round TRIP

siem reap

Unfortunately far too seldom do we remember our infamous deeds from childhood. When we ran with screaming laughters through pitch-black alleys or sneaked off on our bikes to steal the hay from the horses in the nearby paddocks. A real firework of excitement, curiosity and the urge to experience. And with each increasing year of life, it seems that this childlike spirit of adventure gets more and more lost. 

No wonder, therefore, that we wanted to throw ourselves into one of the greatest adventures of Far Eastern culture: Angkor Wat. Not a particularly big dare, but therefore not less exciting and made for adventure-hungry children of nature like us. 

Starting point: Belmond La Résidence d’Angkor, Siem Reap. Here, we got an overview of the countless temples hidden in the jungle and calculated approximate distances. Then we worked out battle plans for the next three days, discarded them, rearranged them again, to decide then that we'll work our way from big to small. Random deviations and spontaneous changes of plans were of course not yet taken into account. 

Plan for day one: Get up at 4.00 a.m., race through the cool of the night with the Tuk Tuk towards the ticket office, buy the 3-day pass there and then follow the fresh morning breeze to Angkor Wat. Arrived at the already crowded parking lot, we followed the crowd and their iPhone flashlights. Crossed the wide moat on a wobbly pontoon bridge and tried not to slip away with laughter. Afterwards, groping in the dark, we followed the bumpy sand path towards the water lily pond, looked for a place at the back of the pond – cleverly – and waited for the sunrise predicted for 6.00 am. Exciting.
Several photo motives later it was time for a change of location around noon. A short Tuk Tuk ride, then we were there: Ta Prohm – a temple almost devoured by the jungle in the middle of the Cambodian forest, whose long gnarled root networks seem to take possession of the buildings. Followed by a must-see on the agenda: Banteay Kdei. When we entered the portal lined with figures of lions and snakes, there were countless apsaras behind it, dancing on lotus blossoms and decorating the long stone massifs. For us one of the most beautiful water temples of Angkor. For the upcoming sunset, we choose Pre Rup. In the true sense of the word, it was the gold right decision. Due to the sandstones and bricks already orange-red, the gigantic temple building literally shone in the last light of the day.

Our plan on day two: Angkor Thom. Through the Tonle Om Gate straight towards Bayon Temple, which amazed us with its oversized stone heads, steep stairs, domes, and courtyards. From there to Baphuon. An overwhelming temple-mountain made of sandstone, which took our breath away when we reached the top. Curiously following the jungle path and stone remains, we continued north to Phimeanakas and Preah Palilay. Not knowing that we would do well not to go into the undergrowth and too deep into the ruins, we did it anyway. Spiders. Hand-sized. Fortunately not diurnal. So quickly on towards the Terrace of the Elephants, which impressively lives up to its name and on whose plateau we had an unrestricted view of the opposite, partly collapsed Towers of the Tightrope Dancers.
We decided to end the day with a visit to the Preah Khan, whose temple buildings were occupied by the roots of the kapok trees and gave this place an indescribable mysticism. 

Day three: No plans. Exhaustion set in. So we lay at the pool in the morning like two sponges soaked with impressions. But in the early afternoon, our guilty conscience started to spread. So we went into the jungle again. After a short trip to Angkor Wat temple in the afternoon sun, we went with the Tuk Tuk to Phnom Bakheng. On foot, we climbed the steep hill path. Left and right of the path white net funnels covering everything. So in any case not downhill again in the dark! Slowly the sun moved down over the big green. And while many tourists did not want to turn away from this view, we ended our adventure with a breathtakingly beautiful view of the temple ruins in deep orange light.

Cambodia, February 2018. | All words and photos by The Sturgheons.