Siem Reap is a beautiful city which is famous for its ancient temples, considered by many to be the 8th wonder of the world. After visiting we were among the many believers. Angkor Wat is the most famous of these temples, however the others we saw were equally - if not more - impressive and unique in many ways.
We decided to follow the advice of nearly every guidebook and catch the sunrise at the temples. So, at 5:00am we hopped into tuk-tuks and headed north. Anyone who knows me knows waking up early is NOT my idea of vacation, but this was well worth it. We took in amazing views over a lake while sitting on the ruins of Sra Srang, a place that used to be reserved for the king and his wives.
After watching the sunrise we walked about 100 meters to the ruins of a massive Buddhist monastery called Banteay Kdei which was built at the end of the 12th century. There were few other people here, which made for a great visit. The most striking aspects were the intricate carvings and the fact that it has been left basically unaltered. This was in contrast to more popular locations, like Angkor Wat, which have been largely restored. We all preferred the more natural, ruinous look.
From here we hopped back in the tuk-tuks and headed to Ta Prohm. This is the most famous "wild" temple and was the location that some of the filming for the movie Tomb Raider took place. It definitely feels like something out of Indiana Jones as tree branches and roots snake their way through the crumbling structure. 
On the way to lunch our driver suggested that we stop at Ta Keo, an unfinished temple that was built between 968 - 1001 AD. It's made entirely of sandstone and is almost 50 meters tall. Needless to say, we earned our lunch climbing to the top.
We asked our tuk-tuk driver to take us to a local restaurant near Angkor Wat where we enjoyed barbecued fish, a whole chicken, and some Cambodian beer. Delicious.
Brothers playing in the dirt
Angkor Wat is the largest and best preserved of the temples surrounding Siem Reap and is believed to be the largest religious structure in the world, according to Lonely Planet. It is thought to have been built by King Suryavarman II to honor the Hindu deity, Vishu, between 1112-1152 A.D. We took time to walk around the outer sides of the temple, which are lined with 800m (8 football fields!) of bas reliefs hand-carved into the stone. Each segment depicts different stories - some religious, some historical and some symbolic. They were educational, fascinating and my favorite part of Angkor Wat.
Incredibly intricate bas reliefs carved from black marble
After a day of wondering at the feats accomplished by human hands almost a millennium ago and seeing the infamous Angkor Wat complex, we didn't think our experience could get any better. We underestimated Bayon. This temple really looks like a pile of stones or crumbling mountain from afar:
But as you walk closer, enormous faces begin to appear from the rubble. 216 faces, to be exact, with at least a dozen heads visible at any moment. It's as intimidating as Angkor's greatest king, Jayavarman VII, intended when he had it built between 1181 - 1219 A.D. When Bayon was found it was completely covered in dense jungle and the function and symbolism of the temple remain a mystery. One thing that is not a mystery is the unbelievable creativity you feel oozing from each crack and cranny.
After a long day of climbing temples we enjoyed dinner at a restaurant specializing in Amok, a Khmer specialty, and indulged in the fresh fruit smoothies. After dinner we all decided to splurge on a two hour massage, which set us each back a whopping $15. I love Asia.
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