19/3/2011 Siem Reap, Cambodia

On the 19th we took a tuk tuk back to Angkor Wat in the morning to explore properly having only briefly visited for sunrise the day before. We could have spent all day here it is so big! Very impressive. We then wandered around the old Siem Reap market before heading off to the airport and back to Da Nang - Vietnam.

One of the side buildings of Angkor Wat

Detailed carvings on the walls of Angkor Wat - each carving tells a story, this one is about the warriers

The wall surrounding Angkor Wat

Me at the back entrance to Angkor Wat

Side profile of Angkor Wat...

The colourful fruit market

The tuk tuk filled streets of Siem Reap

18/3/2011 Siem Reap, Cambodia

On the 18th we got up VERY early for sunrise over Angkor Wat, well worth the early start! We then hired bikes and rode around the temples for the day, starting at central Angkor Thom (and Bayon), Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Terrace of the Leper King, Preah Palilay, Tep Pranam, the terrace of the elephants and left at the East gate of Angkor Thom having entered from the South gate. We stopped off at some of the temples along then way then finished at Ta Prohm (the jungle temple that they have left for the trees to grow over - amazing! Most of the other temples had some sort of restoration work going on). I liked Ta Prohm the most, it looked like the trees were eating the temple!

Sunrise over Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

The obligatory photo of me at Angkor Wat!

Detailed stone carvings in Angkor Wat

The moat around Angkor Wat

Bike riding around the temples

The entrance to the South Gate of Angkor Thom

Nick and I at the entrance to the South gate of Angkor Thom

You could tour the temples on the back of an elephant!

Detailed stone carvings at Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom

Me at one of the entrances to Angkor Thom

Walking around the outside of Angkor Thom

The entrance to Baphuon

Trees growing over the walls at Baphuon

Phrea Pailay

The terrace of the elephants

Detailed carvings on the terrace of the elephants

The entrance to the East Gate of Angkor Thom

One of the temples we rode around on our bikes on the way back to the hotel

Ta Prohm

Tree roots growing over Ta Prohm

Tree roots growing over Ta Prohm

Tree roots growing over Ta Prohm

Tree roots growing over Ta Prohm

17/3/2011 Siem Reap, Cambodia

On the 16th after our tour of the tunnels we flew to Siem Reap in Cambodia. On the 17th we had an early start and took a tuk tuk out to Banteay Srei, one of the most impressive Pagoda's (temples) in Siem Reap - temple for the women. We then visited the Cambodia Land Mine museum which was very interesting, they had a school on the same site for all the orphans from the land mines. There are still hundreds of land mines around Cambodia that have not gone off which is scary - one went off 40km from the museum in 2009 and injured people. Then we took the same tuk tuk down to lake Tonle Sap to the floating villages of the Chong Kneas on a charted boat. This was pretty amazing, there were kids everywhere with big snakes around their necks asking if we wanted a photo taken with the snake - scared the poo out of me! 

We had booked a hotel that had an airport pick up, when we arrived in Siem Reap this was our airport pick up waiting for us! Our first tuk tuk ride (luggage included!)

The scenery on the way to Banteay Srei

Arnit and I at Banteay Srei

The carving is so detailed, all in stone!

Banteay Srei

The gardens around Banteay Srei

The Cambodia Land Mine Museum

Arnit had a coconut drink for lunch!

I had a yummy pad thai!

The floating village

The floating village

The floating village

The floating village

The floating village

The floating village

These kids could move really quickly with their paddles in these little pots! Note the snakes in their with them!!

sinking!

Nick and I on the boat

Houses along the river

The charted boats that take you to the floating village