Famous Sunset-Watch Destination in Siem Reap

I thought only photographers,both professional and amateurs, would be interested to make the trip To Phnom Bakheng near Angkor Wat to watch the sunset there. I was mistaken. There were not only photographers but also an assortment of tourists, locals, including children, a man with a walking stick, just about every type of person you could imagine. This was a 'happening' place...I thought to myself...what a phenomenon; people congregating there almost every evening to witness and document a daily event??? I wasn't going to miss out on this.

You could opt to go up the hill on this elephant, you know.

The hill was not steep; it had a gentle gradient and a leisurely walk would take you about 20 minutes to get to the temple at the top of the hill. The challenge would be to walk up the very very narrow steps up to the small plateau where the temple is located. To say that the steps are almost perpendicular to the ground is not an exaggeration. It  was really daunting. Climbing up would be possible using all fours, as the others ahead of me were doing, but how on earth were we going to get down those steps? Reverse direction but on all fours again? That would be like abseiling but without any harness or ropes. Impossible. Go down like we would any normal staircase? But there wasn't any railing to hold on to in case I lost my footing on the very, very narrow steps. I do have a slight fear of heights. Should I abort this mission I had set for myself to capture a Bakheng sunset for Skywatch Friday?

Can you see how the people are climbing the steps here?

My husband encouraged me to go on with my mission. We surveyed the perimeter of  the base, scouting for a less perilous ascent for me. We found a narrower flight of steps which had a wall on one side. That would be a good alternative for a railing. At the least I could lean back for some support as I descended. Mission resumed.





At the top, we could see camera tripods already set up on several strategic locations. People were just sitting around, waiting. Every inch of the plateau was occupied. A few people were already taking photographs of the view as soon as the sky was changing colour. The evening light was softer now and the sun was making a slo-mo dive, spreading its light in shades of vermilion. I captured my Bakheng Sunset, and was glad that I could be part of this expereience. 







As the number of people on the top of Bakheng Hill was growing, we decided to make our way back before the crowd made their exit, and before it got too dark to actually see the steps. My dread of the vertigo-inducing descent turned out to be unfounded as I made it down with my dignity and composure intact. Not a slip, my knees didn't buckle and I didn't lose my nerve. The experience was a milestone of sorts for me although the bit of sunset I captured wasn't the show-stopper splendour that the other photographers would have caught when it got dark.However, I have a tale to tell from this experience, and with delight I place my "rosie@travel-i-tales" label on the photograph below!









For other Skywatch Friday moments, please visit Skyley.

Angkor Wat

I had booked the flight for this trip months earlier, and I did not realize that April would be really hot in Siem Reap. And it was hot the first two days we were there. Fortunately it rained a little on the third and fourth day so it was tolerable. Better hot and humid in April and May than wet and muddy during the rainy season from June to October! So here we were, travelling back in time, drenched in sweat! But visiting Angkor Wat is worth the discomfort. There was a pervading sense of tranquility as we worked our way among the huge monuments. It felt to me like I was in the hallowed hallways of a place of learning. And no wonder, as we entered from the West, before we reached the temple, were the libraries on both sides of the path.

Angkor Wat is one of the ancient world's most magnificent work of architecture which has endured the test of time. It is a must-see if you are  in Cambodia. Angkor Wat meaning City Temple, is situated about 5 km from Siem Reap, and is the Cambodian Nation's most precious treasure. It is mind-boggling that it was built so long ago in the early 12th century! King Suryavaram built it to honour the Hindu God, Vishnu. I had expected to see just broken blocks but the buildings  look remarkably intact and inhabitable to me. The architecture is amazingly modern!








From Angkor, the Khmer Kings ruled over territories that covered Vietnam to China. All that remains today are about 100 temples made of stone. The palaces and other buildings had all decayed as they were wooden structures.






The temples are decorated with figures of guardian spirits (devatas or apsaras), bas reliefs as well as narrative scenes of episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata..
















Towers shaped like lotus buds, a moat protecting the temple...Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious building.


UNESCO declared the Angkor Archaeological Park a World Heritage Site in 1992.

Footsteps nigh

Devata eyes spy on mortals

Leaves suspended in the breeze

For Weekend Reflections, Scenic Sunday, Haiku Heights and Haiku My Heart.