Seeing Angkor Wat for the First Time

A lot of travelers know about and want to see Angkor Wat in person but the beauty and magnificence of the temple will hit you even just through thousands of images found online. Just like us, these photos will inspire you to make plans and fly to Cambodia. 

Angkor Wat as seen from the inside gallery

So when Air Asia offered seats to Siem Reap at 0 BIG points, we did not think twice and booked a flight to finally cross off Angkor from our bucket list. 

It was our second day in Siem Reap when we arranged to have Pin Ton pick us up at our hotel at 4:30AM. It took us a little while to get our bearings when Pin Ton stopped the tuktuk, told us to buy our One Day Passes, and to meet him back at the parking lot of Angkor Enterprise. In less than 30 minutes we were back on the road to Angkor Wat. 

When we arrived at the site it was still pitch black so we followed the phone lights through the unlit dirt paths until we reached the pontoon bridge to cross the moat to the temple. We then entered through the main gate and walked our way to one of the ponds in front of the temple. We joined several others in waiting for the sun to rise over the temple's five iconic towers and see the skies filled with vibrant colors.

That picture perfect moment did not come though because of the thick wall of clouds that hid the sun. Still, we witnessed how the new day illuminated the sacred walls of the temple. And there it was, Angkor Wat. We immediately fell in love.

We have seen pictures and videos of the temple but we were not expecting the actual size of it. We were blown away by its magnificence and seeing it in person felt like a step back in time. We stood there for a few more minutes and quietly took in the moment. 

The awe-inspiring Angkor Wat

Once recovered, we made our way into the temple to get a closer look at the world's largest religious monument. Inside, we saw the unique combination of concentric galleries and temple mountain design used by different Khmer periods. The temple mountain design takes the form of a massive three-tiered pyramid crowned by five lotus-shaped towers. This is said to be a representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods. We also saw up-close the temple's extensive bas-reliefs and carved devatas adorning its walls.

Mount Meru would have looked as grand as Angkor Wat

The celebrated Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery, considered
as the crowning achievement of Khmer artistry c/o WMF

Intricately carved devatas decorate the walls of Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is unlike any other temples as it was never completely abandoned. After the rest of Angkor was left behind by the Khmer people, Buddhist monks cared for it (though with little structure maintenance). Up until today, it is still a working temple with monks holding prayers and rituals inside on a daily basis. We spent the rest of our visit watching other tourists and monks doing about their business around us. The temple hummed with life. It was an amazing sight.  

Morning prayers inside the temple

On our way out, we noticed that people had cleared out by the ponds and that the sun has already made an appearance. The gods may have given us that opportunity to take a photo before the sun disappeared again behind the clouds.

The sunrise moment at Angkor Wat

How was our first time seeing Angkor Wat? All we can say is it lived up to expectations. It is indeed one of those incredible once in a lifetime experiences.

Also, read our other experiences in Siem Reap:
Going Inside Ta Phrom Where Nature Has Taken Over
Bayon Temple: Face to Face with Giants
Ultimate One Day Angkor Guide: The Best of Angkor
Siem Reap: A Budget Travel Guide for Juans
Siem Reap: A Travel Guide for First Timers
Mei Mei Da Hotel: Unbelievably Poor Customer Service

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