I've decided not to write about the temples since it's been covered so much by so many sources out there. Let's just say we did all the touristy things and went to all the main temples such as Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Preah Khan, Banteay Kdei and Ta Prohm (made famous by Angelina Jolie in the movie Tomb Raider).
Unlike most people, we never made it for any sunrise because he couldn't get up and he didn't see what the big deal was. As we went in the rainy season, it was often cloudy early in the evening so any attempt at seeing any sunsets were diminished. We took it easy on most days. We covered most of the major temples and then zipped back to the pool at Hotel de la Paix where we stayed.
The one place I strongly recommend you don't gloss over is The Angkor National Museum. It was opened fairly recently and is a great starting point for your Angkor Wat exploration. Many tourists, like us, armed with our guide books head straight for Angkor Wat but if you take some time out and go to visit the museum on the first day, it actually explains alot of history and puts alot of things into perspective so that when you start running around the temples, you can actually understand what it's all about. The day we went, the place was virtually deserted. The museum is very peaceful and beautifully put together. All the galleries go in a natural flow. You start off with the Briefing Gallery, then you proceed to the gallery with 1000 Buddha images, then the Khmer civilisation, the religion and beliefs, the kings, Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, the stones and the costumes.
We wished we had discovered the museum on the first day because we really enjoyed ourselves. It only takes about 1 to 1.5 hours to go through the whole museum. It costs USD$12 per person and it is open from 9am to 8pm every day.
Lynette
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