We then met our tuk tuk driver at the western entrance and rode it to our next stop.

Two very compact temples on either side of the road both were similar and built in the 11th-12th centuries. It was nice to get a picture of a complete temple in one shot. This was also nearly deserted and had perhaps a handful of tourists until a tour bus arrived after which we left in haste!

There were lot of trees and most of Thommanon was in the shade. So we allowed ourselves a short break and sat ourselves on the remains of the laterite wall and stared  at the small but stunning temple.

After crossing the road we spent quite a bit of time at Chao Say Tevoda, exploring the different sanctuaries. It seemed slightly different from Thommanon with a neat causeway leading to the eastern sanctuary. There was shade in front of the temple but not otherwise and it was getting very hot. While waiting for some tourists to finish taking their pictures I put my copy of the Ancient Angkor book on the causeway, only to forget it and leave it behind.

Most of what we know today about Angkor and the life back then are through the accounts of a Chinese traveler, Zhou Daguan, who visited and stayed in Angkor Thom in the late 13th century. 

Angkor Thom was an ultra large city by his accounts. It had over 1 million people living in it at its peak. It had 5 gates and encompasses an area of roughly 900 hectares covered by 4 walls of 3 kms each in the four directions. It houses impressive ruins, the most popular of which is the Bayon.

We were hot and tired by this time and we decided to break for lunch. Our tuk tuk driver took us through the victory gate of Angkor Thom to a large eatery across the Elephant terrace, perhaps catered to by different kitchens. We were seated under some fans and quickly ordered two very large refreshing coconuts! They were humongous and even after sharing it among four of us we struggled to finish it. The Amok was of average quality. After our restroom breaks and some shopping (who can avoid it when it’s right across!), we were on our way to visit the terraces during the hottest part of the day!

Arriving here in the mid-day sun, we weren’t too thrilled with the carvings here. We walked in the shade between the terraces and soon wanted to move on.The terraces are believed to receive victorious armies through the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom.

We passed by some more ruins on our walk to the Bayon which we had no clue what they were as we had lost our prized possession – Ancient Angkor. Our tuk tuk driver wasn’t too forthcoming about making the trip back to Chao Say Tevoda and dissuaded us saying it’d have been taken by someone else. A brand new book.. perhaps resold to unsuspecting tourists.

Built between the 12th-13th centuries by Jayavarman, Bayon was over run by the jungle when it was rediscovered in the early 20th century. The trees that had grown out of the temple had to be cleared to ensure the temple remained standing. It is believed that the temple was built over a period of time with many chambers and sanctuaries added much later on.

We made our way across to the northern entrance of one of the most popular and photographed monuments in the Angkor region. As we approached the entrance all we could see was a muddle of grey stones. Climbing up some steep stairs, we soon found ourselves looking at some wooden stairs that were leading up to the terrace but with a “no entry” sign. So we walked around to the east of the temple crossing chamber after chamber where we found a lone Shiva Linga. 

We soon found the way to head up to the terrace and we gladly raced up stairs to look at the faces of Avalokitesvara. 200 of them, smiling down benignly at the tourists who crane their necks to take in the majestic sight. 

We let our imaginations drift.. perhaps these heads would be sharing stories from the day long after the tourists were gone a la “Night at The Museum”? Sharing funny incidents, perhaps a joke about the silly, insignificant tourists?

We spent quite a lot of time on the terrace in spite of the heat. There was some shade available and we sat ourselves to people watch and that included the faces of Avalokitesvara!

We then took the western stairway down only to be mobbed by an arriving Asian tour group. The stairs had no railing and was quite steep and I was afraid of being knocked over by the eager tourists. I sat down right on the stairs to let them pass before heading back down for a bottle of refreshing cold water in the tuk -tuk.

We then took the south gate with the Devas and Asuras churning the milk ocean to the grand finale of the day’s touring – The Angkor Wat!

Nothing really prepares you for the sight of this majestic temple. H-U-M-O-N-G-O-U-S !!  Built in the first half of the 12th century by Jayavarman, it was intentionally built facing west. Due to this many believe it to be a funerary temple. The temple measures 1.5km x 1.3km and is supposed to have contained a city in addition to the temple. The moat, the tiered temple galleries and the quincunx of towers were supposed to signify the mythical Mount Meru of Hinduism, the centre of the Universe. 

Angkor Wat from the floating bridge

Angkor Wat was largely well preserved in comparison to other temples as many Khmer people continued to inhabit its premises and the super large moat also helped in keeping the jungle growth away.

The original causeway was under restoration so we made our way over the moat on a floating bridge. Needless to say, the moat is huge. It can pass off for a river! 

The statue of Lord Vishnu in the outer gallery, which is earlier believed to have been in the Sanctum-Santorium

We entered the outer gallery on the far south and walked across to see the idol of Lord Vishnu, perceived to be the originally inside the central sanctum of this majestic temple. The person whom this temple was built for, before being moved away when the country and it’s people embraced Buddhism. 

We then made our way to the most crowded spot – the pond on the left with a reflection of the five towers of Angkor. When we set up our tripod, some kind guides offered us some suggestions on the angle and pointed out how to get the five towers and their reflections. So we clicked a zillion pics before we moved on back to the causeway and to the main temple.

Angkor Wat from the causeway

The access to the main temple was from the cruciform terrace which was elevated a few steps from the causeway. On entering the temple, the entrance was flanked by a cloister that had 2 pools on either side. Bang in the middle of the cloister the compass on an iPhone displayed 0 degrees exactly – the centre of the universe, indeed!

We then took the stairs directly ahead to reach the next level of the temple which opened into a large open courtyard and the view of the central gallery gleaming in the setting sun.

The central gallery and three of the five towers

The sun was at an angle and the main towers and the central gallery was nicely lit. We walked around to the east to join the queue to go up to the top gallery when we were told our younger daughter would not be allowed inside as she was under 12. So one of us had to stay behind and that happened to be me. I never got a chance to go up as they closed entry by 5 pm. One reason to make another trip!

One of the corner towers, sanctuary and steps gleaming in the setting sun

We made our way to the north-western gallery to watch the sun dipping below the horizon behind the library.

It was pretty dark by this time and we carefully climbed back through the cloister to the entrance before we were hastened to leave by the Apsara personnel.