Temples at Angkor Archeological Park - Day 2 (Angkor Thom & Grand Circuit)

Part 2 of our 2 day itinerary at Angkor Archeological Park.  Read the introduction and tips from Day 1 here. 

Typically, a tour of the large Angkor Thom complex concludes the Small Circuit itinerary from Day 1.  However, it was already 2:30 pm and Angkor Thom would've taken another 3 to 4 hours to complete, so we decided to postpone Angkor Thom to Day 2.  Day 2 included Angkor Thom and the Grand Circuit. 

Temples at Angkor Archeological Park - Day 1 (Small Circuit)

Angkor and its temple ruins. 

Some say it is more impressive and mysterious than Machu Picchu in Peru.  Having had the privilege of visiting both,  Angkor is certainly more vast with Angkor Wat being the largest religious complex in the world.  It covers 400 square kilometers and was the center of the Khmer Empire for 600 years from 9th to 12th century while sustaining a population of over 100,000 Khmer inhabitants.  Both are mysterious and awe-inspiring.  Both, a testament to what was once advanced civilizations.  Khmers in Indochina. Incas in South America. 

Visiting Angkor Archeological Park has definitely been a must-do/must-see on our bucket list. For purposes of this blog, there's a lot of information on the internet and in books about the history, architecture, and explanation of the details of the temples.  Therefore, there really is no need to reiterate what's already out there.  For a brief overview, Angkor Archeological Park -WikiTravel site is quite explanatory. 

The recurring theme is that depending on which Khmer King built the temple, the temples were either dedicated to the Hindu deities of Shiva or Vishnu before the mid-12th century, while temples built by King Jayavarman VII - who converted to Buddhism - were dedicated to Buddha from mid-12th century on.  Although, we found carvings dedicated to both Hinduism and Buddhism in many of the temples as religious preferences waxed and waned amongst subsequent Kings after Jayavarman VII.

For anyone trying to organize how they should "tackle" the enormous park and dozens of temples, may we suggest an itinerary that doesn't leave you completely exhausted and immobilized after the first day?  

View of the Cambodian Countryside from a Bus

Lots of brahma cows in Cambodia

For our journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, we really wanted to take the speed boat all the way down the Tonle Sap River, but since we are still on the tail end of the rainy season, the water levels dictate whether or not these boats can operate or not.  They couldn't guarantee that we would be able to ride the boat if the river was too flooded so we opted for the bus.  

What would 'normally' take 2 hours via a paved 4-lane interstate took more than 7 hours driving down a partially paved, mostly dirt, National Highway pocked full of potholes and standing water.  The road is shared by a myriad of other cars, trucks, and buses while mopeds and bicycles weave in and out of traffic on either side.  

Part "paved", mostly dirt, National Highway 6!

Whatever our bus driver gets paid doesn't seem enough compensation for his efforts in trying not to kill anyone during this white-knuckled driving for 7 hours straight.  In fact, the Siem Reap to Phnom Pehn route is notorious for accidents where travel guides warn about the cheaper bus operators driving recklessly, causing many injuries to passengers.  

Cost - Thailand: Traveling in Comfort For Less Than $130/Day

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $150/day (we started with a lower target range of $100 but we are obviously nowhere close to that!) is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  The bulk of our budget allows for low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels, budget hotels, or guesthouses for a target of $60/double; meals/drinks; use of public transportation; and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  At $150/day, we have found we are not depriving ourselves from any experiences; except that, as foodies, we aren't as liberal with our budget on finding the best and trendiest restaurants (which we haven't missed at all).  An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.

ONE MONTH IN THAILAND

Man, oh man!  We have been traveling like royalty in Thailand with our $150/day budget.  Okay, royalty may be a far stretch, but a dollar definitely goes a long way in Thailand.  More so than South America.

Originally, we had hopes of keeping our cost to less than $100/day in Thailand, which is completely do-able.  However, electing to go with air-conditioning over a fan, first class cabins over second class, 3-star hotels over hostels, and signing up for day trips and activities have added to our cost.  What makes Thailand amazing for travelers is that despite all our upgrades, we are still way within our intended budget of $150/day.