Discovering the Ruins of Angkor Wat
The Largest Religious Complex In The World
Borobudur in Indonesia may take the prize for being the biggest single Buddhist temple, but Angkor Wat, also known as the city of temples, is the single largest religious complex on the entire planet. With over 72 temples in the area of Angkor, this entire region is brimming with vine-covered ruins and ferocious stone deities. What is truly mind-blowing is that every year more temples are still being found in the dense jungles.
As the growth is cut away and the temples of Angkor are freed from their jungle prison, the ruins are met with a new enemy: tourism. Although the Great Pyramids of Giza has a history that spans back thousands of years, the grandeur of those mausoleums can not compare with the meticulous craftsmanship put into the ruins of Angkor Wat. While it is every tourist’s right to enjoy the wonders of man, you will have you give up any fantasies of playing Laura Croft as you are handed your ticket to enter the temple.
While in Southeast Asia, you are sure to be traveling through Bangkok. You can read my take on the City of Angels here!
Paying Your Way Into Angkor Wat
Cambodia has come a long way from being another battleground in Indochina to one of the most popular tourist hotspots in the world. Back in the good ole’ days it only cost 20 dollars to visit Angkor Wat, but as more and more tourists flock to South East Asia, it is only natural that you would see a price hike. Tickets are now sold for 37 USD for a 1-day pass, 62 USD for 3 days, and 7 USD for a whole week.
One of the experiences that make traveling to Angkor Wat truly worth your while is waking up at the crack of dawn to take in the sunrise over this ancient temple. The hours for Angkor Wat are from 5 am to 6 pm. If you have seen the notorious photos, you will know that the hoards of tourists will be crowding around the moat of Angkor well before the sun begins to rise. If you are truly wanting to take in the orange haze over the temple, you will have to be sure to beat the tour groups.
If you are wanting to discover more abandoned Hindu ruins, you won’t want to miss Prambanan Temple in Indonesia!
Checking All The Boxes At Angkor
Angkor Temple is the main temple in the area but within the entire city of Angkor, you will find dozens upon dozens of mossy ruins. It is no wonder why the ticket office offers weeklong passes. Even after spending a few days exploring the grounds, you will be kicking yourself when you arrive back home because you will have come across a stupa or two that you have missed on your trip to Cambodia.
While a week may be overkill if you are really wanting to take in every aspect of Angkor Wat a day will not be enough. Each of the various complexes and temples around Angkor is different from the last. From invasive banyan trees to stoic stone faces, you will have to be careful to leave no stone unturned. And if you manage to find a way to mentally shut out the relentless tour groups, you will discover an oasis of solitude and peace amongst the stone faces of the gods and reflective halls of the temple.
Wanting to get really off the beaten path in Southeast Asia? Why not travel to Timor-Leste?
Finding Life in the Ruins
One of the disappointing things about a place such as Angkor Wat is the fact that the entire complex is nothing more than an open-air museum. While you do get more of an ambiance with the dense jungles and chirping birds nearby, much of the grounds are devoid of life besides the lines of tours weaving in between the stone columns. You may find your odd monk flashing by in an orange haze, but much of the temple has not been used for prayer for some time.
The one creature that does offer more of a candid look into a day in the life of Angkor Wat is the monkies that can be found clambering on the stone growth covered rooves of the temples. Although the natural order of the jungle has been disturbed by the tourists handing out scraps to the creatures for their own amusement. The true owners of Angkor are not the monks, but the monkies who call these ruins home.
Thinking about traveling to Vietnam? You will not want to miss the Mekong capital of Can Tho!
Is Angkor Wat Worth Visiting?
Angkor Wat is probably one of the few ruins in the world that actually become more mesmerizing with age. The ruins of Pompei and the treasury in Jordan are just mere shadows of a prospering civilization that once was. Angkor Wat, on the other hand, creates an illusion of trekking into the unknown depths of the wilderness. With its intricate stone carvings and vines draping themselves between columns adorned with deities, you can truly feel like you are lost in a forgotten world.
The quiet whispers of the spirits that echo throughout Angkor Wat are drowned out by the piercing chatter of the droves of tourists that storm the temple every day. It is, of course, selfish to wish you had all of Angkor to yourself. But your childhood dreams of becoming an adventurer will be crushed as you are hounded by vendors and elbow to elbow with similar wannabe explorers.
No matter what way you look at is, Angkor Wat is a world wonder that puts the Taj Mahal and Great Wall to shame. But rather than giving you a sense of peace while wandering the reflective temple grounds, you will have to learn patience on your own in order to truly appreciate Angkor Wat.
