The Temples of Angkor

And there I stood, awestruck and in love, in front of a crumbling temple, 100 feet high. Our guide book had given this temple, our first temple, an unimpressive grade of 3 out of 10, which made me shiver with expectation, and anxious to explore deeper into the Temples of Angkor.

Not even high on the list of most-impressive temples.

Storms would roll in every evening, sometimes catching us without shelter.

A stop for gas. This woman had liquor bottles filled with petrol at the roadside.

Venomous? Non-venomous? At home I would investigate…here, not so much.

Banteay Srei

Crossing the Siem Reap river, a tributary of the Tonle Sap, to the gates of Angkor Thom.

The bridge into and defenders of the Angkor Thom complex.

Entering Angkor Thom.

Sneaking around Bayon.

The ever-popular faces of Bayon Temple.

Transporting some pigs.

The size of my hand…

Ta Prohm - if I had to choose a favorite temple, this would be it.

More in Ta Prohm.

The beer caps proudly show Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s biggest claim to fame.

Bas reliefs line the inside walls of Angkor Wat.

Inside an ancient royal swimming pool at Angkor Wat.

The center of Angkor Wat.

Breezeway at Angkor Wat. The perfect place to slow down and read.

The infamous Smiling Apsara.

Monk on the grounds of Angkor Wat.

We had to climb through some bushes we knew better than to climb through…

Making new friends at Pre Rup.

Our advice: spend as much time exploring the Temples of Angkor as possible. You can not possibly see them all, even with the 7-day pass. Every site is unique and stunning, with different stories, different surroundings, and different reliefs.

VERDICT: Mostly Harmless - but you will kick yourself later if you short yourself on time.