Travel Photo: Entrance to Angkor Thom, Cambodia

The Angkor Archaeological park is a sensational place with a lot of beautiful temples like Angkor Wat, Prasat Bayon, Ta Prohm, Terrace of the Elephants and more, but sometimes you don’t have to visit these temples to gape in wonder at its beauty. Instead, their walls and gateways can induce the same effect.


You will feel such an emotion rush just before you enter the Angkor Thom complex as you will be facing the mighty south gate of Angkor Thom with its insanely beautiful gate entrance. This gate entrance has the same faces on its tower as the Bayon temple and has a whole lane of sculptures of guards in front of that gate. And to add more appeal is the moat surrounding Angkor Thom.


A truly special experience much before you set sights on the top attractions of a destination. Climb on top of this gate through the dirt trail to get an even better view.

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Travel Photo: Giant Roots and the Temple

This is possibly the most photographed place in the whole of Cambodia. And the credit goes to Angelina Jolie, who made this site immortal through her movie ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’. It is insanely popular with South Koreans and Chinese especially and also the rest of the world. I visited this place, the Ta Prohm temple for a second time this year and was happy to get lesser crowd here, which helped me click many frames and shots.


While I took photographs without any one in the frame, I like this one better where my travel blogger friends Mridula Dwivedi and Lakshmi Sharath photographed these giant roots and in turn got photographed by me. Thank you for being my models!! And thank you to Tourism Authority of Thailand and Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia for inviting us on this trip.

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One Dollar Madam!!

One dollar madam! One dollar sir!! One will hear loud exclamations such as these in crisp American accents. But, this place is not the United States of America, but Cambodia, which uses the green back as one of its national currencies. These exclamations are made by young boys and girls mainly and some times adults selling you all kinds of souvenirs inside the Angkor Archaeological park in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Souvenirs could range from fridge magnets and postcards to hats, local cotton clothes to books about Angkor and local musical instruments to traditional art work.


These are extremely poor people who eke out a living by selling these goods to tourists, but sometimes they can be real insistent and the one dollar madam/sir can ring in your ears for a very long while. Here’s the thumb rule to handle these hawkers in the Angkor complex. Unless interested, do not engage in a conversation with any of these hawkers. Simply, say NO and look uninterested. If you express interest and do not buy, these hawkers will get dejected and/or might resort to pestering you. If you do plan to buy, bargain hard depending on how much extra you want to give to these poor people.

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Travel Photo: Sleeping at Angkor Thom

One sees so many innovative and interesting things while traveling and this is one of them. I was inside the Angkor archaeological park and it was mid afternoon time. I was here on an invite from the tourism authority of Thailand and the Ministry of tourism of Cambodia and our group had got a bit delayed due to the rains. But, the clouds cleared up and the sun shone nicely to make it a sticky afternoon. By the time we had finished exploring the beautiful Bayon temple, we were all sticky and tired and I felt like putting up my feet and resting.


It was precisely at that moment that I saw this tuk tuk driver sleeping in his hammock inside his tuk tuk. As much as I wanted to trade places with him, I was enticed by the way he had set up his hammock in the passenger carriage of this tuk tuk. A perfect setup to protect him from the sun and the rains and give much needed rest to these tuk tuk drivers who wake up early (to take their customers for the Angkor Wat sunrise) and stay up late in the night (to take the tourists to the pub street in Siem Reap).

P.S. Such hammocks are real cheap in Siem Reap’s old market and are insanely light and comfortable. I have one of them myself.

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The River of the 1000 Lingas

The term ‘Holy Water’ is there in most religions. It is there in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and others. The term exists in the Angkor group of temples in Cambodia too. A lot of Hindus from India travel to Cambodia to see this sight. A lot of tourists  from other religions and countries see it too.


This is the site in the mountains where the Siem Reap river flows over a 1000 lingas (the Hindu god Shiva) deep in the forests. This place is very far away from Siem Reap, at about 50 kms from the city. Only serious enthusiasts, travelers and temple fanatics make this far. After all, you have to brave a half day ride in a tuk tuk or an expensive drive in the taxi to see this place.


I went to this place by tuk tuk. It cost me about $15 for the entire half day exercise. I left in the morning at 7 AM and returned to my hotel in Siem Reap at around 1 PM. The journey to the entry point of the 100 Lingas took me about one and a half hours. Here, they check your tickets (your Angkor ticket is valid here) and off you begin your climb to the top. The tourist guide books and the locals say that it takes 45 minutes for the climb, but if you are fit and ready to walk 2.8 kms of climb in one go, you can cover it in between 12 and 15 minutes. A good pair of shoes or floaters is ideal, though not mandatory. Terrain is well covered by trees, so you need not worry about getting sun burnt, though you might have to worry about the humidity. Hence, carry at least a liter of water on you.


Once you reach your destination, you will wonder why you made this climb when you can’t see anything. And it is precisely for this reason that the Angkor authorities have instated two guides who will show you the various rock inscriptions in and around the water. They will show you the Maha Vishnu in Ananta Sayanam position supported by his nagas, the 3 headed Brahma, Nandi Bull – the vehicle of Lord Shiva, various Apsaras and Devas, Crocodiles, Frogs and the 1000 lingas that have been carved onto the stones here. So in essence, the waters of the Siem Reap river flows over the Hindu gods and thus the water is considered holy.


If you walk a little further downstream, you will hear a waterfall and when you get to it, the guide will tell you that you can take a holy bath here. A lot of tourists do not take a bath here as there are no support systems and no one is carrying their swimming trunks and towel. But, luckily for me, I was carrying mine and had a fantastic shower under the holy waterfall on the Siem Reap river. The water is very pleasant and the force is perfect for a soothing and relaxing bath. Whether you are here as an inquisitive traveler, a temple lover, a Hindu patriot or a connoisseur of good architecture, you will like this place. The place has enough in it to keep your mind occupied for 2 hours straight.

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