Sunrise and Sunset Temples

Here are some of the recommended sunrise temples:

Angkor Wat Temple - Set that alarm clock and get your camera ready. Sunrise at Angkor Wat is where great pictures come from. The best place to get a pretty shot of the temple during sunrise is right in front of the pond. That way you get the temple and its reflection, all in one shot.

Ta Prohm Temple - The sunrise is not the focus of this temple. The magical atmosphere is. With almost no one around and with the giant trees towering above, it's as if you've journeyed back in time to that ancient Angkorian period. Watching the morning unfold at Ta Prohm is just amazing.

Phnom Bakheng - With a view of Ankor Wat and the Western Baray from the top, this is another great place to watch a sunrise. Be sure to factor in the 30+ minute hike to the top, that way you can make sure to get up early enough to catch the sunrise.

Srah Srang - Seeing the sun's reflection in this royal pond could be a great way to start the day. People do not frequent Srah Srang often, so this could provide some time for reflection if you need it.

East Mebon - Roughly a thousand years ago, the view from the top of the temple would be of huge bodies of water. Now the East Mebon water reservoir is completely dry. But with views of the rice fields and villages below, you can be sure that a sunrise at the temple top is still beautiful. East Mebon is a bit father than the other Angkorian temples, so be sure to leave early enough to catch the sunrise.


Here are some of the recommended sunset temples:

Angkor Wat temple - You can spend time waiting for the sunset in many different ways. You can roam around the galleries and see how the Angkor Wat temple bas-relief looks in low light, or see how the sun turns the stones at the second level to a golden color. Then of course there's that sunset shot again, available from the back of the pond.

Phnom Bakheng - With its prime location, Phnom Bakheng is never in need of visitors. The sunset at Phnom Bakheng is so famous that it would seem that all the visitors go to the temple at sunset. If you don't mind the crowd, do not miss this temple. The view from up there is just spectacular.

Pre Rup - This temple positively glows during sunset. Plus, the view from the uppermost level is so soothing, with trees that seem to cover the land as far as the eye can see. This temple is becoming a popular sunset temple, but it is nowhere near Phnom Bakheng's level.

From Holiday in Angkor Wat (2010)

Videos of Angkor Wat

Hey Malaysian Travelers, here we have posted a few links of Angkor Wat videos! They are very interesting and informative! Just click on them and enjoy the videos!

1. Angkor Wat BBC Documentary

2. Digging for the truth: Angkor Wat

3. Lost Temples: Lost City of Angkor Wat

We will post more video links in our next posts, so keep following our blog ok!

New Angkor Wat Brochure!

Read more information about Angkor Wat from this new brochure. You can check out the Angkor Wat map as well!

The History of Angkor Wat

The whole Angkor period spans for more than VI centuries, and more precisely from IX till XV century. During this period the Khmer empire reached its maximum splendor as one of the most powerful southeast asian kingdoms. In this period the whole area of Angkor was buit. We can consider Jayavarman II  as the man that started everything. He define himself Devaraja (good king) and he established the Khmer empire in 802.

 After him, Indravarman, a king considered by many of its time an usurper: we prefer to remember him for starting building the Baray, a complex irrigation system to bring waters in the area of Angkor. He also started to build the Bakong and the Preah Ko temples. His son Yasovarman went further in his father's project: he built the Phnom Bakheng and the Lolei temples, and with him, Angkor become the new capital of the kingdom. These two king further extent the Baray's system too.

Then the capital was moved to Koh Ker for a short period, under the kingdom of Jayavarman IV, an usurper, but after only 14 years Angkor become again the capital under Rajendravarman II. His son, Jayavarman V, was instead a great king, and with him the empire expanded to its maximum extent. Two wonderful temples, as Banteay Srei and Ta Keo were built. 

After him, Udayaditavarman II built the pyramid of Baphuon and the western Mebon (we are now at the half of XI century), and here we are really close to the very peak of the Khmer civilization, two great king the left once forever their footstep in the history of this planet and they are Suryavarman II and Jayavarman II. The first king built Bang Melea but it also the one that built Angkor Wat. The second king has built Preach Khan, Ta Phrom and Angkor Thom. 

 As you will see with your eyes these last temple are traces of a high level civilization, with an exquisite taste for art. An enormous job that involved not only an army of thousands workers doing the hard job,  building, moving rock and materials and so on. There was another parallel army of thousands of artists and artisans. Angkor Wat is also them. We will never know their names, or their faces, but what they left us fulfill our hearts with something magic. The walls of Angkor, they also speak about their lives, their customs, their salaries: Angkor was not only a religious place, but a capital crowded with a million people.

From Angkor What? (2010).

Hello Malaysian Travelers!

This blog is created specially for you guys who are interested or are going to travel to Cambodia. Cambodia is one of the rising top tourist destinations in Asia and it is very famous for its renown "City of Temple", Angkor Wat. In this blog you can find useful tips, guides and updates about this magical place. You will be amazed by what this place have to offer. We hope the information we provide will be useful for you Malaysian Travelers! Keep reading the blog ok!