Australia
By COURTNEY TRENWITH
There is no denying that the temple of Angkor Wat is beautiful. In fact, I'd call it grand. But after seeing some of the nearby temples, it suddenly dropped a few notches on my "wow" radar.
The ruins of temples such as Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei and Preah Khan, with the thickest tree trunks I have ever seen protruding through the walls and strangler figs entwined with the darkened stones - all a result of the jungle reclaiming territory deserted by humans for centuries - are much more enchanting than their famous neighbour.
When our motorbike pulled up to the side of Bayon, the main temple in the ancient city of Angkor Thom, I could not help but gasp as I looked up to the overwhelming structure. Its dark colour and complex design, with almost 40 towers (there used to be 49, according to most historians), is captivating.
I felt nothing like this when I entered the large, yet strangely empty, ancient city of Angkor Wat.
I had a three-day ticket to explore the ancient capitals of the Khmer empire, which reigned over various parts of South East Asia from what is now known as north-western Cambodia, between the 9th and 15th centuries. Sound like a lot of temple gazing? It is, but, believe me, I could easily spend a week here.
The sheer size of the Angkor Archaeological Park, which includes about 30 temples and other significant structures in the main complex, two sites further north and the Roluos collection in the south-east, makes it difficult, though not impossible, to see all of the sites in a couple of days. The amazing detail and the need to slowly take in the enormity of the striking constructions also puts a serious strain on time.
I joined up with an American girl called Jill, who I met on the boat from Battambang to Siem Reap. We started with what was considered to be the most spectacular experience: sunrise over Angkor Wat.
Yes, it was pink and it was beautiful, particularly when the temple's five towers reflected in the basins. But although we left exploring the temple until the second day, this quick glimpse left me with an early feeling that it was not going to live up to its reputation.
After sunrise we hopped on the back of a motorbike and headed to the Roluos group of temples to the south-east of the main complex, because they were the first to be built. It was a fantastic taste of what was to come.
After lunch back in Siem Reap, we hired bicycles and pedalled back to the main complex. I was hesitant to take up the people-powered bike - it had been a long time - but the afternoon was a highlight of the three days, as we pushed along the relatively flat roads lined with gorgeous orange-leaved trees, towards Banteay Kdei and Ta Prohm.
I felt the magic of Machu Picchu return as I wandered through the temples, which have been partly left in the overgrown state in which they were found in the late 19th century.
On our second day, we hired a guide so we could have the opportunity to ask questions about any of the sites. After our humorous day on bicycles, we tried to convince Sah to do the tour on a bike, but he wasn't game. Instead we both hopped on the back of his motorbike and explored the two major cities of Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat.
Even after Sah's insightful and energetic (some might say overly-enthusiastic) tour of Angkor Wat, neither Jill nor I were more impressed. The temple complex is huge and each wall is covered in finely carved designs depicting religious scenes, including images of heaven and hell and various Gods, apsaras (celestial dancers), lotus flowers (which symbolise a woman's marital status) and various symbolic animals. (Although Jill and I were puzzled as to why a sacred place such as a temple would have scenes of war carved on its walls. We weren't convinced by Sah's explanation that the king wanted the people to know about past battles so they would protect the city).
As we exited the temple and returned along the causeway to the outer wall, I imagined large chariots carrying King Suryavarman II (he built Angkor Wat in the early 12th century) through the main gopura, with his soldiers marching in from the entrances either side. Pretty apsuras would be dancing in the courtyard and ordinary citizens giving their leader a welcome cheer.
The temple also looked grandeur from the height of Phnom Bakheng, another ancient temple on top of a towering hill with picturesque views of the area. It is a hot spot to watch the sunset after a long day exploring one of the most intriguing sites in the world.
Yet, it was still the jungle-clad ruins that left me awe-struck. On day three, after venturing further afield to the outlying sites of Kbal Spean, where images of the gods have been carved into the river bed, and the pretty pink temple of Banteay Srei, we returned to the main complex to visit Preah Khan.
Once a Buddhist university and bustling city, Preah Khan (built in 1191) is now another prime example of nature and human construction battling for existence. It is an engrossing maze of small corridors, more tangled vines and obtrusive tree trunks. I keep saying it, but this truly is magical.
And I'm not finished yet. I am hoping to also go to Beng Mealea, about 70km from Siem Reap and not included in the standard ticket. A major monument during the 12th century and described by the travel guidebook Lonely Planet as "one of the most mysterious temples at Angkor", it is also in a ruinous state, which should make for some adventurous fun.
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