My Tomb Raider experience

So after a week and half in Siem Reap I still hadn't been to the legendary Angkor Wat and truthfully I didn't see what all the hype was about. But what is a visit to Cambodia without seeing the iconic ruins. So I tagged along with Laura and Louise and tried to squeeze all the major temples into one day. If you are interested in trying and seeing the temples here's a tip: don't get the 7 day pass unless you plan on taking it real slow and going every other day. If you're really fascinated by them get a 3 day pass and hire a guide for the first day. I on the other hand, I opted for the one day pass. I didn't get to see some of the further out temples but that was ok by me.

Walking across the moat and into the entrance of Angkor Wat is amazing. The size of the structure and the details of the carving put it alongside the Roman Colosseum and the Pyramids of Egypt when you consider the times that they were built. After marveling at the size and beauty of Angkor Wat, we headed off to Ta Prohm (made famous when a miss Angelina Jolie climbed through its rubble in Tomb Raider). This was my favorite place of the day. The jungle just takes over and you really feel like you're in the jungle; well aside from the bus loads of Korean tourists shoveled in every half hour. Tip #2: go here between noon and 2 o'clock when the buses head back to the city for lunch. We also visited some smaller lesser known temples before ending the day at the Bayon Temples. Its basically a head with 4 faces and there's something like forty some odd heads all of different sizes, but I can't remember what each face stands for. Another must see along with the previous two I mentioned. By the time we finished up there it was late in the afternoon and everyone heads up to the top of a hill to watch the sunset. Well its not setting over Angkor Wat, its crowded, everyone is tired and you have to clamber down in the dark afterwards. Tip #3: Don't do the sunrise, nuff said. If I would've changed anything it would have been to skip the sunset and try to make the sunrise at Angkor Wat which looks amazing in the pics I've seen.

After my day crawling through ancient ruins I was thoroughly impressed and extremely glad I went. Its something that pictures or videos just don't do justice. But if you're planning a visit do it soon while its still in the state it is now. There are reconstruction and preservation projects going on but it seems like a lot of the new construction is going to take away from that "jungle" feel that you sometimes get. Next stop Battambang.