Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap is noted for its fiery sunrises and sunsets. Thinking I would beat the crowds with a 4:30AM morning call, I hired a car, driver and guide to drive out to Srah Srang to see my firs ...

2009-02-14T07:25:16Z

Zero Chance
Siem Reap is noted for its fiery sunrises and sunsets. Thinking I would beat the crowds with a 4:30AM morning call, I hired a car, driver and guide to drive out to Srah Srang to see my firs ...

Sitting on a stone platform overlooking a still lake, I watched as the sun made its first appearance at 5:45AM. If you do decide to go, please carry a flashlight and a tripod for your came ...

2009-10-04T06:56:08Z

Zero Chance
Sitting on a stone platform overlooking a still lake, I watched as the sun made its first appearance at 5:45AM. If you do decide to go, please carry a flashlight and a tripod for your came ...

Watching the sunrise along with the tourists were these local children.

2009-10-04T06:56:07Z

Zero Chance
Watching the sunrise along with the tourists were these local children.

Watching such a beautiful sunrise never gets old for these local people.

2009-10-04T06:56:04Z

Zero Chance
Watching such a beautiful sunrise never gets old for these local people.

Srah Srang offers a pleasant, much less touristy place to watch the sunrise.

2009-10-04T06:56:01Z

Zero Chance
Srah Srang offers a pleasant, much less touristy place to watch the sunrise.

Zero Chance's photo

2009-10-04T06:57:03Z

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap is noted for its fiery sunrises and sunsets. Thinking I would beat the crowds with a 4:30AM morning call, I hired a car, driver and guide to drive out to Srah Srang to see my firs ...

Sitting on a stone platform overlooking a still lake, I watched as the sun made its first appearance at 5:45AM. If you do decide to go, please carry a flashlight and a tripod for your came ...

Watching the sunrise along with the tourists were these local children.

Watching such a beautiful sunrise never gets old for these local people.

Srah Srang offers a pleasant, much less touristy place to watch the sunrise.

Zero Chance's photo

After the sunrise, my guide led me across the street to the Banteay Kdei temple. This is a relatively small temple and a great start to my trip as a warm up to the much more popular attract ...

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Zero Chance's photo

Zero Chance's photo

Like all the other temples, there are no pedestrian railings to keep people away from the carvings and structures. One can simply walk or sit anywhere and take in the peaceful surroundings.

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From Banteay Kdei, the guide took me through a forest walk to Ta Prohm. It was only since the late 1990's that the area was cleared of landmines.

Trees at Ta Prohm.

Ta Prohm is a sprawling monastic complex and a fine example of a "tree-in-temple". Intentionally left partially unrestored, massive fig and silk-cotton trees grow from towers and corridor ...

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Walking through its dark corridors and open plazas, there are many unusual shapes. Here is one that looks like buttocks. One should definitely include Ta Prohm on any itineary. Go early i ...

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This is the main gate from which the tours usually enter. We left from here, once again going against the tide.

Tuk-tuks are a favourite way for people to get around. For USD10 you can hire these moto-cabs for several hours. Since the temples are fairly close, this is a good way to get around. But ...

On the side of the lake by Srah Srang is a elementary school. Children go for half days. Not much in terms of facilities, but the children are eager to learn.

Without babysitting services, older kids bring their younger siblings to school with them. The iron bars in this window is a contradiction to the happy, smiling girl within. Easy way to ge ...

These 5 girls were enjoying a recess outside when I visited the school yard. They were happy to pose for a group picture.

After a break at the hotel to avoid the hot midday sun which is crap for photography, we drove to Bayon Temple. This and Angkor Wat are the two biggest temple compleses in Siem Reap. I ref ...

On the exterior walls are these bas-reliefs depicting real life scene from an historic battle between the Khmer and the Cham from Vietnam. There are other scenes of everyday life interspers ...

The giant stone faces of Bayon have become one of the most recognizable images connected to ancient Khmer art and architecture.

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Zero Chance's photo

An easy way to get around the vast temple complexes is by bicycles. These women were just finished cleaning up the moat outside the temple walls and were riding to another location.

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This is looking out at the east gate of Angkor Thom. There are 4 main gates leading to the enclosed city, each representing a cardinal point on the compass. Victorious battles are said to ...

Terrace of the elephants is a 2.5 metre tall wall spanning the heart of Angkor Thom. Carved elephants and garudas adorn the wall. In the wet season, water surrounds the terrace. It faces ...

The mid-afternoon light is still very harsh but quite directional in the winter so very good for photographing details. The surrounding jungle gives dull, flat lighting, making photography ...

This shot was taken from the southwest corner of Bayon Temple to take full advantage of the late afternoon light. Each of those stone pillars in front of the wall is about 2.5 times the hei ...

This is the south gate of Angkor Thom. Fifty four statues each representing a state is holding a giant snake on either side of the road leading to the gate. This is usually the first stop ...

Day 2 was spent watching the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Afterwards, we drove out of the town to a very unique temple, Beng Melea. Located about 1.5 hours by car from Siem Reap, Beng Melea is c ...

Beng Melea - To properly experience this place, one has to climb through the rubble, like Indiana Jones. Lara Croft - Tomb Raider was also filmed here, Be sure to wear sturdy shoes as you ...

The jungle has grown around the temple over the centuries. Tree trunks wrap intimately around the stone walls in the courtyard.

A climb up one of the walls yields this magnificent carving on the side of an entranceway.

Zero Chance's photo

Zero Chance's photo

After leaving Beng Melea, we drove 45 minutes over a dirt road to Banteay Srey. I would refer to this as the most colourful temple - the pink temple. This is the entrance to the temple. N ...

Banteay Srey loosely translates to "citadel of the women". The temple is relatively small and the sandstone here is pinkish and ornate.

These window stone bars were grey in the other temples, but fully restored they take on an orange-pink hue, probably what it looked like when first built.

Located about 38 km from Siem Reap, Banteay Srey is best combined with Beng Melea as a trip. Since the drive is so far, over rough roads, it is best to hire a car and not a tuk-tuk, and the ...

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A moat surrounds the temple, and on the other side of the moat one can sit under the cool shade of leafy trees and wile away the time.

Angkor Wat at sunrise. Arriving 15 minutes before the first light of day I was stunned to see the place buzzing with tourist activity. Led by my guide to a spot by the northern reflecting ...

While the previous picture shows Angkor Wat in all its morning glory, here is the reality. A crowd of tourists, three to four deep. If I had not gotten the 4:30AM morning call, and leaned ...

The men (and woman) that proved indispensible for this first time visitor. Mucking around in the dark with a tiny flashlight is much better when following the footsteps of someone who has b ...

I added some exposure compesation to give a clearer view. In reality, it was not this bright. The soft morning light revealing Angkor Wat's details. The books say that first timers should ...

Angkor Wat is visually, architecturally and artistically breathtaking. The grounds are surrounded by a moat, a forest, and an exterior wall. When first approaching, one sees only a two dim ...

OK, in hindsight I should have waited at my spot by the pond because 15 minutes later the sun broke the horizon, rising like a golden egg. I would have gotten another fantastic picture with ...

Angkor Wat main causeway at 3:30PM. This was my second visit to Angkor Wat that day as I wanted to see it in at dawn and in the afternoon. This was taken from the external wall which gave ...

Two pairs of lions guard the outer wall. Here, I used one pair as foreground interest with one of the spires rising in the background.

This is the west-facing side of the exterior wall in late afternoon. How I got this picture with so few people in it was pure, blind luck.

The first level has the most interesting wall carvings. Actually, the inner courtyard of the temple was quite disappointing. While it is quite large, there is little in the way of detail f ...

This is the south-west temple tower. The temple complex is built around a square with a tower at each corner and a centre tower.

Steep, narrow stairs rise up 20 metres to the second level of the temple complex. If you want to come down, the best way is to come down backwards with your stomach hugging the steps. At l ...

Climbing down the steps is not for the faint at heart. One slight misstep or a slip could be fatal. It is obvious the authorities do not want to prevent people from climbing the steps, oth ...

At the top level, one can get some interesting high angle shots of monks on the lower level. Their colourful robes contrast against the stark grey walls.

This friendly monk struck up a conversation with me and claims to have been to HK and asked me if I believed him. I said of course, because monks are not supposed to lie.

After spending an hour in Angkor Wat, the guide took me to ride an elephant at the base of Phnom Bakheng to the top of the hill from which I could look down at Angkor Wat.

Here is a shot from the hill temple looking down on Angkor Wat to the east.

Sunset on Phnom Bakheng.

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The third day I took a tuk-tuk for a trip out to Tonle Sap Lake. Through the old quarter we saw a funeral procession for a teacher. This shot was taken from the back of the tuk-tuk framed ...

To get to Tonle Sap Lake, required a 15 km trek south of Siem Reap by tuk-tuk through lush rice paddy fields and dusty roads. My tuk-tuk driver was Mr. Bondy. Along the way we passed littl ...

Chong Khneas is the floating village at the edge of the lake closest to Siem Reap. There are schools on donated barges, a church, machine shops, fish farms and this tourist trap - a fish an ...

Chong Khneas, whilst interesting, is full of tour buses. Children, who should otherwise be in school are making a living selling bananas to tourists in tour boats. Half of the fish consume ...

These young girls were very aggressive in pushing their bananas on customers who would rather have a nice cold beer or soda. Better market research is needed.

After the morning outing to Tonle Sap Lake, midday was spent by the pool at the hotel. In the late afternoon, I took a walk by the river in the middle of the town.

Siem Reap is a town full of bicycles and motobikes. Traffic lights are recommendations only and crossing the street can be as harrowing an experience as what we went through in Vietnam.

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Raffles Grand Hotel Park - A stand of trees with leaves down their trunk serve as the subject as the sun drops beneath the horizon to the end of the third day.

FCC Restaurant - Highly recommended for dinner. Very colonial but not as much as the Raffles Grand Hotel. Prices were reasonable.

The Shinta Mani pool and spa under the straw roof.

Given the hotel is really a training institute for students wishing to get full time jobs in the tourism industry, the facilities are quite humble in size and decoration. However, the small ...

Shinta Mani, which is derived from Sanskrit, meaning "the gem that provides everything one desires", is an intimate, friendly boutique hotel of 18 rooms. The hotel provides free hospitality ...