Angkor Wat

Cambodia was not very high in my list of places to go, but everyone has rave reviews of Angkor Wat. So much so that, I thought to myself, I had to go see. With Jetstar's promo tix at a little over S$200 including taxes, why not pop over for a look? Esp now is the "low season", I thought I could avoid the super crowd that those same rave reviews were also talking about....


It is low season for a reason. It is HOT and wet. Not particularly enticing for a holiday. But what I read is that the rains come only in the early mornings or late afternoons and only in short bursts. That sounded not too bad, and moreover, sometimes the rain do bring dramatic lightings. As for the heat, well, that was the killer......


I had only 3 days in Cambodia/Siem Reap, and decided to do a one-day "crash course" on Angkor Park. Coupled with the July heat, it was tiring as hell, and erm, hot as hell. But the worse was yet to come. As I joined many others into the compounds for sunset, and as the glorious golden sun rays fall onto Angkor Wat....... and its scaffolding, I can only curse my luck. I don't know how long this restoration works on Angkor Wat has been going on, but it certainly spoiled my picture perfect moment (and shot). Ah well, off-peak indeed.


I visited 5 temples in all, Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei and Preah Khan. These are recommendations from Tales of Asia website as well as from some friends. They are all great recommendations, and my favourite is Preah Khan, which gave me the most sense of mystery. However, my advise and recommendation is to get the 3 day pass, and enjoy a slow tour of the temples by only visiting them in the morning hours and the late afternoon hours. Between 10+am to 3+pm, do yourself a favour and enjoy some cold beer somewhere cooling :)



Still, I'm impressed with Angkor Wat (minus the scaffolding) and would have to agree with those whom I have talked to and recommended it to me. Cambodia is worth a re-visit...