Speckled throughout this itinerary-less escapade of mine are a handful of locations, sights, and experiences that were non-negotiable stops along the way. Angkor Wat may have been at the top of that list.
Spread out over 400 acres outside the Cambodian city of Siem Reap, the temple complexes of Angkor Wat pierce the sky in the otherwise flat terrain. What struck me most was the vastness and diversity of it all. Buddhist and Hindu temples merged into the same intricate edifices, some more well maintained than others, all quite strikingly raw as compared to similar ruin complexes such as Machu Picchu. Free to roam around just about anywhere with the temples, it wasn’t uncommon to stumble upon a Buddha with incense burning in front, tucked away behind a corner in a seemingly abandoned room within a ruined temple. Monks dotted the grounds inside and outside of the temples, their bright orange garments a stark contrast to the aged stone surroundings.
While it was quite a lot to process, we were able to cover 90% of the grounds in one, very long day. Starting before sunrise, the main temple of Angkor embraced the first rays of the sun, as its reflection began taking shape in the pond at its feet. While the scene may sound quite serene, the hordes of tourists and vendors unfortunately make it anything but. For the most part, however, we successfully dodged the masses throughout the day, timing our visits to stagger with the large groups, thanks to our trusty tuk tuk driver. $20 each was a small price to pay for 15 hours-worth of a private chauffeur and tour guide, leather seats included.
The highlights of the grounds include Ta Prohm, better known as the Tomb Raider temple, where massive trees coexist with the stonework of the temple, each at the whim of the other for remaining upright and stable. The intricacy of the root systems was fascinating, stretching along temple walls, through divisions in the stone, and on top of the temples themselves, reaching dozens of feet into the air. My personal favorite was Bayon, a temple complex containing countless enigmatic faces on all sides of pillars and centerpieces throughout. A smug smile, apparently reminiscent of the reigning King, was a reminder of who was in charge at the time. I personally felt like I was finally living my dream of being a contestant on Legends of the Hidden Temple, an adventure gameshow with the stone face of Olmec as the center point of the action. Surrounded my Olmecs and equipped with a camera, I took more photos than I care to divulge, even while battling the elements of an afternoon rain shower.
Doing my best to soak in not just the rain but the grandness of it all, I channeled some of my prior memories of Machu Picchu, alone in the fog atop a mysterious mountain oasis. What Angkor lacks in setting, it more than makes up for in both size, diversity, and peculiarity. And while I wasn’t able to channel quite the same sense of mystery and wonder that I did up in the Andes with the Incas, I walked away from Angkor Wat with a deep appreciation for the details and old-world grandeur held within its grounds, and perhaps a new favorite place for an adult game of hide and seek…