Walking through History - Angkor Temples Day 1

Siem Reap is a tourism mecca, due entirely to the Angkor Archaeological Park just 6k away from town.  You can buy a one-day pass for $20, a three-day pass for $40, or a seven-day pass for $60.  When not temple trekking, there aren't many other activities to occupy your time, so I thought it was well worth a 3-day pass into the park.
June through October is the rainy low season, so mid June couldn't be a more perfect time for me to be here.  The temples are almost empty, it's not that hot (compared to DaNang) and every afternoon, there's a twenty minute downpour to cool the air and wake up the lush rain forest smells.

On my first day to the park, I arranged a sunrise tour of the major big temples on the near-side of the park.  This included Angkor Wat (the famous one), Angkor Thom (the one with faces), Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider one) and the Elephant Terrace, among other smaller temples worth trekking around in.

My tuk tuk driver picked me up from the hotel at 4:40am.  I had no idea how important it was to get to Angkor Wat early until, after standing in the first minutes of dawn, I looked behind me to find a crowd of eager camera tripods and guidebook hagglers.  Where did they come from??
Angkor Wat is a point of deep pride for Cambodians.  It's on their national flag, and since 1992, has been a Unesco World Heritage Site.  It was built in the 12th century, first as a Hindu temple complex, then switched to Buddhist.  In my opinion, it is most impressive from the outside.

Another incredibly impressive temple complex, Angkor Thom boasts these mountain formations with faces carved into them at Bayon Temple.  I probably spent the most amount of time at this temple.

And of course, next to Angkor Wat, this is probably the most well known temple in the park thanks to Angelina Jolie and those pouty lips, I mean acting.  The bars around here dedicate drinks and shots and tables to her, hoping you'll believe that your rump is actually sitting on the same stool that hers once graced.

The trees, which have nudged their way into every nook and cranny, have a beautiful way of taking over the stone.  In some areas, wooden supports were installed to make sure that, like glaciers, the serpent-like tree roots don't completely demolish the temple.  It's amazing that after centuries of time, many of the intricate  carvings on the walls are still intact.

Now, I give mad props to the brave souls on bicycles who peddled their way into the park at sunrise.  They probably feel really accomplished, saved a bunch of money, and are SWEATING LIKE CRAZY.  After six hours of being out with the temples via tuk tuk, I could not imagine what that would have been like on a bike.  Some of the temples are quite far out and my legs were noodly as it was after one day of walking around, up and down steep temple stairs.  I highly recommend just shelling out the cash for a fabulous English-speaking driver and not end up hating your body and your decisions after a day in the park with a bike.

There are so many other temples that I was able to see, but here were the big three of day one.  Day two involved THEE most preserved stone carvings, pink sandstone, and an unexpected family of monkeys!