Bayon Temple at Siem Reap
For those who plan to visit Siem Reap, you should know that if you miss visiting this unique temple, it is like visiting Egypt and not seeing the Pyramids.
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| The surrounding areas of Angkor Thom. |
The journey there is actually very relaxing, with lots of trees in the Angkor Thom compound, a massive 10 square kilometre city complex.
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| The famous four-faced Buddha statue tower at Bayon Temple. |
The funny thing about these statues is that they are all smiling. And there are to be 54 standing towers with these faces on four sides of each tower which are known as Face Towers but apparently, only 37 are left. No, I did not count them.
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| A compulsory pose for just about everyone that visits here, including me.
Bayon is a lovely place for those into photography as there are tons of photo opportunities found everywhere.
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My plan is to go back here again to fully photograph Bayon, this time armed with more interesting camera lenses.
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| Arched walkways at the temple. |
For first-time visitors to Angkor, I would advise beating the crowd when you come here. Usually, the crowd would come here after the Angkor sunrise.
That is exactly what I did to avoid the massive crowds who will then make your photographing moments hell. Overall, my guide provided me with this essential tip.
Another worthy tip is to try and photograph the sun rising and hitting the faces of the large statues at Bayon, which could turn out really nice.
Unfortunately for me, I totally missed that shot as I was mesmerized by the way the temple was made and how the carvings to the faces were done.
One of the Large Buddha Statues at Bayon.Just outside Bayon, there is another shrine with a large Buddha statue where the locals would be seen praying to this statue. From the picture above, you can see roughly how large it is.
One of the carved Apsaras.The Apsaras or celestial dancers are seen on carvings around the temple. Such detailed works are absolutely amazing for something this old.
One last tip for the temple seekers, if you only have limited time and want to visit a few temples, I would recommend you take a single day pass and see;
- Angkor Wat Temple
- Bayon Temple
- Ta Phrom Temple
There are quite a number of temples in the Angkor Thom district, and some are even located quite far, so choose your temples for those with limited time there.
For some food and drinks, head just north of Bayon, and you will see some local stalls by the road selling food, drinks, and souvenirs.
Anyway, throughout the complex, there are various places that sell souvenirs along with food and beverages.
Again, get your souvenir t-shirts around here as you may not see them being sold elsewhere unless things have changed much in the last 1 year.
Terrace of the Elephants at Angkor
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| Wall carvings are seen at the Elephant Terrace. |
The Terrace of the Elephants or Elephant Terrace is one of those places worth visiting and photographing.
This terrace was apparently used by the King of Angkor back then as a platform to view his victorious army returning or even for public ceremonies.
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| Ome of the beautiful elephant carvings. |
According to the text, the Elephant Terrace was connected to the Palace of Phimeanakas, of which only a few ruins remain.
The original structures were made mostly from wood and other organic materials, which did not last, so only rock sculptures remain here.
To me, this is a fantastic place, and you can spend about 20 minutes here before moving to the next temple.
- To get to Bayon or Elephant Terrace, your tuk-tuk guide will bring you here as it is in the Angkor Thom complex.
- The Angkor Day Pass or 3-Day pass covers all temples in the Angkor Thom complex, so you need not pay any more money.
- You only spend on the daily Tuk Tuk service or food, drinks or souvenirs here.
- Walking around the temples can be hot and humid so carry water and wear comfortable clothing and shoes.
- Be careful at all times, especially when strangers approach you for no reason.
I will also highly recommend this place for anyone who loves Indochina culture, architecture and anyone who wants a unique destination.
When you are here, please don’t forget to check out the other interesting places here like the famous Ta Prohm Temple, where Angelina Jolie made famous in the movie Tomb Raider.
Of course, there is no denying that the Angkor Wat Temple is definitely one place that you should not miss visiting.
If you plan to spend more than three or four days in Siem Reap, please do take some time to visit the famous Tonle Sap Lake.
That being said, I still have to plan another trip to visit the other temples apart from Bayon Temple at Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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