Angkor Highlights DAY 2

We started each day early to avoid the mid-day heat.  Took a siesta in the afternoon and often times went back out before dusk to catch the temples in different lighting.


DAY 2: Christmas day at Ta Prohm, Phnom Bakheng and sunset at Phnom Krom near the floating villages around Tonle Sap Lake.

Ta Prohm: The jungle temple.

Ta Prohm: This was a fun temple to explore navigating through narrow corridors, ruins and vast tree-root system.

Ta Prohm: Site where the movie Tomb Raider was filmed.

Near the South Gate of Angkor Thom.

Deciding where to go next.

Phnom Bakheng: This temple was not on our radar but we had some extra time.  Usually a popular spot for sunset, we went mid-day with no crowds, climbed up the many stairs to get a distant view of Angkor Wat.

Floating villages (home on stilts) around Tonle Sap Lake seen in the distance.  Shot taken from the path up to Phnom Krom.

Phnom Krom: We nearly missed seeing this temple and it's awesome sunset due to some miscommunication with our tuk-tuk driver.  Luckily, because of my keen eyes and sense of direction, I caught sight of the entrance to this place on our way back to the hotel and yelled to our driver to stop.

Rice fields stretched out as far as the horizon.

Sunset backdrop against the rice fields.

A closer look.