Regent Seven Seas Voyager Bangkok to Dubai Day 3 - Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia, and Angkor Wat
Beep, beep, beep - 6AM sure comes early after a long travel day or a day-and-a-half. We rolled out, grabbed a quick shower, and hit breakfast at 6:30. We are leaving a bag behind here, so that had to be ready and outside our door at 7:00. They will deliver that to the ship for us in a couple of days.
After a quick breakfast, Arlona hoofed it a couple of blocks to a 7-11 and grabbed up some nice cold caffeine in the form of Coke Zero. They had a 200 Baht minimum purchase to use a credit card, so we're stocked with more Coke Zero for the next couple of days, along with a Toblerone and a box of Oreos. Don't judge, she didn't make the rule. 201 Baht later, $6.04 after the credit card exchange rate, and she was good to go.
Here's a look at the Bangkok skyline from our hotel, the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Towers.
Our total occupancy time was 11:30 last night until 7:40 this morning. At least it was a comfortable room.
A total of 16 of us boarded the bus for the airport.
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| Our guide, Sarah, gave us the rundown on today's travel |
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| We got ticketed, handled immigration, and passed by several of these guys |
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| Since we had time to kill before our flight, I decided to play with ChatGPT again, asking for an anime version of that photo, preserving us and the warrior, but losing distracting details |
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| Quite the tug of war going on in the airport |
We boarded and departed Bangkok for Siem Reap, Cambodia. The flight was only an hour, but they had food and drink service.
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| A local Thai beer? Yes, please! |
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| We arrived in Siem Reap, cleared immigration, got our bags, and headed for our tour bus |
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| At the airport |
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| Our first stop was the Angkor ticketing office to pick up our ticket for the next two days |
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| The next stop was our hotel, Borei Angkor |
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| Not thrilled about the sleeping arrangements |
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| Overall, though, the room is nice |
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| We even have a small veranda |
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| The bathroom is a good size, too |
After about an hour, settling in, we got back on the bus and headed to Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat, built in the 1100s by Khmer King Suryavarman and covering 402 acres, is the largest religious installation in the world. Built as a Hindu temple, it was converted to Buddhism, converted back to Hinduism, and then back to Buddhism again. At one point, the Soviets also annexed it and converted it to an armed fortress.
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| Part of the huge moat that surrounds the installation |
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| Our first glimpse at the structures |
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| The approach to the main entrance |
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| Bamboo signs along the way |
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| We were treated to a beautiful rainbow that lasted for more than 30 minutes |
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| Liions and cobras guard the entrance - the cobra's body spans the entire way to the temple |
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| Our local guide, Kiem, explained the significance of the sculptures and the sandstone construction |
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| Approaching the entrance |
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| The Hindu God Vishnu from its time as a Hindu temple |
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| The expanse from the entrance to the main temple |
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| There are five towers here, symbolizing the peaks of Mount Meru, the place where Hindu gods lived |
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| The walls were full of carvings - many featured dancing girls |
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| Still rocking the rainbow |
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| The back of the entrance to the complex |
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| Another cobra |
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| The walkway to the main entrance |
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| Support buildings - a library (only with a rock scroll) and the former monk residence - new ones have been built nearby |
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| The monastery is active, and we saw several Buddhist monks walking about |
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| Many macaques also call Angkor Wat home |
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| Approaching the main structure |
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| The carvings are incredibly detailed |
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| You can see some of the original red coloring |
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| More red here too |
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| Many of the Buddha statues have been vandalized or looted |
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| The dark coloring is from lichens - they were working on cleaning and restoration |
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| A weathered carving |
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| A similar carving after a cleaning and restoration |
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| Optionally, we could climb up newer stairs for a higher look. I opted to save my knee - wait, who is that on the right? |
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| Arlona charged up - her photos looking out follow |
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| Two monks were performing some type of ceremony |
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| After everyone who climbed up got back down, we continued the tour |
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| We picked up some great afternoon lighting |
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| The carvings were impressive |
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| Monks as young as five years old can join |
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| As we were preparing, this traditional dancer was heading in for a photo session |
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| Another view of the guardians |
After a hot and sticky (95°F) two hours, we walked back to the bus and rode back to the hotel. Both of us were exhausted from a physically draining afternoon, coupled with three nights of questionable sleep. We didn't feel adventurous, so we skipped the options of taking a tuk-tuk into Siem Reap and picking a dinner spot. Instead, we went to the hotel's restaurant. Arlona enjoyed a margherita pizza, and I had a club sandwich. Dinner was just right. We went back to the room so I could put this together and we could get some quality sleep. Arlona is passing out already as I finish this at 9:00.
Tomorrow, we will visit another pair of temples, Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm - the temple used in the
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie from 2000.
Wonderful photos!
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