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Cambodia's Angkor Wat by Andrew Eksner

Edited by James Morrissey

Ankgor Wat Sunset

Angkor Wat is probably one of the most impressive and amazing monuments of human history in the world. It is located in a Cambodia. It is so well preserved that visitors have a chance to walk through this world of magnificent temples and to feel how it was centuries ago. While visiting Egypt, old China or the pyramids of Mexico we are just the observers, in Angkor we are really taking part in the most wonderful experience of our lives.

Temple

I strongly suggest flying directly to Siem Reap. Several new airlines fly there direct from Bangkok, Singapore, and Saigon. There are other interesting parts of Cambodia to visit, however, I think Angkor is unique and should be an experience by itself, especially, for a photographer.

Temple

Siem Reap is a small town in central Cambodia. It's a poor village transformed into a tourist mecca. There are dozens of new big hotels being built there in addition to many that are already in operation. Imagine hotels similar to those in Las Vegas situated in the middle of a poor town, where some people have no electricity. It is evident that there was no planning whatsoever. “More hotels! We need more hotels!” The strong international interest in Angkor has brought many investors here. It is good that many people have a chance to see Angkor. It is bad for you if you are looking for a private experience.

In my opinion, if you want to see the most amazing architectural and cultural heritage place in the world (yes, I've seen many amazing places - Angkor beats them all), you have to come NOW! Next year it might be too late. There is an explosion of tourism coming to Angkor. I think I have read somewhere that there were about 50 thousand vistiors per year just a few years ago and now it is a few million. All those people are allowed to walk everywhere, there are no fences in Angkor. A couple of years of increased crowds and unlimited stepping on the ruins - it will be gone or at least it will be fenced somehow. This is happening in Mexico where you can not climb some pyramids anymore.

Bayon Temple

Every serious photographer should make such a trip. It's a dream for you, believe me. The variety of temples to photograph, unbelievable sunsets and sunrises, amazing architectural details all set up in the great Cambodian culture - can you ask for anything better? The people are poor but they are smiling and positive. We felt safe everywhere we travelled.

Prah Khan Temple

Angkor is a huge area full of ancient monuments - some temples are miles away from Siem Reap. It's big and there are hundreds of places you could potentially visit and photograph. I will try to help you make your choice by showing our 4-day itinerary from the photographer's perspective and the time of the day to go there.

Banteay Kdei Temple

The main photo tip you will get is simple - wake-up early! I'm talking very early. The first two to three hours of the day have the best light and even the most popular temples (with the exception of Angkor Wat) are empty.

Book a driver, tuk-tuk (a motorized rickshaw - a motorbike pulling a chariot) looks like fun, but get a regular car. You'll need one for farer trips and it's just more comfortable and better for your camera. The care is a good place to change lenses and check on your gear, etc. I highly recommend my driver/guide Sak - cheasinak2500@yahoo.com. I emailed him and he was waiting for us at the airport - that's the best way to meet. We spent 4 days with him and he was great. He's young, speaks good English and knows the place very well.

Come in the winter. December through January are the best months. Not only is the climate much better, with the exception of midday heat, it is very pleasant and quite cool at night. During this time of year, you will have a much higher rate of colorful sunrises and sunsets. If you go during the wet period (it starts in May and lasts through October) there are no great sunsets for you. Note: For more information please visit: www.cambodia-travel.com/information/geography.htm.

Bakong Temple

Day 1 - Our first day of visiting the temples. We started with sunrise at Srah Srang around 5 and 6 AM. We headed to Ta Prohm right after that - for more than 2 hours we had this amazing place just for ourselves! When people started to show up, we moved to Banteay Kdei - one of the underrated great temples of Angkor. You need a break every day. When the light for photography is unpleasant, it's just great to hide in your hotel during the hottest part of the day. After a break we went to Bayon. An amazing place with tons of details to shoot. Bayon is much less crowded in the afternoon. Most of the groups follow the same pattern and the trick is to go against it. You won't avoid people, but it will be much more pleasant. At the end of our first day we rode an elephant up hill for our first sunset. The place is very popular and it's a zoo - we knew about it, so we just took it with a smile :-). For the Angkor Wat shot from here you'll need at least a 200mm lens.

Bayon Temple

Ta Prohm Temple

Day 2 – 4 AM wake up call. We drove to Banteay Srey, probably, the most picturesque of all. We were there just before sunrise and saw the Cambodian village wake up to get ready for the day. Note: A tip here - the road is very bad, don't eat your breakfast before taking it. Take some energy bars with you instead. We were the first people in the temple and the other tourists started to come almost two hours later! Another magical place for ourselves.

Next, we drove to Beng Melea, a very unique temple. It's completely overtaken by the jungle, no restoration has been done here. The trick is you explore the place like Indiana Jones would, walk on the walls, go through some tight windows... It's crazy, we were not prepared for climbing and some places are very dangerous. You have to wear good shoes, get an easy to access camera pack, as you have to constantly pack your camera back so that you have both hands for climbing. After the break, we went to visit the main complex of Angkor Wat.

Beng Melea Temple

This is probably the busiest temple of all and the crowds here are crazy. The climb is very dangerous as it's steep and coming back down requires a special approach. There are handrails on one side of the temple and people are lining down for the descent there - an easy hour wait (!). I would say that the inside of Angkor Wat was the biggest disappointment for us, it's great and huge, but lacks character of many other places.

You can get some unusual shots from here though, like a high angle on some monks on the lower levels. The sunset through the North Pond is a must. Even without any spectacular colors, the long exposure here will help you catch some pinks and purples of the end of the day.

Prah Khan Temple

Day 3 - Angkor Wat sunrise shot! Yes, it's crazy, thousands of people are coming here with the same idea. The trick is - come before they come! We got there before 5 AM and were the first by the pond! Take a flashlight. Very soon people are starting to show up and if you are lucky, you will get your shot. Next, we went to Bayon for another elephant ride but this time through the South Gate to Bayon temple. We did not stay here, instead, we drove to an amazing temple of Prah Khan. It was a complete surprise for us, but that was one of the best temple we visited! It was so big with so many options for images full of details and with the added interest of Ta Prohm kind of trees on the back side! Great. We loved it. That afternoon,we drove to the Victory Gate and visited Thommanon. To end the day we decided to try a sunset shot from Pre Rup. It was supposed to be empty, but there were still crowds of people around. Frankly, by this time, we were getting tired of the crowds. We endured as the sunset was great and the temple is very picturesque as it glowed red.

Ankgor Wat Sunrise

Day 4 - For sunrise we picked Bakong - a different area, east of Siem Reap. Again, it was a great decision - there was no one there for more than 2 hours and the temple itself is great.

Bakong Temple

My camera: Canon 5D + 24-70 f2.8L, 35 f1.4L, 135 f2L + 1.4x, Gitzo 1028 tripod, Markins Q3 ball

If you would like to learn more about Andrew Eksner and his travels, please visit his site: www.wildlifeland.com.

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