Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Last week, I was in Siem Reap and visited the amazing temples of Angkor. Truly indeed they were mesmerizing and lived up to its status as a heritage site. The entire complex ca not be visited in one full day and there were just so many things to do and other places to check for good views of the temples. Prior to my visit, I learned that you should not miss the sunrise and sunset views of the temples. there were many suggestions. One website even listed down more than 20 other sites to view the sunset in order to avoid the maddening crowd in certain areas. For sunrise, almost every one visits the Angkor Wat and for sunset, it is Phnom Bakheng that is most famous. I guess these two are famous because that is where you will really find the best views among the other spots in this massive complex.

I only tried the sunrise at Angkor Wat and it was indeed rewarding and spectacular. There is definitely nothing like it any where in the world that has been standing for more than thousands of years. We arrived at the complex before 530 AM and the crowd was just starting. I was guided to stand in front of the small lake on the left side facing the Angkor Wat. Of which you will need flashlights in order to determine where you are. within 5 minutes of standing there, there was already a massive crowd behind me waiting for the sun to rise and trying to get that spot where they can take their own shot of that picturesque sun rising behind the majestic Angkor Wat. It was marvelous to see from that very dark minute when I arrived until that break of down.

The crowds will definitely ruin your moment as throngs of people were really scattered around the lake but you have no choice. That is the only to enjoy that mesmerizing sunrise as you can not really find it anywhere else. If you try and research other places on the internet which I did, people will recommend you to go to other places to avoid the crowd. But if you avoid the crowd and visit other temples to enjoy the sunrise, then you will miss the best thing ever when visiting Siem Reap. Which is the astoundingly picturesque sunrise behind the Angkor Wat temple.

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jigomeister

03.12.2013

J Gerald C Legaspi is the Filipino author of pinoyjourneys.blogspot.com and is currently working and travelling in and around South East Asia but spends most of his time in Jakarta, Manila and Singapore.



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