Wonder of the World: Angkor Wat

After travelling in South East Asia for nearly two months and seeing temples in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hue, Phnom Penh and Pai, I felt I’d almost become accustomed to them. As ignorant as this might sound, there are only so many times you can take your shoes off, snap hopelessly inadequate photos of the temple’s magnificent architecture and coo at the Buddha within.

However, there was one more temple I couldn’t go without seeing: Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the largest religious monument in the world and an infamous Wonder of the World.

Angkor Wat viewed from across the moat

Built in the twelfth century, it is as imposing now as it must have been then, and is a dream site for lovers of history, architecture and religion, with mysteries waiting to be unearthed from each stone, pillar and ancient staircase.

Some people spend a week in Angkor Thom, the ancient city, really acquainting themselves with each structure and its history. Being short on time, I only had a day, but made the most of it, hiring a Tuk-Tuk to drive me between the various temples, stopping around 5:30 to watch the sun set on Angkor Wat.

Climbing into the Tuk-Tuk looking tragically touristic with my huge sunglasses, huge cotton trousers, huge backpack and huge bottle of water, I was really quite nervous that I would get fed up after a few hours. As amazing as the structure is, when it is absolutely sweltering and you don’t have a sound knowledge of the history behind each building, it can get frustrating and feel, as I felt before, like I was overdosing on temples.

However, I needn’t have worried. From the first moment I spotted the magnificent Angkor Wat, I was bowled over, and even the heat couldn’t deter me from jumping off the Tuk-Tuk to gaze open-mouthed at the ancient buildings, glare frustratedly at my camera as it failed to document its magnitude and surreptitiously wander past English-speaking tour guides to eavesdrop and steal some information from them.

The next stop was another ancient temple, Ta Phrom, where Angelina Jolie filmed Tomb Raider. I can’t say I’ve seen it, but I was tempted to leap behind rocks, my non-existent long plait falling over my shoulder as I brandished my huge gun at the enemy (I’m completely making up the plot here, but as it’s a Jolie action film I think I’m safe in assuming that happens at some point).

The next temple I visited was a bit stricter on the dress code. My gargantuan, unflattering but ubiquitous cotton trousers were deemed acceptable by the stern guard, but my white vest was not. I pulled out the only cover-up that I just happened to have in my bag – a garish Clockwork Orange T-shirt, bright satsuma in colour, with an ominous photo of the four murderous droogs on the front, and a fetching tea stain adorning the front. I’m not sure the guard would have appreciated the context of the film if he knew what it was really about, but as far as he was concerned my shoulders were covered, and the monks walking by seemed to appreciate the colour.

This temple was equally magnificent as the first two, but was the sightseeing equivalent of attending a spinning class with a furious Lance Armstrong as the teacher (steroids and all). Walking up and down perilously steep stairs in the sweltering heat took it out of me, but it was all worth the sense of achievement – and the magnificent views – when I got to the top. I also had to climb all those stairs for my own pride when I saw elderly men with huge beer bellies and socks and sandals doing the same.

Finally, after stopping the Tuk-Tuk to take a picture of some mother and baby monkeys that just happened to be relaxing on the side of the road, it was time for the sunset.

After another never-ending hill to Phnom Bakheng, almost sprinting with fear I’d miss the spectacle, I needn’t have worried. There was no sunset that night, due to cloudy skies. I sat for a while near an abundance of complaining American tourists, and finally gave up after the sky turned a mild pink and the guards told us there would be ‘no sunset this evening’.

I’m sad I missed the sunset – but I’m glad I saw a huge part of Angkor Thom in the light of day. It thoroughly deserves its status as a Wonder of the World and a Unesco Heritage site – and I’d recommend a visit to anyone, whether you’re interested in culture, architecture, history, religion or simply Angelina Jolie.