Angkor Wat

Statue of Vishnu.

When I got into the ancient city of Angkor, I was expecting to see an impressive temple, and I did. Angkor Wat (Wat means temple) is huge, full of sculptures and just by itself worth the trip. But I was not prepared for what came next. The ticket gives you access not only to Angkor Wat but to the whole city of Angkor. The ancient Khmer capital is gigantic and Angkor Wat looks small when you see it on the map of the city. The place is full of temples, moats, gates and other ruins scattered around a forested area.

I bought a 3 days ticket. I payed 60 USD, but the price is going up regularly, so don't be surprised if it's more expensive. The first 2 days I rented a bicycle to go around Angkor. It was really hot so I went early in the morning and came back around noon. The last day I hired a tuck-tuck to go to places further. Even with 3 days you don't have time to see everything. There are even ruins of the Khmer kingdom that can be reached only by car.

To go to Angkor, the first step is to go to the city of Siem Reap, 6km south. From Bangkok I took a direct bus. You just need to get off the bus and cross the border between Thailand and Cambodia on foot. For most nationalities, the Cambodian visa is easy to get, on arrival, fill a small form and pay 30 USD.
For those like me who has two passports, you need to enter Cambodia with the passport used in Thailand. It's strange because if I had flew from Bangkok to Siem Reap nobody would have cared which passport I'm using. This small issue forced me to change my plan and leave Cambodia earlier. I had initially planned to start using my Japanese passport for Cambodia and Vietnam and send back my Swiss passport in Switzerland to an agency that would make the Chinese, Mongolian and Russian visa for me. Unfortunately, I could do this only when in Vietnam, which left me with only a month to send my passport and receive it back with all the visas.

Angkor Wat seen from afar.


Naga protecting the entrance.


Angkor Wat.

Eastern Baray. An artificial reservoir created by the Khmer.


Kids playing in an artificial lac.




Relief in a small temple.

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