Feb 21, 2018
If you're going to travel to the opposite side of the world to see Angkor Wat and you know it may be the only time in your life you get to see it, you wake up at 4:30am and camp out in front of her and watch the sunrise and see Angkor Wat welcome in the new day in all her glory.
And then you go inside and spend hours exploring all her nooks and crannies.
And you wait in line to climb to the very top (that's us peeking out of the window).
And when a Buddhist Monk offers to bless you in the upper chambers, you take him up on it.
This is actually taken in front of Bayon, just up the road from Angkor Wat. But it's part of the Angkor Complex and too good of a picture not to include!
Angkor is a huge area of ancient temples spread out over about 40 miles. It was the capital of the Khmer Empire about 1000 years ago. The Khmer kingdom was conquered in 1431 and this area was abandoned. Angkor Wat is the largest of all the temples and is truly a sight to behold. This area remained unknown to the outside world until 1860 when a Frenchman, Henry Mahout stumbled upon it, at the time deep in the jungle. Can you imagine??!
Cost: 1-day: $37, 3-day: $62, 7-day, $72. Those are just admission prices. If you want to hire a driver and/or a tour guide, that is extra.
Verdict: Yes. Angkor Wat has been on my radar for 14 years, ever since the first time I went to Southeast Asia, but never made it over to Cambodia. It's hot. It's crowded. And it's surprisingly expensive for such a poor part of the world. But it's absolutely worth seeing.
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