Once we arrived in Siem Reap, we quickly found out that there was more to that area than just Angkor Wat.  Angkor Wat itself happens to be the world’s largest religious building, but immediately adjacent (i.e. 5 minutes drive by tuk-tuk) is the humongous 9 square kilometer Angkor Thom which was an entire walled city.  Within it is Bayon, the state temple, and numerous other ruins inside.  Other temples can be found all over the area.  Indeed it would be difficult to see all the sights in this area in one trip if only because you’d get so bored of seeing temple after temple!

We made a plan that served us pretty well as far as getting to see a lot without paying too much.  The first day we hired a tuk-tuk driver and an English-speaking guide to take us around several of the sights, point out what we might miss, and explain the history and geography of the temples in the area.  That day we went to Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and another smaller temple, Banteay Srey, which was quite a distance out of the way.

The Entrance to Angkor Thom

Our first stop within Angkor Thom, Bayon:

Bayon, the temple of faces. How many can you find?

Intricate Carvings at Bayon

Face Off

A Hindu temple also found within Angkor Thom:

Hindu Temple

Oh right, we're in the jungle... where they have fist-sized spiders.

Handicap Accessibility was clearly not a design goal

The last major point within Angkor Thom was the massive Terrace of the Elephants:

Terrace

Then we moved on to Angkor Wat, a temple of amazing scale:

That's big and it's just the moat!

The view once you're within the walls

A better view of the temple itself.

An Inner Courtyard

The Back Door

Banteay Srey, a 40 minute drive away, and my favorite temple of all the ones we saw:

Really well-preserved, ancient carvings

Ancient Khmer script

Stay Tuned for days 2 and 3!