points across the world for free), Greenwich is home to the Greenwich Mean Time or GMT.

Greenwich

 Greenwich

Greenwich Pier

These attractions could keep you busy, perhaps, even during your entire stay in the city. London is the only city in the world that offers these many world standard attractions for free!