I bet these are what come across your mind when Cambodia is mentioned. Despite Phnom Penh being its capital city, Siem Reap remains the major tourist destination in Cambodia. In fact, Angkor Wat has become the symbol of Cambodia that it appears its national flag, like how Canada has got maple on hers.

Flip through travel magazines and articles and I’m sure you’ve seen Siem Reap hogging a spot on the list of cheapest place to travel to. But is it?

With the depreciation of ringgit against US Dollar in recent years, a place where everything is quoted in US Dollar is no longer “cheap”. Nonetheless, Cambodia is still in South East Asia, and therefore, it’s still pretty much affordable. Well, at least for now.

Here’s how you can do Siem Reap in 4 days for less than USD160 (excluding flight ticket):

Day  1(link)

Take the morning flight to Siem Reap and check into a hotel or backpacker hostel. Arriving early on Day 1 allows more time for you to do the following:

Optional:

1. Free sunset. If you buy your ticket in the evening after 5pm, your ticket will be valid for the next day. On the same evening, you can also watch the sunset for free, earning you an extra sunset opportunity. If you were to enter before 5pm, the ticket will be activated, wasting one day off your ticket validity, so do take note!

2. Tonle Sap and floating village. If three days is more than enough for you to watch sunset, you may want to utilise your afternoon by visiting Tonle Sap and the floating village. Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia, and is the second most-visited place in Siem Reap, after Angkor Archaeological Park. The two closest village are Kompong Phlouk and Kompong Khleang, with the latter being less touristy. However, do note that this attraction is a hit or miss among travellers. There are people who were awed by the beauty of the place, but others had criticised it for being a tourist scam.

Ps: I did not visit Tonle Sap, and hence be prepared to spend over US$160 if you do decide on that

Day 2 (link)

Wake up early the next day, to make it for sunrise at Angkor Wat. However, after sunrise, I reckon that you leave Angkor Wat and proceed to the next temple. Reason? Most visitors would make their way to the temple, and you wouldn’t want to squirm your way into the crowd. Leave Angkor Wat for the end of the day.

Do the Small Circuit tour in a clock-wise direction, starting from Bayon, then proceed to Thommanon and Chau Say Thevoda, Ta Keo, Ta Phrom, Banteay Kdei and Sras Shrang, Prasat Kravan and completing the circuit with Angkor Wat.

End the day with sunset at Angkor Wat, with the temple basking in golden sunlight. Alternatively, if you had seen Angkor Wat sunset on Day 1, you can go to a different location (Phnom Bakheng, Pre Rup, Sras Shrang). Otherwise, you may forget about the sunset and fully utilise your time to explore Angkor Wat in depth.

Day 3 (link)

If you are a sucker for sunrise, or still be able to wake up before dawn, head off for sunrise at another location – i.e. Phnom Bakheng which is conveniently along the circuit. After sunrise, continue your day with the Grand Circuit tour (also in a clock-wise direction), starting with the rest of Angkor Thom (Baphuon, Elephant Terrace, Terrace of Leper King, Royal Palace and Phimeanakas), then Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon and Pre Rup.

Since the last temple would be Pre Rup, you can planned your time to have it end close to sunset, as Pre Rup is another famous location for sunset. Alternatively, if you end your Pre Rup temple rather early (in my case, around 3pm), you may consider heading to Phnom Bakheng for its famed sunset. Only 300 visitors are allowed access at any one time to preserve the temple from potential damage, so going early (reaching as early as 4pm) ensures that you could get a spot.

If sunset is not your thing, you can opt to visit other farther temple which is not located along both circuits – i.e. Banteay Samrei, Bakhong, Phnom Kulen, or simple go back to the hotel for some rest.

Day 4 (link)

Having done the small circuit and grand circuit, you are left with another day of your 3-days Angkor Pass. The third day is to venture a little farther. Depending on the distance, your mode of transport and the time you spent at each temple, you may be able to cover minimum of two temples up to a maximum of 4-5 temples. I’ve only covered Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea, simply because I’ve only have enough cash on hand for the tuk-tuk ride covering these two places.

Depending on the time of your flight home, you may want add Koh Ker into the list, since it’s on the same road to Beng Mealea. However, do note that Beng Mealea and Koh Ker is not included in the Angkor Pass, and a separate fee is imposed - $5 for Beng Mealea, US$10 for Koh Ker. You will also need to bargain with the tuk-tuk driver beforehand, coming to an agreement, as any last-minute change may not work in your favour. You will also need to factor in the travelling time to make sure you won’t miss your flight.

Otherwise, if you have not been to Tonle Sap on your first day, you can fit this into your itinerary (forgoing Koh Ker of course).

Ps: I did not visit Tonle Sap and Koh Ker, and hence be prepared to spend over US$160 if you do decide on these

Note: You have probably realised that I am suggesting a 4-day itinerary, despite having done my own trip in 5days. Well, technically speaking, my return flight was in a morning flight, so there were no activities for that day. If you can get a late afternoon or evening flight out of Siem Reap, it would be more perfect, as 4 days is more than enough, in my opinion.

Night activities

My sample itinerary above does not include any night activities, but if you are keen, these are some interesting (but not cheap) shows you may want to catch:

1. Phare, The Cambodian Circus Show

2. Apsara Theatre

3. Bamboo Stage

Ps: Inclusion of the above-mentioned shows will exceed the suggested budget of US$160

Tuk-tuk or e-bike?

Both are excellent mode of transportation in Siem Reap. Tuk-tuk works best for group of 2-4 people since you can split the costs, whereas e-bike makes more economical sense for solo backpackers. Green e-bike rent their bikes for US$10 per 24 hours, whereas a tuk-tuk ride for a day to Angkor Archaeological Park may costs around US$12-20, with additional US$5 for sunrise or sunset (means additional US$10 for both).

However, e-bike is only feasible for Angkor Archaeological Park, since there is no charging point out of the Small Circuit and Grand Circuit. You will need a car or tuk-tuk to visit farther temples, i.e. Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea. I paid US$37 for the ride to these two temples, which was arranged through the hotel.

Accommodation

There are plenty of backpacker hostel and budget hotels in town. Like other South East Asia countries, you can probably just walk in during non-peak period, to find the best deal in town. If you are not comfortable walking in to find the best deal in town, and would like to secure place in advance, look out for promo deals on Agoda.com, Hotels.com, and Booking.com. I booked four nights at Oasis Capsule Hostel for US$7 per night, for a 4-bed mixed dorm.

Airport transfer

If you book a tuk tuk or a bike ride to the city from the airport, it will cost you US$6 (as at Dec 2016). Some hotel (like mine) offer to book on your behalf for a cheap price. I received an email from my hotel that I can book through them for only US$4, or US$6 for midnight or early morning ride. Therefore, it might be wiser to check with your hotel, if they could arrange airport transfer for you.

Besides, some tuk tuk driver from the airport will offer you their package for small circuit and grand circuit. Some of them can get pretty persistent, and doesn’t take rejection so well (like in my case).

Angkor Pass

The following are prices for the admission ticket (which still applies to me, at the time of my visit):

1-day pass US$20

3-days pass US$40

7-days pass US$60

However, w.e.f. 1st February 2017, the entrance tickets had increased in price. The new price is now:

1-day pass US$37

3-days pass US$62

7-days pass US$72

The multi day tickets do no need to be used in consecutive days. For example, the 3-days ticket is valid for any 3 days within a week, the 7-days ticket for any 7 days within a month.

Tip: Buy your ticket in the evening after 5pm. From this time, onwards your ticket will be valid for the next day. On the same evening, you can also watch the sunset at Angkor Park for free.

Meals in Siem Reap

Despite being a South East Asia country, the food in Siem Reap is not cheap. A simple meal in Siem Reap town will costs you at least you US$2-3. A meal in Angkor Park on the other hand, might costs as much as US$7. Instead of dining there, I bought snacks from convenient store and brought along during my tour. Yes, I’m such a cheapskate!

Cost breakdown

Accommodation: US$28 (4 nights)

Entrance ticket: US$45 (3-days pass + Beng Mealea)

E-bike: US$20 (2 days)

Tuk-tuk: US$37 (to Beng Mealea and Banteay Srei)

Airport transfer: US$12

Meal: US$18

Total: US$160

Even if you were to factor in the increase in the entrance ticket, you would still be able to do Angkor Wat in US$180. Not bad, considering how expensive this city is in comparison to other SEA travel destination. I’m glad that I was able to do this trip before the price hike.

Epilogue

Traveling within South East Asia has always been wallet-friendly. However, the depreciation of Malaysian Ringgit against US Dollar, and the price adjustment of the temple pass made Siem Reap less affordable than before, since everything in Cambodia is priced in USD. Nonetheless, it is still possible to stretch your budget and minimise your spending by doing extensive home work. Besides that, traveling in a group of 2-4 persons is also cheaper than doing it solo. Good luck, planning your next trip to Siem Reap!

• 4 Days Siem Reap Itinerary In Less Than USD160
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 1): Old Market, Night Market and Pub Street
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 2): Angkor Small Circuit
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 3): Angkor Grand Circuit
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 4 & 5): Banteay Srei & Beng Mealea

Day 4 (23/12/2016) : Banteay Srei & Beng Mealea

Taking a tuk tuk ride

I initially arranged for the tuk tuk driver to pick me up at 8am, but fearing that the journey might actually take longer than the estimated one hour, I decided to ask the driver to come at 7am. As Banteay Srei is also part of Angkor Archaeological Park, we once again needed to pass by the security guard who checked my temple pass and validated it by punching a hole on it. With the third punch on my 3-days pass, I’ve now fully utilise it and therefore, any further re-entrance will be denied. The entire journey to Banteay Srei took approximately 1 hour 15 minutes by tuk tuk.
   

On a tuk tuk ride

Personal thought: 

I’m glad that I decided to take a tuk tuk ride for this, because, oh man, the temples are so far away, that even taking a tuk tuk doesn’t make the journey very fast. Renting a car and driver would be too expensive for solo traveller and cycling is almost impossible. E-bike would be risky since there is no charging point along the way. A motorcycle would be the second best alternative if only I know how to ride one and actually own a license. Therefore, tuk-tuk is the best option to go for.

Scenic view along the way

Banteay Srei

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.00pm

Visited: 8.30am to 9.30am

Beating the crowd strategy: Fail!

About Banteay Srei:

Banteay Srei

About 36km away from Siem Reap town, and approximately 20km northeast of Angkor Wat, lies Banteay Srei, a Hindu temple completed in the year 967, some 150 years before Angkor Wat. Banteay Srei, never a royal temple, is thought to have been built by a guru of the king and it is believed that this lack of a royal go-ahead is one of the reasons why it is so small. The temple is also miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. The doorways are hardly high enough for an elementary school kid to pass through. 

Though small in size, Banteay Srei shines with its outstanding carvings. The carvings cover an incredible amount of the temple’s surface and the reliefs are often deep. This is because the temple is made of red sandstones. As with many Khmer temples, the main sections of Banteay Srei were built of laterite, but instead of the carving being done into a plaster coating normally layered onto the stone, the temple was faced with red sandstone and the carvings done into that. As red sandstone is relatively soft, it is as good as carving on wood, making carving much easier. This resulted in elaborate, detailed, decorative wall carvings which are still observable today, as compared to other temples.

Finest carvings on the pediment

Almost every available space on the temples walls are carved with relief carvings. The pediments which are larger in comparison to entrances are also carved with whole depicted scenes from ancient Hindu tales. For the first time in the history of Khmer architecture, whole scenes of mythological subject-matter are depicted on the pediments. The temple is extremely popular with tourists, and is widely praised as the "jewel of Khmer art”. It is said that the reliefs on this temple are so delicate that they could only have been carved by the hand of a woman. This could be the reason it is called Banteay Srei which means “citadel of the women”. 

Carvings on the pediment

Fun fact: When the French came across the site in 1914, it was totally covered by forest and partly buried by earth. It didn’t take them long to realise they’d stumbled upon an outstanding find, so outstanding in fact that French author Andre Lalraux decided to take a chunk of the temple home with him. He cut out over a tonne of the finest apsaras and other carvings and carted them back to Phnom Penh where he planned to surreptitiously freight his plunder back to France. Fortunately, he was arrested and sentenced to a couple of years in prison and the carvings were saved. Oddly, he never serves his term and was even later appointed Minister of Culture under Charles de Gaulle.

My thoughts: 

I have heard so much rave about this place prior to my visit, which got my expectation sky-rocketed. Knowing beforehand that this place is a tourist hotspot, I even arrange my transport to an hour earlier than originally schedule. However, it turned out that I wasn’t early enough. I reach the site around 8.30 in the morning and the place is already jam-packed with tourists.



Every spot stands a tourist waiting for their travel companion to take a photo of them. I could hardly get a photo without being photobombed. And, I didn’t even intend to take photo of myself. In addition to that, it was difficult to manoeuvre without crossing paths with another tourist, and that took away my viewing pleasure, despite being surrounded with beautiful carvings. 

In the center of the temple, lies three towers with short corridors. The six stairways leading up to the towers’ platforms were each guarded by two kneeling statues of human figures with animal heads. The figures are now replaced with replicas, with the originals having been stolen or removed to museums. However, this entire section is closed for tourist, possibly to prevent any damages that could possibly been done due to overwhelming crowds. Ropes were in place to guard off this section and visitors can only view from afar. This is my favourite part of Banteay Srei, and I was lucky that I brought along my kits lens which enables me to zoom in for a snap. 

Restricted area with human figures with animal heads

I think I would have enjoyed my time there better if I had come much earlier to beat the crowd and have the whole place to myself. After spending an hour there, I took off and hurried to Beng Mealea, dying to escape this overcrowded temple, praying hard that Beng Mealea wouldn’t turned out like this.

An overcrowded spot is an ideal place to be lonely

Beng Mealea

Opening hours: 7.00am until 5.30pm

Visited: 11.00pm to 2.30pm

Beating the crowd strategy: Somewhat success!

Beng Mealea

 About Beng Mealea:

77km away from Siem Reap town, and 50km away from Banteay Srei, the journey to Beng Mealea took me approximately 2 hours. Beng Mealea, which lies about 40km east of the main group of Angkor temples, is not considered part of the Angkor complex, and a separate admission ticket is needed at an affordable price of $5. Previously, it was difficult to reach, but a road was built to the temple complex of Koh Ker which passes Beng Mealea. A ticketing counter is located along the road where you can get a ticket either to Beng Mealea ($5) or Koh Ker ($10). 

Entwined roots

The history of the temple is unknown but since its architectural style is identical to that of Angkor Wat, scholars had assumed that it was built during the reign of King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. Smaller in size than Angkor Wat, Beng Mealea nonetheless ranks among the Khmer empire's larger temples. The temple was built as a Hindu temple, but there are some carvings depicting Buddhist motifs were also found.




Unlike the other temples in Angkor complex, this one is unrestored and is not rehabilitated. The temple used to be utterly consumed by jungle, but some of the dense foliage has been cut back and cleaned up in recent years. Despite that, getting in and around the temple is a hands-on activity. The entire site looks as if it was struck by an earthquake, as piles of stones blocks from what once used be tall towers piled up haphazardly all over the courtyard. The sandstones were covered with mosses and trees and roots grow out of the cracks in the walls, with roots and branched entwined with each other. 

The crumbling structure makes traversing the site an adventure in itself as you climb over piles of fallen rubbles, clambering over collapsed walls and edging your way along a ledge, only to stumble upon a new section of the temple. Be prepared to be amused with the intimidating size of this ruin as it is as large of the central part of Angkor Wat. One can easily spent hours here. It’s such a joy to explore the temple, and there is definitely no rush to return to civilisation.

Collapsed rubble

At some point, you will feel like you are on a treasure hunt or an India Jones adventures as you occasionally come across sandstones blocks among the fallen debris, each of them carved of Hindu or Buddhist motifs.

Trees growing out of walls

A guard approached me during my visit, offering to lead me around, but I politely declined his offer since I wanted some me-time after being “mentally harassed” at Banteay Srei. This is however good news to those who needed someone to guide them through the temples, not confident to do them by their own.

The guard who approached me

These guards hang around the entrance to the temples and will certainly lead in you even without you having to ask for it. Just politely decline them like I did if you prefer to have some solo Indiana Jones experience. And if you do engage their help, please remember to tip them.  

My thoughts:

I arrived at Beng Mealea at 11am and was blessed to have the entire place almost to myself, with only a few other visitors in the temples. Though the sun is still high up, the sunlight was struggling to break through the trees. As nature took its course on this “abandoned”, unrestored ruins, The entire complex, as a result, gives off a mysterious, rustic vibe.

Consumed by jungle

This is something that Ta Prohm, the famed jungle temple at Angkor, was supposed to offer. However, Ta Prohm has now been an overly commercialised temple in Angkor complex, with an endless sea of tour bus passengers checking in every day, and long queues forming at the most photogenic spots where the roots intertwine around temple columns. Due to both nature and human impact, many of the galleries in Ta Phrom now have metal braces and supports on them, and access to some areas is prohibited. 

Prior to my visit, some of my friends had mentioned to me that this is their favourite temples. I did some googling and was immediately sold to put this place into my itinerary, willing to travel 1.5 hours just to get here. I had high hopes for this place, and the outcome truly didn’t disappoint. 

Seeing is believing

The journey on the tuk tuk was not boring despite taking 1.5 hours from Banteay Srei. Passing through the countryside of orange dirt roads and endless farms and paddy fields, I was entertained throughout the entire ride. So if you loved the Ta Prohm then don’t miss Beng Mealea while it is still secluded and hidden far away from tourists buses. Inevitably, sooner or later, they will come and Beng Mealea may turned into another Ta Phrom. But let’s hope that nature triumphs in the end, as the jungle continues to consume the temple, blending the temple and jungle into one and keeping this place mysterious. 

Last night in Siem Reap

Leaving Beng Mealea after a good 3.5 hours in there, the journey back to the hotel took a little over 2 hours. It was almost 5 by the time I reached. After taking a shower, I headed out for an early dinner with Khiem, another hotel guest who is also from Singapore, riding on his rented bike to a nearby local restaurant. The owner doesn’t speak English and we don’t speak Khmer, but fortunately for us, they provided us with English translated menu and we ordered by pointing to the menu. We ordered two dishes to share which costs us US$6 in total. 

Stir-fry chicken with pineapple

Despite being a restaurant away from the bustling Pub Street, the food here was priced similarly. Khiem and I had a theory where all the restaurants (even roadside stalls) had an agreement to charge tourists at such a price range. We were pretty sure the locals are given different set of menu, priced differently. Otherwise, how would the local people afford such expensive meals? 

Potato in salted plum soup

After dinner, Khiem dropped me at the hotel, where I continue to walk on my own, towards Pub Street and the Night Market, while he, on the other hand, headed back to the room to get some rest. It was my last night in Siem Reap and I didn’t want to waste my remaining hours in the hotel room. But there isn’t much to explore, so again I head over to Pub Street. Remembering that I have not tried some of the street snacks, and I still have some money with me, I decided to buy the Num Kruok, a kind of coconut rice cake. It costs US$1 and comes in 7pieces – 4 savoury, 3 sweet. 

Num Kruok

I’m not sure what was put into the savoury ones, but I dislike the taste of it. The sweet ones come with canned sweet corns, which the taste was bearable but still too sweet for my liking. There’s really nothing much at Pub Street since I’ve roamed around since Day 1, and so I made my way to the Night Market, to look for some Christmas gift. There’s nothing much there at the Night Market, except for street snacks, local souvenirs and really cheap basic t-shirts that costs only US$1 per piece. I ended up not buying those shirts even though I was tempted to do so. Ended up with only a mango shake while browsing through local souvenirs, before heading back to the hotel to call it a day.

Lost Soul Fish Incident

(Remark: In Cantonese, “lost soul fish” is used to describe a scatterbrain, whom carelessness and forgetfulness causes a series of misfortune to oneself and others)

Just as I thought that I was doing just fine for the day without any unfortunate incident, something happened. And of all the places I went that day, it decided to take place at my favourite secret hideout --- Beng Mealea.

It doesn’t take long for me to “lost my soul” after minutes of stepping into this ancient temple. As I climbed over heaps of stone blocks, towards a narrow alleyway, I took out my camera to snap some photo of my surroundings, simple because I was mesmerised by the beauty of this ruins. I took a quick snap before I tried covering my lens with the lens cap, and that’s when nightmare happened --- I lost grip of the cap, it fell off my hands, and slipped through the boulders. *gasp* There were no one around and I was not able to move those heavy blocks by myself. It was deep inside, and I was also afraid to find any creepy creatures if I were to retrieve that cap, so I decided to leave it there instead. *cries bucket*

Lost my lens cap here

Lesson learnt: Never ever play with your camera when you are climbing over heaps of collapsed stone blocks. I’m lucky that I only dropped my lens cap and not the whole camera. I’m not so positive that I would still enjoy exploring the temple if that were to happen.  

Day 5 (24/12/2016) : Oasis Capsule Hotel – Siem Reap International Airport – KLIA2

It’s time to say goodbye

My flight back to Kuala Lumpur the next morning was 8.35am. I booked the same tuk tuk through hotel at the rate US$6 (midnight/early morning rate) since it is early morning. I woke up at 6 in the morning and by the time I was ready by 6.30pm, the tuk tuk driver had arrived. The journey to the airport again took 30minutes and I reached the airport at 7am. By the time I cleared immigration, I still had one hour before scheduled departure, but it is always better to be late than risk missing your flight. The plane took off at 8.34am and I reached KLIA2 at 11.40am, officially ending my secret solo backpacking trip to Siem Reap. 

Epilogue:

I’ve heard a lot about both Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea prior to my visit and I’ve had high expectations. However, when I finally did get to see the temples with own eyes, one fell short of my expectation, while the other exceeded it. It’s amazing how your mood can be destroyed for the day just because a place you heard so much about was swarmed with crowds leaving you turned off, and how your mood can be subsequently lifted up again when you come across a beautiful place, even if you have already heard about its rave, oh well… because it exceeded whatsoever expectation you had.  After all, expectation is the key of one’s satisfaction or disappointment. 

It’s good when your low expectations are met, but it’s greater when your high expectations are exceeded

• 4 Days Siem Reap Itinerary In Less Than USD160
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 1): Old Market, Night Market and Pub Street
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 2): Angkor Small Circuit
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 3): Angkor Grand Circuit

Day 3 (22/12/2016) : Grand Circuit

Grand circuit (photo from Angkor Travels)

Angkor Wat – second sunrise attempt

Opening hours: 5.00am until 5.30pm (except Central Tower from 7.30am to 5.30pm)

Reached: 5.15am (sunrise spotted 6.45am)

Beating the crowd strategy: Is this even possible?

Personal thoughts:

Everyone will probably tell you the same – sunrise at Angkor Wat is a must do. It’s stated in almost all available travel guide, asking you to wake up early for a nice spot at the lotus pond, where the crowd would be gathered. Having missed the sunrise the day before, I woke up early, fighting my sleepiness, and finally reached Angkor Wat while it’s still dark. 

When life gives you a second chance, grab it and don’t screw up again

Waiting patiently for sunrise

 It was a little past 5 and the site was opened. Together with the rest of early birds, we walked through the west entrance and to the lotus pond. It’s a long wait until the sky slowly brighten up, that everyone started snapping the silhouette of Angkor Wat, all while waiting for the sun to peek through its hiding. 

Lotuses

However, by the time it was 6.15am, there was still no sign of the sun even though the sky was bright. Thinking there was no hope, I walked to the other side of the lotus pond, to take some photos of the beautiful lotus in full bloom.

Look at the crowd!

Surprisingly, as I was snapping lotuses from various angle, I heard camera shuttering from the crowd. “Perhaps, sunrise?” I thought to myself, so I walked back to my previous vantage point, and sure enough, the sun’s finally up and rising from the back of Angkor Wat’s towers. It’s just a pity that my photography skill ain’t that good yet. Well, at least I saw how beautiful it is with my naked eyes. 

Sunrise

Be patient and you will be rewarded handsomely. Good things come to those who wait   

Phnom Bakheng

Opening hours: 5.00am until 7.00pm

Visited: 7.30am to 8.00am

Beating the crowd strategy: Huge Success!

About Phnom Bakheng:

Phnom Bakheng was built during the reign of King Yasovarman, dedicated to Shiva, but was later converted into a Buddhist temple. It is a temple mountain and built as a symbolic representation of Mount Meru. It is built in a pyramid of seven levels, representing the seven heavens, and at the top level, five sandstones sanctuaries stand in a quincunx pattern, with one in the center and one at each corner. Originally, there were 108 small towers surrounding the temple symbolises the four lunar phases with 27 days in each phase, but most of them had already collapsed.

Phnom Bakheng

Located atop a hill, Phnom Bakheng is extremely popular among tourists, notably famous for sunset views. However, these days, only 300 visitors are allowed access at any one time as the authority’s effort to preserve the temple for potential damage to this historical monument. To get a spot for sunset, visitors have not been coming as early as 4pm. 

Phnom Bakheng

Phnom Bakheng is also a great alternative for sunrise for those who wish to avoid the overcrowded Angkor Wat. 

My thoughts:

Inside of fighting for a sunset spot, I set my visit to Phnom Bakheng in the morning, right after sunrise, where the temple is at its quietest, and it was indeed so, when I reached at 7.30am. The hike up the slope was an easy one and in the cool morning weather, I hardly sweat, making the entire visit a pleasant one. I could hardly imagine walking up to the temple in the afternoon under the hot Cambodian sun, and having to wait there for 2 hours just for a sunset photo. I guess I made the right choice, scrapping off sunrise and sunset off Phnom Bakheng. The temple’s small and there wasn’t any interesting carvings to be seen, so I left after half an hour. 

Baphuon

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 8.15am to 8.55am

Beating the crowd strategy: Success!

About Baphuon:

Walkway to Baphuon

Baphuon

Located in Angkor Thom, at the northwest of Bayon, is a three-tiered temple mountain which was built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman. It was originally a Hindu temple dedicated to God Shiva but later converted to a Buddhist temple. Similar to other temple mountain, Baphuon is another symbolical representation of Mount Meru. 

Carvings

As the temple was built on land filled with sand, and due to its immense size the site was unstable throughout its history. It is possibly the most poorly constructed temples in Angkor and by 20th century, much of the temple had largely collapsed.  Being called the 'world's largest jigsaw puzzle' by some, Baphuon was painstakingly taken apart piece-by-piece by a team of archaeologists before the Civil War, but their meticulous records were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge regime, leaving experts with 300,000 stones to put back into place. After years of excruciating research, this temple has been partially restored.

Do not touch, sit nor stand on these

My thoughts:

View from the top

Being the second temple I visited for the day has it perks, as the weather was cool in the early morning, and I was still fresh and energetic. Baphuon, though not as impressive as Bayon, was one of my favourite spot of the day. Walking towards to temple, I find myself imagining myself in the world of ancient Khmer, where this site used to stand as the empire’s state temple.

Ascending to the top

As I ascend to the top, the Athens-like columns and pillars was quite mesmerising that I had fun pretending I’m in Greece. The place were quite in the morning, and I had most of the spots to myself. 

Grecian columns

Royal Palace and Phimeanakas

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 8.55am to 9.15am

Beating the crowd strategy: Success!

About Phimeanakas:

Located in the walled enclosure of the Royal Palace, lies Phimeanakas, which literally translated as “Celestial Palace”, is a three-tier pyramid Hindu temple in Khleang style, built at the end of the 10th century, during the reign of Rajendravarman, and later completed by Suryavarman I. On top of the pyramid was a tower known as “Golden Tower” which according to legend, lived a spirit in the form of a nine headed Naga, which is the supreme Lord of the Khmer Kingdom. Every night, the spirit appears in the form of a woman and the king must spend the night with her, or calamity would strike his land. If the spirit fails to appear, the King will die.

Phimeanakas

 Next to the temple are two pools, that may have been used for bathing or aquatic sports events.

Pool

About Royal Palace:

The exact location of the Royal Palace itself is unknown, but remains of buildings have been found south of the Phimeanakas, which are believed to be the foundations of the Palace. At the eastern side of the enclosure is a large cruciform terrace and four sanctuaries, that were possibly library buildings, while in the western section is an enclosed area, that might have been where the King’s concubines lived.

Gate to Royal Palace

My thoughts:

Phimeanakas was undergoing restoration during my visit, and was off-limits to visitors. Hopefully, as you read this blog post that the temple’s restoration is complete and ready to be visited. 

Elephant Terrace and Terrace of Leper King

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 9.20am to 9.35am

Beating the crowd strategy: Success!

About Elephant Terrace:

Built by King Jayavarman VII at the end of the 12th century, the Elephant Terrace stretches out over a length of more than 300 meters from the Baphuon in the South to the Leper King Terrace to the North. The terrace is named for the elephant carvings and sculptures. 

Large elephant heads protrude out from the wall, their very long trunks forming pillars extending to the ground

According to records, the King appeared daily on the terrace to listen to the complaints and problems of the citizens of his Kingdom. The parade grounds in front of the terrace were also used for several festivals, games, and possession. It is also said that the King used to view his victorious returning army from the platform.

Elephant carvings

About Leper King Terrace:

Named after the “Leper King” statue that was found here, the terrace was also built by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century, directly North of the Elephants terrace. The terrace is believed to be built as a representation of Mount Meru. 

The statue was called the "Leper King" because of the discolouration and moss growing on it was reminiscent of a person with leprosy. It coincides with the Cambodian legend of an Angkorian King Yasovarman I who had leprosy. However, the statue actually represents Yama, the God of death, and the Terrace of the Leper King might have been used a royal cremation site. 

Well preserved carvings on inner wall

The terrace consists of inner and outer walls, and the inner walls were built first and became buried under the soil when the outer walls were constructed. Thanks to that, the carvings of Naga serpents, demons, princes and princesses on the inner wall were well-preserved, looking as fresh as if they had been carved yesterday. The outer walls contain carvings like a Palace scene with a sword swallower and Shiva holding a trident. 

My thoughts:

Being there early in the morning, standing on the Elephant Terrace and looking out to the road where tourist buses passed by, was what I did that day. Imagining myself as part of the ancient royal Khmer guard, or perhaps, the King himself, watching the return of the victorious army, was a form of entertainment in itself. It’s a quick tour for these two terraces, but a joyful one indeed.

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere

Charging point – Preah Khan Restaurant

It was a long ride from the northern gate of Angkor Thom to Preah Khan Restaurant (about half an hour), the first of the two charging points available along the grand circuit. After handling my e-bike to the restaurant owner, I crossed the road to Preah Khan which was just located opposite the restaurant. 

Again, I didn’t buy any meals after my visit to Preah Khan either, but remembering that the staffs at Green e-bike did told me that this restaurant is managed by some poor family, I bought a can of drink while waiting for the bike to finish charging. Contrary to the other charging point, the business here wasn’t that good as this place is certainly more run down and the traffic along grand circuit was noticeably lesser. 

Preah Khan

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 10.00am to 11.00am

Beating the crowd strategy: Success!

About Preah Khan:

Preah Khan

Literally means “Royal Sword", Preah Khan is another creation of King Jayavarman VII, built to honor his father. The temple is flat in design, with a basic plan of successive rectangular galleries around a Buddhist sanctuary complicated by Hindu satellite temples.

Linga

As King Jayavarman VII was a devoted Buddhist, Preah Khan was built as a Buddhist temple but most depictions of the Buddha have been destroyed or changed into praying Rishi figures during the Hindu reaction of King Jayavarman VIII in the 13th century.

Rishi carvings

Collapsed chambers

Preah Khan was a temple city occupying a large around surrounded by a moat, with its outermost enclosure built up with wooden houses where common people lived. The temple's foundation stele states that close to 100,000 people were dedicated to serve the temple, including rice farmers, monks and dancers. It also lists the wealth of the temple, including silver, gold and gems. The stele also mentions that a statue of Lokeshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion was consecrated, carved to resemble the King’s father. 

Fallen rubbles

Preah has four entrances in each cardinal point, with the east entrance as the main entrance. Each entrance has a causeway over the moat with nāga-carrying devas and asuras similar to those at Angkor Thom, which indicated that the city element of Preah Khan was more significant than those of Ta Prohm or Banteay Kdei.

North of the hall of Dancers

One of the significant structure in Preah Khan is the “North of the Hall of Dancers”, which is a Grecian-style two-storey building with large circular columns. Although it is not known what the purpose of this structure was, some speculate it might have been a granary building.

My thoughts:

Preah Khan immediately captured my heart when I first walked in. The temple was huge and you walk through from one chamber to another, it feels like a maze. I had fun exploring this massive temple and found myself being impressed with its beautiful architecture with every new discovery. And that picturesque Grecian-style structure? I love that, very much. 

Neak Pean

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 11.45am to 12.05pm

Beating the crowd strategy: It doesn’t matter…

About Neak Pean:

Boardwalk to Neak Pean

Neak Pean, which literally translated as “the entwined snakes” is a small temple located on an artificial island in the center of the now dry Jayatataka Baray. The central pond of Neak Pean symbolizes lake Anavatapta, a lake located in the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology. Four smaller ponds and chapels surround it at each of its four sides, where pilgrims used to wash away their sins in the cleansing waters of the central pond.

Neak Pean

In the center of the central pond, stands the sanctuary on a circular stone based, encircled by two Naga snakes, guarding the East entrance of the temple. At the west entrance is their tails intertwined. 

Mirror of the sky

There are several lingas scattered round the central sanctuary, and in front of the East entrance is statue of the flying horse Balaha. According to one of the Jataka tales, a group of merchants were sailing the ocean when their ship was wrecked by storm. The merchants cling on the pieces of wood from the broken ship and ended on stranded on an island named Singhala. The merchants were welcomed by attractive women disguised by demons, who took them home where they had children and lives as family. They eventually came to know about the truth and tried to escaped the island. Once a month, the flying horse Bahala would appear on the island and the merchants were seen clinging to the horse’s manes and tail, escaping the island.  

My thoughts:

Reflections

Neak Pean is probably the least impressive temple along Grand Circuit, but the stroll along the boardwalk that leads to it was the actual highlight. Be sure to visit Neak Pean in the day when the sun shines the brightest, when the dead trees are reflected on the calm reservoir. 

Ta Som

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 12.20pm to 12.40pm

Beating the crowd strategy: Fail!

About Ta Som:

Ta Som

Ta Som is a small Bayon-style temple built at the end of the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII. The temple is dedicated to his father King Dharanindravarman II. The temple consists of a single sanctuary tower in the center and surrounded by enclosure laterite walls.

Smaller in scale compared to Preah Khan and Ta Som

The Bayon style is evident in both the temple’s entrance which are decorated with large faces of Lokeshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion , facing all four directions. 

A pediment standing on the ground, not restored

Like Preah Khan and Ta Prohm, Ta Som was left largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins, making it another “jungle temple”, but in a much smaller scale. 

My thoughts:

I had literally temple-out by the time I reached Ta Som, and nothing could interest me at that moment. Every carving looked familiar and every corner seemed like somewhere I’ve been. Come to think about it, it might be a good idea, to take a break before continuing.

There is a limit to a human’s ability to absorb, even the finest beauty

East Mebon

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 1.10pm to 1.40pm

Beating the crowd strategy: Somewhat okay!

About East Mebon:

East Mebon is a mountain temple build by King Rajendravarman II in the 10th century. The temple was constructed on a man-made island in the East Baray, a huge water reservoir which was only reachable by boat. The baray, however has now dried up. East Mebon was not Rajendravarman II’s state temple, but was dedicated to Hindu God Shiva and honoured the parents of the kings. The King’s state temple was Pre Rup which was build outside of the bray 9 years later.

The 5 towers of East Mebon, symbolising Mount Meru

The temple was built on a north–south axis with Pre Rup, and lies on an east–west axis with the palace temple Phimeanakas, another creation of Rajendravarman II. This reflects Khmer architect’s concern with orientation and cardinal directions. The construction of East Mebon consists of three types of materials, namely sandstone, brick, laterite and stucco. 

Built from laterite

Like Phnom Bakheng, it is built to represent Mount Meru. At the top of the temple is a central santuary on a square platform, surrounded by four smaller sanctuaries at each corner, altogether symbolises the five peaks of Mount Meru. The linga Sri Rajendreshvara was placed in the central sanctuary and the outer four surrounding sanctuaries were dedicated to Shiva, Parvati (the wife of Shiva), and the Hindu Gods Vishnu and Brahma.

My thoughts:

Having been temple-out at Ta Som, a visit to East Mebon was a breath of fresh air. Being a temple mountain, the site was big, spacious and open, unlike the dark, enclosed jungle temple of Ta Som. Built with laterite, the temple was bright orange and upon being shined under the hot son, it was a beautiful sight. I had a pleasant time wondering around, and spacing out. It wasn’t crowded during my visit, probably due to lunch hour, and the place was quiet and peaceful. 

Pre Rup

Opening hours: 5.00am until 5.30pm

Visited: 2.00pm to 2.45pm

Beating the crowd strategy: Consider a Success!

About Pre Rup:

Built as the state temple of King Rajendravarman, Pre Rup is also a Hindu temple dedicated to Hindu God Shiva. Besides also a temple mountain which represents Mount Meru, Pre Rup is also built in the similar architectural style as East Mebon, it is a temple mountain of combined brick, laterite and sandstone. The main difference between the two temples is that Pre Rup is a stepped pyramid while East Mebon isn’t. 

Pre Rup

The temple’s modern name means "turn the body" which supports the common belief among Cambodians that funerals were conducted at the temple, with the ashes of the body being ritually rotated in different directions as the service progressed. The temple may have served as an early royal crematorium. 

View from the second tier

Pre Rup is a built in the form of a three tiered pyramid, and on the second level are 12 small sanctuaries grouped around the structure that each used to contain a linga, a representation of Shiva. At the center of each side of the pyramid is a stairway leading to the platform with the five towers. The stairway is guarded on both sides by lion statues. The central tower and its surrounding four towers at each corner were dedicated to Shiva, Parvati (the consort of Shiva), Vishnu and Lakshmi (the consort of Vishnu).

Three-tiered pyramid

My thoughts:

Pre Rup was my last stop of the day, marking the end of my grand circuit tour. Just like East Mebon, the temple shines under the bright sun in vibrant, orange hue due to the use of laterite. I had wanted to stay for sunset, since it would have been a fantastic spot, as highly recommended, but had a last minute change of mind since the sky started to turn gloomy and I was afraid that it would be raining. Turned out it was false alarm after all, as the sun shone brightly on my ride back to town. 

Returning e-Bike

The plan was to stop by Khmer Cooking Empire for another round of charging but judging from the balance voltage, I figured it was enough to get me back to Green e-bike, so I decided to leave straight to Siem Reap town. I contemplated for a moment, whether to revisit Angkor Wat, which seemed to have a lot more to be explored, but in the end, choosing to return to Siem Reap. It’s been a long day, and I was already exhausted from the long ride along Grand Circuit, and the hot weather certainly didn’t help one bit. I reached Green e-bike in time before my 48 hours of rental is up, and after returning the bike, I walked back to the hotel for a satisfying shower. 

Third night in Siem Reap

Fried rice for dinner

Dinner for the night was settled at a roadside hawker stall right in front of Siem Reap Art Center Night Market. I had a plate of fried rice for US$3 and a cup of mango shake for US$1. The night was still young by the time I returned from my stroll at the night market, and I tucked in early, ready to rejuvenate myself for another long day ahead.

Mango shake

Lost Soul Fish Incident

(Remark: In Cantonese, “lost soul fish” is used to describe a scatterbrain, whom carelessness and forgetfulness causes a series of misfortune to oneself and others)

Having torn my pants once the day before, I was extremely careful, so not to cause the same mishap again. But bad luck strike again, as I torn the side of my pants this time as I climbed onto the bike at Neak Pean. As if that wasn’t enough, I was clumsy enough to have dropped the bike onto my feet at Ta Som. My arms might have been tired from riding around the whole day. Thankfully, I only lightly injured my toes.

Lesson learnt: Stay focused!

Careless girl

Epilogue

At the end of my third day in Siem Reap, I was grateful that I did this impromptu trip. It started because I wanted to take the chance to have a short trip before starting my employment in a new company, and I only started planning and reading up on information days before departure. Albeit not doing a thorough research on the temples prior to my visit, I was in other way surprised every time I across new interesting things. Should I have read more about the temples, would I have been overwhelmed with information and got sick of seeing so many temples? I probably could be. In fact, even with minimal research, I was slightly burnt out by the time I reach Ta Som, so I’m glad the little knowledge on the temples made me a little gleeful girl who was happy and excited as she explores each and every new, unfamiliar site.   

The key to enjoying the journey is being open to the unknown

• 4 Days Siem Reap Itinerary In Less Than USD160
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 1): Old Market, Night Market and Pub Street
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 2): Angkor Small Circuit
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 4 & 5): Banteay Srei & Beng Mealea