Back in the 12th century, the world looked very different. While Europeans were still muddling through the Middle Ages, the Khmers were busy building one of the world’s strongest empires in what is today known as Cambodia. King Suryavarman II (Civilisation game fans might remember him) decided that the Khmer Empire needed a suitable temple, so he ordered the erection of Angkor Wat (Khmer for ‘Capital Temple’), which still stands today as the world’s largest religious monument. Angkor was lost to the Chams (Khmers’ biggest enemies back then) but regained by King Jayavarman VII, who later led a massive building program which included Angkor Thom (‘Capital City’, an incredible metropolis with a full scale moot and irrigation system), Bayon and Ta Phrom (two temples, the latter featured in the Tomb Raider flick). Unlike previous Kings, Jayavarman VII was a Buddhist, and ordered the alteration of Angkor Wat and other existing Hindu temples.  This back and forth between both religions continued throughout the Khmer Empire, forcing the Angkor temples to undergo several adaptations (some less successful than others).

By the 15th century the Khmer Empire was a shadow of its former self, and the once glorious Angkor was progressively abandoned. In the 16th century, one of the first westerners to visit it (a Portuguese monk, incidentally) said it was “of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen”. It was a Frenchman however that in the 19th century popularised the site among travelers, although wrongly attributing it to same ancient civilisation: “It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged”.

Arriving at Siem Reap

Sunrise at Angkor is a crowded affair, but there are still places to enjoy solitude with friends. One of them is the Sras Srang lake

Verne enjoys the sunrise, happy to have gotten out of bed early

This is Ta Prohm, best known for its role in Lara Croft’s Tomb Raider movie

Angelina Jolie ran around that tree over there

Ta Prohm was left pretty much left in the same state it was discovered

A rather clumsy conversion of a Buddhist figure into a Hindu one at Ta Phrom

Ever wondered what would happen if you left your house unattended for a few centuries?

The trees that grew here over centuries are now an integral part of the monument. It wouldn’t be out of place in a Salvador Dalí painting!

Many international teams are involved in the restoration and conservation of Angkor. This temple – Ta Keo – is being restored by a Chinese team

João tomb raiding in Ta Keo

Alexandra goes up the Ta Keo main staircase

Those with fear of heights need not apply!

We entered Angkor Thom through the North Gate

The bridge that crosses the moot is filled with statues in various degrees of conservation

From Angkor Thom’s five entrances, the North Gate is probably one the best conserved

Some of the statues in Angkor Thom are replicas. The original version of this one is on the Siam Reap National Museum

No, the Khmer did not make steel reinforced statues! Those steel beams were put there by the French military during early restoration works

A pig’s head offered to this Buddha statue. The reason for the offering was less noble that one might presume: the offerer just wanted to win the lottery!

A glimpse of Preah Palilay, one of the smaller temples in Angkor Thom

One can roam through these places for hours, wondering how they looked in the 12th century

Bayon is the main temple inside Angkor Thom, and is immediately recognisable by its large Buddha heads

Outer terrace of the Bayon temple

This was the first of many monkeys we saw on our voyage throughout Southeast Asia!

They look cute, right? Well, they’re conniving little buggers that will steal everything that is not firmly attached to your body!

Our first view of Angkor Wat’s central structure, after crossing the outer moot and wall

Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world

Angkor Wat is probably the best conserved monument in the Angkor complex

An alert security officer at Angkor Wat!

The statue in the foreground is a partially destroyed ‘Naga’, a seven-headed serpent that is commonly found on Hindu temples

Many cultures think it brings good luck to touch the wall reliefs, resulting in the polished look seen here. Nowadays barriers stand between the reliefs and the visitors

A Buddhist monk walking the aisles of Angkor Wat

The Artisans Angkor trains and employs local handicraft artisans

Some of the artisans are deaf or have some other disability that makes it harder for them to hold regular jobs

Fish “pedicure” at Siem Reap (in retrospect I would probably have skipped this, as it seems these fish can carry diseases)

The Siam Reap night market

Despite its magnificence, Angkor took its time to become a major tourist attraction. By the 90’s, twenty years after the brutal Khmer Rouge regime that wiped a quarter of Cambodia’s population, the site still received less than 10.000 visitors a year. Today though it receives more than two million visitors a year, and I bet it’s a matter of time till visitation limits are put in place (like in Machu Picchu). Probably parts of the complex will also become off limits – to limit wear – but as of now virtually everything is accessible, making us feel like Lara Croft’s fellow tomb raiders. I would rate the whole experience a notch above Machu Picchu, because of this flexibility (Machu Picchu can feel constrained at times) and the fact that there’s a wider range of restored (e.g. Angkor Wat) and unrestored monuments (e.g. the trees that grew on top of Ta Phrom are now an integral part of the temple’s beauty).

Here’s a top tip if you’re thinking about visiting Angkor (and you really really should): the site can become pretty crowded, but most of the visitors are Asian. The good thing about that (besides the fact that Asians are fun folks) is that they love to huddle up together and follow the same route. We asked our guide to make the exact opposite route and enjoyed solitude throughout most of the day, starting with a sunrise at the Sras Srang lake, a misty visit to Lara Croft’s Ta Phrom and an afternoon in Angkor Wat.

So, is there anything else around Angkor that is worth visiting? Not much, but you’ll need to spend at least a night in Seam Reap (the nearby town) and you might as well try some of the tourist attractions there, like Artisans Angkor (an organisation that trains and sells the handicraft of local artisans) and the night market.

Siam Reap was also unfortunately where Jules and I parted ways with Alexandra, João & João, our incredible travelling buddies. We’ll leave you with some more of João’s amazing photographs:

Sunrise at Sras Srang

A kid passes by while we have breakfast, right after sunrise

A closeup of one of the many jungle trees that grow in the Angkor monuments

Cheeky monkey!

A closeup of Angkor Thom’s North Gate

The outer structure of Angkor Wat

The detail of these reliefs is incredible

The faces of Bayon

On the next post Jules will talk about Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. The major reason to visit it is a sad but necessary one: to witness the cruelty of the Khmer Rouge regime and ensure we never forget the deaths of 2+ millions Cambodians in the 70’s.

Verne*