This morning at 4:30am, Steven and I woke up to get ready to watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. We have been looking forward to watching the sunrise ever since we arrived in Cambodia because the view is supposedly breathtaking! According to our tour guide, David Angkor Guide, this time of the year isn't exactly the best time to capture the rise of the sun directly behind the temples. Cambodia`s winter season (September - December), is the peak season and the most beautiful time to visit the temples. Unfortunately for us, it is now summer and the beginning of the rainy season here, where temperatures rise upwards to 40 degrees Celsius.
By the time we got to Angkor Wat (around 5:50am), there were already many people who arrived much earlier to save their spots. The weather was very cloudy from yesterday`s rain. I suspect that it will rain again later today. Steven was upset about the cloudy weather because he wanted to shoot a time lapse of the sun rising with clear skies, oh well (funny story though, he was actually shooting a video instead of a time lapse during the sunrise, so he was really mad about that). I thought the view was still beautiful, despite the clouds. The sun rose on the left side of the temple, so we were still able to get a glimpse of the sun. In the future, I think I`ll revisit Cambodia to watch the sunrise again.
Last night, we let the receptionist at our resort know that we will be leaving early in the morning for the sunrise. They kindly prepared breakfast boxes for us to bring and eat at Angkor Wat during the sunrise. I thought that was very nice of them! Our breakfast box included; a bunch of pastries, bread with butter and jam, sausages, and bacon. Yum!
After the sunrise, David took us around the temples again, where we visited Ta Prohm (Tomb Radier temple), Pre Rup, Ta Keo, Thommanon, Preah Kahn, Neak Pean, and Ta Som (Overgrowing tree).
Preah Kahn and Ta Som were both built as Buddhist sites in dedication to King Jayavarmn VII's father, Dharanindravarman II (King of Khmer Empire in 1150 to 1160).
Overgrowing tree at Preah Kahn (above picture)
After the King's passing, his successors tried to convert the Buddhist temples to worship the Hindu gods. While we were there, we noticed that the Buddhist carvings on the walls were destroyed, scrapped off or replaced with Hindu statues.
Preah Kahn was built in the late 12th century, where its name "Preah Kahn" also translates to the meaning of "Sacred Sword," which refers to the legendary sword owned by King Jayavarmn VII. Inside the courtyard of the temple lays a structure which guarded the King's sword.
Ta Prohm, also known as the "Tomb Radier Temple" was built in the late 12th to early 13th century (one of the first major temples to be built). Ta Prohm was constructed as a Buddhist monastery and built in dedication to King Jayavarmn VII's mother.
Today, Ta Prohm remains one of the most visited temples in Angkor Wat, largely due to the trees growing over the ruins and the jungle surroundings (or maybe because Tomb Radier was filmed there?).
Ta Som is one of the smaller temples in Angkor Wat complex. It was built at the end of the 12th century dedicated to King Jayavarman VII's father, Dharanindravarman II (as mentioned previously). Similar to Ta Prohm temple, the ruins of Ta Som are engulfed by the destruction of the overgrowing trees.
Five towers of Pre Rup (above picture)
Preah Kahn and Ta Som were both built as Buddhist sites in dedication to King Jayavarmn VII's father, Dharanindravarman II (King of Khmer Empire in 1150 to 1160).
Overgrowing tree at Preah Kahn (above picture)
Lions guarding the ruins of Preah Kahn (above picture)
Hindu statues of the god. They look noticeably different than Buddha statues because of their high knees and long beards (above picture)
On the right side of the photo, notice the carved out Buddha statues (above picture)
Preah Kahn was built in the late 12th century, where its name "Preah Kahn" also translates to the meaning of "Sacred Sword," which refers to the legendary sword owned by King Jayavarmn VII. Inside the courtyard of the temple lays a structure which guarded the King's sword.
Temple structure which once guarded the King's sacred sword (above picture)
Ta Prohm, also known as the "Tomb Radier Temple" was built in the late 12th to early 13th century (one of the first major temples to be built). Ta Prohm was constructed as a Buddhist monastery and built in dedication to King Jayavarmn VII's mother.
Tree strangling, yet conserving the Ta Prohm temple. Balance of nature.
Columns loosing support at Ta Prohm
Currently, the temple is undergoing some reconstruction. From our
observation, we noticed that there was a lot of rope blockage to avoid
tourists from touching parts of the ruins as well as for
construction.
Overgrowing tree blocked off at Ta Prohm "Tomb Radier" Temple
Restoration project at Ta Prohm
Today, Ta Prohm remains one of the most visited temples in Angkor Wat, largely due to the trees growing over the ruins and the jungle surroundings (or maybe because Tomb Radier was filmed there?).
Steven and I posing at the scene where Lara Croft "Tomb Radier" movie was filmed
Ta Som is one of the smaller temples in Angkor Wat complex. It was built at the end of the 12th century dedicated to King Jayavarman VII's father, Dharanindravarman II (as mentioned previously). Similar to Ta Prohm temple, the ruins of Ta Som are engulfed by the destruction of the overgrowing trees.
We left the temples at around 4pm. Before calling it a day, David took us to a memorial site around our resort dedicated to the horrific genocide of The Khmer Rouge in 1975 to 1979. When the Khmer Rouge was in power, they enforced policies and rules that caused repression and massacres across the country. Cambodia turned into a strict detention center, where anyone (including own members, professionals, or senior leaders) suspected of connections with the former/foreign government were executed. The Khmer Rouge costed the lives of over a million innocent
Cambodians. Plus other deaths due to starvation and
diseases such as malaria broke out, which resulted in a total number of deaths: 1.7 to 2.5 million. R.I.P.
At the memorial site, there was a viewing glass of a few hundred human skulls and bones that were collected around the Siem Reap area. All of the remains found were left undentified and unknown. Tombs were also built around the memorial where people pay respect to the lost ones. It was a very emotional place, as many Cambodians were affected by the incident.
We didn't`t have much time to explore the memorial site because the weather was starting to act up on us. Strong gusts of wind, sounds of thunder, and rain started to fall. The winds in Cambodia were so strong that tree branches started to fall on the ground! We ended up heading back to the resort to rest for the night.
At the memorial site, there was a viewing glass of a few hundred human skulls and bones that were collected around the Siem Reap area. All of the remains found were left undentified and unknown. Tombs were also built around the memorial where people pay respect to the lost ones. It was a very emotional place, as many Cambodians were affected by the incident.
We didn't`t have much time to explore the memorial site because the weather was starting to act up on us. Strong gusts of wind, sounds of thunder, and rain started to fall. The winds in Cambodia were so strong that tree branches started to fall on the ground! We ended up heading back to the resort to rest for the night.
Posted by Rebecca
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