Another night with fever in Siem Reap. The weather was not good. I did not care. It was time to do something. Would take such a tuk-tuk to Angkor Wat.
We stopped for the first time at the ticket office. Someone had told me that it would be cheaper in the national currency of Cambodia, Riel to pay. After buying the ticket to Angkor Wat after I counted and came to the conclusion that it would have been cheaper in dollars. The stupid tour guide on the Thai border had told us nothing but junk. What did she like when she tells people things like that?
It was too late. I had bought a three-day ticket to Angkor Wat for $ 40. This is in a country where there are notes for 0.3 cents, not just a little money. Translated into Cambodian Riel It was even more.
from the ticket sales it is not far to the temples. I could already see from here that many temples were being renovated. I'm not happy. Angkor Wat has a great reputation. It is one of the great modern wonders of the world. had hoped Well, Angkor Wat was at first not quite as impressive as I do.
Angkor Wat is huge, which is beyond question. But is impressive? I mean, not necessarily. In photos it looks even better than in reality. I went inside. My feeling was reinforced even more. Angkor Wat is probably the most disappointing, that was on my list of things that I wanted to see before I die. Angkor Wat is hereby removed from this list - and not only because I have seen it.
Angkor Wat is not even ugly. I can imagine that maybe it was an impressive place. It should be a sacred place. I could not feel it. Angkor Wat felt dead.
I know I look pretty thick in the photo. But it is the only thing I could point out in this picture.
We stopped at the Bayon . It is the second most popular temple in the Angkor universe. It started promising. You drive across a narrow bridge and through a narrow, natural gate, which just wide enough for one car.
Bayon is famous for its towers, which consist of four faces. There are many of these things, but you can not see the faces. Actually I should say a lot more crass: A heap of rubble was my first thought.
Bayon
now I had seen the two main attractions. Until now, Angkor Wat was one disappointment. From Bayon I walked on to two other temples. This impressed me even more little. I was so angry that I had almost overlooked the elephant terrace. That was pretty cool.
My tuk-tuk driver looked at me and remarked I was not happy. We continued and things got much better. The not so impressive on paper, Ta Keo I liked. I think at least that it means: The card is the next logical place to Baphuon.
It was a tall, pyramid-shaped temple with an incredibly narrow and steep stairs. A Japanese man, whom I met here, got scared after four stages and was looking for an easier ascent. A samurai with vertigo. Funny.
Japanese are afraid of heights
I went up and suddenly felt good. This temple was not pretty. But he has retained something else: a soul. This is much more important than the look. In the center was a small shrine, which was guarded by a small boy. He was very funny and gave me a brief explanation on how Buddha proves honor. These are the things that I expect in Angkor Wat had.
It was even better. The next stop was Ta Prohm. Here I had the first time the feeling that I get to see for my money was. In Ta Prohm changed my attitude to Angkor Wat. Here, I realized that I will use my 3-day pass completely.
Ta Prohm, a beauty
Ta Prohm is so beautiful that you can never describe it. Instead of clearing the jungle, they have in here are simply left. Even in the temple grow magnificent trees. They grow on walls and buildings. Despite all the tourists, the place was quiet. I loved to be here. Even the sun shone for the first time (for about 30 seconds) and in the soft morning light everything looked much more beautiful.
The eastern gate of Bayon
A monkey in Angkor Wat
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