Sunrise + Angkor Wat = Rain

Today was going to be an "off-the-beaten" path day of sight-seeing, I had all the good intentions to head 30 km north to Kabal Spean (known as the "River of a Thousand Linga" - relief carvings that line the river beds are believed to purify the water that flow to Angkor) and Banteay Srei (a small, unique and charming temple), but had to turn around as the steady rain completely soaked my Tuk Tuk driver (it was only 8am!). We modified our itinerary to do the 'Grand Tour Loop' around Angkor.

(Rainy) Angkor Wat at Sunrise

Angkor Wat (“City Temple”) is a temple complex built for the King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. It is the world's largest religious building. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture - combining two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. It is estimated that over one million people lived there making it the largest metropolis in its time.

Angkor Wat (sunrise)

East Mebon

Ta Som

Neak Pean

Preah Khan

Ta Keo

Ta Prohm

Angkor Wat (sunset)

I know Angkor Wat is the star attraction within the Angkor complex but my favorite temple is Ta Prohm. The combination of trees growing out of the temple ruins created a splendid atmosphere when the day became cloudy and foggy. Now if I only had charged my camera battery...thank goodness for my iPhone!

Ta Prohm was built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. Located approximately one kilometer east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: a photogenic wonder of trees growing out of the ruins have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples.

After lunch, the sky turned clear blue and I was able to finish the day with a picture-perfect sunset view of Angkor Wat. Now this is awesome!