If you mention Cambodia, most people will think of Angkor Wat, but few people know that Angkor Wat is just one of the many temples near Siem Reap. In fact, it took us 3 days to explore about 16 of the major temples here. Some were big, some were small, but most of them were impressive. We had an incredible time, but by the end, we were definitely templed out ;)
Since we couldn't rent a motorbike (apparently it's not permitted in Siem Reap) to visit the temples ourselves, we instead decided to hire a tuk tuk driver. This was surprisingly cheap: for $15 to $20, you get a tuk tuk and driver to drive you anywhere around Siem Reap for a full day (8AM to 6PM). The price varies a bit based on the distance travelled.
Instead of saving the best for last, we started with the main attraction: Angkor Wat (temple 1 of 16). We set out early (6:30AM) to get a glimpse of the sunrise over Angkor, and its reflection off of the lotus pond.
It seems we weren't the only ones to have that idea… by the time we arrived, there were already hundreds of tourists camped out in front of the pond, just waiting to snap that classic shot of Angkor Wat and its reflection at sunrise.
Built in the 12th century, Angkor Wat is now the biggest religious complex in the world. This Hindu temple was built by king Suryavaman II as a royal temple and his future mausoleum. Back then, it was really popular for Kmer (Cambodian) kings to build their own mausoleums - it was good way to redress their karma. Historians estimate that it took around 35 years and about 1 million people to build Ankor Wat.
Angkor Wat was really impressive, but it wasn't our favourite temple to visit… you'll have to wait to find out which was… :) That being said, it's definitely worth seeing despite it only being a runner up on the New Wonders of the World list. In our opinion, it definitely beats Big Jesus in Brazil.
