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Cambodia

Amazing Angkor Wat Photo Tour

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35 photo tour of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temples

Angkor Wat is one of the most impressive sites in the world, and was immediately a highlight of my southeast Asia trip. The temples are breathtaking!  While you need to visit them in Cambodia to appreciate it, below is a photo tour of the experience.

I’ll start with some sunrise photos, because that’s what it’s famous for and I love them!  I’ll show you the geography, then sprinkle in a little history, with photos throughout the post.

Angkor Wat at sunrise
Angkor Wat at sunrise. This brilliant photo is from one of my favorite travel photographers, Trey Ratcliff at Stuck in Customs
Where is Angkor Wat?

Angkor Wat is located in Siem Reap, in Cambodia. Along with Angkor Thom, the Bayon temples, and Ta Prohm, Angkor might be the best two-day trip you can take in all of Asia.

Angkor Wat, in Siem Reap, Cambodia

History

Angkor Wat was built by the vanished Khmer empire. It was constructed during the reign of King Suryavarman II, who ruled from 1113 to at least 1145.

in the halls of Angkor Wat

Did you know?

Angkor is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Siem Reap literally translates to ‘defeat of Siam,’ which is today’s Thailand. It’s a conflict that goes back centuries, between the Siamese and Khmer people.

Angkor Wat sunrise in Cambodia
photo by JonJon Pascua

The real “tomb raider” ?

This is Angkor’s only temple with tombs, despite the “Tomb Raider” movie being shot at nearby Ta Prohm, where there’s no tombs.

The Library at Angkor Wat.
The Library at Angkor Wat. Photo from one of my favorite travel photographers, Trey Ratcliff

“Angkor Wat” translates to “The city that is a temple.”

Aspara dancers everywhere!

There are more than 1,860 carved Apsara dancers in Angkor Wat.

There are more than 1,860 carved Apsara dancers in Angkor Wat.
There are more than 1,860 carved Apsara dancers in the walls.
Did you know?

I found this interesting – “Angkor Wat” translates to “The city that is a temple.” It’s true, it’s both a city and temple at the same time.

Angkor Wat entrance - Angkor Wat at Visit50.com
“The city that is a temple.”

Stories in the Walls – a closer look

The walls of Ankor Wat tell stories of war heroes and battles from their troubled past - Visit50.com
The temple walls tell stories of war heroes and battles from their troubled past
Buddhist monk explores Angkor Wat
Buddhist monk explores the walls. Many tourists forget the religious significance
The Battle of Kurukshetra is the subject of this bas-relief at Angkor Wat.
The Battle of Kurukshetra is depicted in this impressive bas-relief.
How long did it take to build?

They say Angkor Wat took 30 years to build, which seems like a long time, until you see all the rich detail on nearly every wall. Nearly every wall has details you can miss!

a monk at - Angkor Wat
Nearly every wall has details you can miss!
Why was Angkor Wat built?

Scholars say the temples were built for funerary purposes, since its bas-reliefs are meant to be viewed anti-clockwise, a direction that was associated with death in the Khmer empire.

entrance of Angkor Wat

From Hindu to Buddhist?

This stone sculpture depicts the 8 arms of Vishnu, the powerful Hindu god, but with the head of Buddha. When Angkor Wat became a Buddhist temple, the head of Vishnu was replaced with the head of Buddha.

Count the arms...VERY powerful!
Count the arms…VERY powerful!

statue in Angkor Wat - count the armsMany devatas grace the walls. Devata is another word for deva, the Hindu term for deity

a devata graces the walls in Angkor Wat. Devata is another word for deva, the Hindu term for deity
Many devatas grace the walls. Devata is another word for deva, the Hindu term for deity
a youthful monk learns to read the future
a youthful monk learns to read the future
Angkor Wat statue missing its head after it got raided. They stole the heads!
Raided. They stole the heads!
Angkor Wat entrance
“Angkor Wat” translates to The city that is a temple
Cambodian wedding photo shoot at Angkor Wat
Cambodian wedding photo shoot. I saw wedding photo shoots both times I visited, so perhaps it’s a popular spot for wedding photos.
Anchor Wat reflection in the reflecting pool. It was under repair
under repair when we went – the green tarps typically aren’t there

reflection of the temple towers in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Ankor Wat and the reflecting pond
my first time in Cambodia and the reflecting pond

me at Angkor Wat

 

amazing Angkor Wat - best photo of the temples and reflecting pool in Cambodia
Photo from ITLWMT

temple at Angkor Wat

"Library" from Angkor Wat
“Library”. While its true purpose remains unknown, scholars say it most likely functioned broadly as a religious shrine, rather than strictly as repositories of manuscripts
devata at the entrance of Angkor Wat
devatas at the entrance

 

statue of animal guarding the city walls of Angkor Wat
guarding the complex walls
photo of the walls at the entrance. 8 meters high and 3 km long, and flanked by a moat.
The walls at the entrance are 8 meters high and 3 km long, and flanked by a moat.
The "swimming pool" at Angkor Wat
The “swimming pool” – looks good for being 1000 yrs old!
Cruciform gallery separating the courtyards in Angkor Wat
Cruciform gallery separating the courtyards
details of ruins. Look closely at everything - from a distance this looked like a pile of rocks
look closely at everything – from a distance this looked like a pile of rocks
tower at the temple
closeup of one of the towers
My favorite in the Angkor Wat complex?

Finally, if you’re going to Siem Reap, you’ll definitely also want to check out both the Bayon temples / Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm (post coming soon). Those are my favorites!

Bahrain

Bahrain Camel Farm – 500 Camels!

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Did you know there’s a Bahrain Camel Farm with hundreds of camels? They brought 500 camels to Bahrain. I’ll share the story behind how they Bahrain got camels, and some info about camels too in a photo tour.

Bahrain Camel Farm’s 500 camels

Business tourists visit Bahrain for meetings, but rarely ask, are there camels in Bahrain? There’s lots of of camels in Bahrain, but the reason might surprise you. Here’s the quick story he shared:

How did Bahrain get camels?

My guide told me that the King of Bahrain (actually Sheikh Mohammed, uncle of the King) wanted camels, and thus 500 camels were brought to what became the Royal Camel Farm in Bahrain. He decided to open up this Royal Camel Farm to the public. I’d never seen so many camels!

Bahrain Camel Farm photo tour

I’d seen camels before, but never this many, and never like this.

Camels in Bahrain at sunset

Bahrain consists of mostly desert, making it the ideal habitat for camels.

Feeding a camel at the Royal Camel Farm in Bahrain
Feeding a camel in Bahrain

Despite being called a camel farm, the camels here are not for eating. Sheikh Mohammed set up the farm to preserve the presence of the camel in Bahrain which, before the advent of the motor vehicle was the Bahraini’s foremost mode of transport. Indeed, the Arabian Peninsula has a huge cultural connection with the camel, and for the Bedouins of the past, the camel was revered as a sacred symbol of life amid the inhospitable desert. -Time Out Bahrain

posing with a camel in Bahrain at the Royal Camel Farm
posing with a camel in Bahrain
meeting the camels in Bahrain
this photo reminds me of the creature in Star Wars that they ride

I mostly just observed and took photos, but camel rides around the farm can be arranged.  You can also play with them, feed them, watch them, or take photos with them. If you’re feeling adventurous, there’s also the occasional sale of camel milk.

cute camels in Bahrain

Note, the post is called “500 Camels” because that’s what my guide/driver called it, but it looked more like 150 or 200. Either way it’s a lot of camels, and waaaaay more than I had ever seen.

so many camels in Bahrain! Royal Camel Farm

my guide shows some love to the camel in Bahrain
my guide shows some love to the camel in Bahrain

Royal Camel Farm in Bahrain

Visit Bahrain Royal Camel Farm info

Camel riding is so much fun!

Where is the Royal Camel Farm in Bahrain?

Junaibiya Highway in Al Janabiya (near Manama), Bahrain

Hours: open to the public every day.

Sunset at the Royal Camel Farm in Bahrain
Sunset at the Royal Camel Farm in Bahrain
Besides the spitting, the camels in Bahrain were very friendly!
Besides the spitting, the camels were very friendly!

Camel in Bahrain

This destination wasn’t even on my list of things to visit in Bahrain, but ended up being a highlight!  I trusted my driver a bit more to improvise from my prepared list, but that trust was short-lived. The next place he showed me was… the Bahrain King’s Parking Lot. I’m serious. I tell the quick story here.

Do camels really store water in their humps?

For some reason people learn that camels store water in their large humps, to allow them to live in desert climates. That’s not actually literally true; they store fat in their humps, but it is a crucial part of how camels bodies allow them to live in hot deserts. This video on how Camels store water explains it in just 2 minutes. Enjoy!

What else is in Bahrain? I’m fascinated by the architecture in Bahrain , especially the Bahrain World Trade Center with wind turbines connected to the buildings.