Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom

What could have been a better start to the day than Angkor Wat at sunrise!  Everyone was up and ready to head out of the hotel at 5 a.m. to be able to have the best spots around the "pond" which used to be part of the moat around Angkor Wat for the sun rising at 5:45.  Such a beautiful site - weather still wasn't terribly hot and light drizzle of rain and one of the most amazing back drops I have seen in my life.  I'm sure everyone has seen pictures of this place - but to be here and see it first hand was spectacular.

Once the sun had risen, we proceeded to go inside and tour the site.  "Ton," our local guide, gave us a brief history of Angkor Wat along the way.

Angkor Wat, or Capital Wat, is a temple complex which stands on 402 acres and is the biggest religious monument in the world.  It was originally constructed in the early 12th century as a Hindu temple for the God Vishnu, but towards the end of the 12th century had converted to a Buddhist temple.  Another interesting fact about AngkorWat is that not only is it the largest religious monument in the world, it also is the only one to have remained a prominent religious center since it's beginning.

Unlike other temples in the region,, Angkor Wat has never been completely abandoned and is still in use today by Buddhists.  Part of the reason it is so well preserved is that it is completely surrounded by a large moat, so the jungle never could encroach upon it.

According to legend - the construction was ordered by Indra for his son's palace.  Some also believe that it was built in a day by divine architectures.  The construction actually began in the early 12th century and stopped shortly after King Suryavarman II - and many of the bas-reliefs were left incomplete.  Nearly 30 years after his death - Angkor (the city) was taken over by the Chams.


King Jayasvarman VII restored the kingdom, but moved the capital to Angkor Thom and Ba Yon temple became the new Capital temple, but as stated earlier - Angkor Wat remained in use.

After our walk around the grounds was over, we headed back to the hotel for a late breakfast and some down time before the afternoon activities.  Some of the kids took the opportunity to swim in the pool or get a massage or take a much needed nap after such an early morning.

 After our break, we headed off to lunch and then onto Angkor Thom. 

Angkor Thom was established in the late 12th Century by King J-7 (as the locals call him).  It is the last and longest lasting of the Khmer capitals.  At the center of this complex is Ba Yon - the Royal palace.  Ba Yon is notable for the stone faces carved each facing the cardinal points.  To get into Angkor Thom, you enter through 1 of 5 gates - one for each cardinal point or the Victory Gate leading to the Royal Palace.  Within this city, there are also 12 watch towers - 6 on each side of the Victory Gate, Elephant Terrace and Leper Terrace among other notable structures. 

After spending some time walking around the grounds, it was back to the hotel to rest and clean up for dinner where we were treated with a performance of local folk dances - which were almost lost due to the war - as there was only 1 survivor who knew the dances and she started teaching the dances again as to not lose them. 

After dinner, we had one quick trip to the night market and then back to the hotel to pack up and get ready for another early morning to catch our flight to Bangkok and the last leg of our journey - Thailand.