TRAVEL: Sunrise At Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is one of the well-known temples in Ancient Angkor in Siem Reap and people usually flock here at dawn to witness the sunrise. We bought our tickets the day before so that we need not fall in line in the morning and miss the sunrise.

Alas, we left Rithy Rine Angkor Hotel a bit late than our scheduled 5am so we missed the actual daybreak. Travel time from our hotel to Angkor Wat is roughly 30 minutes. Nonetheless, my friend and I can't help but marvel at the awesome sight before us.

Nature is simply magical. It uplifts the spirit and gladdens the heart. And because my friend and I are not early-risers, so we are literally open-mouthed at the beautiful sunrise before us. Hello, Sunrise. So glad to meet you! :)

This is the outer wall of Angkor Wat, on the west. It was kinda bright already (6:15am) so the sun's rays creates a golden illusion on its roof. The wall of Angkor Wat is a set of galleries with endless passages.

This is one of the two libraries outside the inner temple. It is really quite interesting to study the architecture and history of Angkor Wat. Keep in mind though that this is quite a huge temple and if you really want to have a tour around the whole temple without missing any nooks and crannies, then allot at least half a day here.

One of the windows at the outer gallery with lattice made of stone. And because its only 6:30am, it was really dark inside the galleries. Make sure to bring a flashlight with you.

Statue of a deity with arms hacked-off. A bit scary because the galleries are really dark during that time of day. I used a flash here, hence the bright photo capture. There are also a couple of men manning the tons of deities inside Angkor Wat. They are likely to make you jump from fright because they will just suddenly appear in front of you with some incense sticks. They will then ask you to pray to the deity for goodluck blessings and then they'll point to an offering bowl. It's best to have Khmer Riels when visiting temples because you are likely to be led to more than several deities and buddhas around Ancient Angkor. A dollar (1USD) is equivalent to 4,000 Riels.

Another photo of the entrance to the outer gallery from inside the temple grounds. You can note that some columns are newly cemented and cleaned as part of the restoration process done a few years ago.

Another angle of the library. It doesn't look huge as compared to the main temple but it is quite big nonetheless. I can imagine monks inside, some reading and some writing on scrolls.

Lone lotus breaks the stillness of the moat, waking us from our reverie about the grandeur of Angkor Wat.

The moat that surrounds Angkor Wat is lined with trees from all sides. Really a strong fortress!

*** photos taken using Nikon D3100


Visit the links: Glimpse of Ancient Angkor and Rithy Rine Angkor Hotel for more stories.