The Marble Mountains: a revered site definitely worth a visit, in Da Nang, Vietnam

View from Marble Mountains

The marble mountains are a collection of 5 limestone mountains in Da Nang area, which is otherwise flat. These mountains are full of caves, and now these have been organized and made accessible. There’s a lift that goes to the first level (chargeable) , beyond which there are staircases to the various parts of the mountains.

There are 5 “karsts”- mountains- named after each of the 5 elements: metal, water, wood, fire and earth. Over the years, Cham culture made the marble mountains a revered site in Vietnam, and several Vietnamese emperors also visited these mountains, giving it a special place in the culture of the country.

Huyen Khong Grotto

The highlights of the marble mountains are the caves, and the pagodas and temples hidden in thick foliage, and beautifully maintained as well. The largest cave that must be seen is after a long staircase, called Huyen Khong. 

This is a dramatically large cave, housing one huge buddha on a pedestal (see photo), and two smaller shrines on two sides. It’s a cool, quiet place. This cave at one time also housed the Vietnamese revolutionaries during that conflict, leading to bombing that left openings in the vast high roof (see photo).  The entrance is guarded by two warriors statues.

The other grotto is called Tang Chon, on water mountain, and which has a beautiful lady Buddha statue (see photo). Elsewhere on the marble mountains, there’s the beautiful Tam Thai Pagoda with a nice laughing buddha in the forecourt. 

The other nice temple not to be missed is the Linh Ung Pagoda (see photo). And down the walk from this Pagoda is the tall Xa Loi Tower, which has 200 Bodhisatva statues.

Just going around in this area gives peace of mind. Its quiet, wooded, and when we went, in December, drizzling and cool, though could become humid fairly quickly. 

The Marble mountains also have a lot of stonework shops around the base, with large statues of various deities and Lady Buddha.

The marble mountains are a must visit when in Da Nang. Quite easy to reach and can easily spend 2 hours there. Just time it right ( early morning or later towards evening). 

Lady Buddha

The marble mountains open at 7am (best time to visit) and close at 530pm. The entry fees are not too high- 40,000 Dong, and 15,000 Dong for the lift (about INR 186 per head).We reached about 3pm and left at 530pm, and went off to Hoi Ann the same evening.

The Thang Long Water Puppet Show- Unique highlight of Hanoi, Vietnam

The water puppets

One of the unique places in Hanoi is the Thang Long Water Puppet show, near the old quarter, which holds a record for the longest running such show in Asia- all 365 days for years on end.  Water puppetry is very old – 11^th century onwards and was practiced by the farmers of the Red River of North Vietnam.

The interesting thing is that these are puppets on the water surface , handled by their artists behind a screen. The official website describes it the best, “The puppets are made out of wood and then lacquered. The shows are performed in a waist-deep pool. A large bamboo rod supports the puppet under the water and is used by the puppeteers, who are normally hidden behind a screen, to control them. Thus the puppets appear to be moving over the water.”  

The shows- around 6 separate subparts- depict Vietnamese culture, wet rice agriculture and farmers’ daily life, accompanied by music – vocal and instrumental. It’s quite a show, one that you couldn’t find anywhere else- not water puppetry at least. For more on the show, visit https://thanglongwaterpuppet.com/ .

One of the water puppet dances

Tickets sold out quickly, and we were lucky to get three right in the front row. Sometimes though, because its tank and the front page is level with the water surface, seats in the third/ fourth row may afford a clearer view. The ticket prices are different per row. Our front row tickets cost 200,000.

The artists taking a bow at the end of the show

There are a lot of tourists coming to see these shows, so its best if you book it early. They have online as well, but we booked early, then strolled around the market and cafes and then went in for the 7pm show.Vietnamese Dong (about INR 672 per head). Other rows are VND 150,000 and VND 100,000.  

Music accompaniment 

 The show is about 1 hour but all shows are in Vietnamese language, which is odd, if they proudly announce that over 40 nationalities come to see these shows. Perhaps a background screen describing the shows would add to the charm and enjoyment. Nevertheless, don’t miss this show when in Hanoi!

Da Nang- historic center of Vietnam

Beach front , Da Nang , Dec 2022

Our next stop from Hanoi, a 1 hour flight from HaNoi , was Da Nang. This is a beach side city in the center of Vietnam, with a distinctly different weather than Hanoi, which is the far north, and has a distinctly colder feel to it. That said, Da Nang is the closest an Indian can get to Goa in Vietnam. The beach is long and wide and clean, bordered by a road like Marine Drive of Mumbai, and beyond which the skyscraper hotels have sprung up.

Our hotel was in one of those series, the Radisson blu. There’s the option of staying near the beach, or near the river with a view of the Dragon Bridge. We chose the beach.

Da Nang is famous for the Hue-Da Nang campaign, when the PAVN (People’s army of Vietnam/ North Vietnam) attacked these two cities and area to take them over on March 5, 1975. The campaign ended with a victory for PAVN by April 2, 1975. Another slice of history is that on March 8, 1965, units of the US army landed at Da Nang ostensibly to defend the airbase there, but that marked the start of active US involvement in the Vietnam conflict.

That was of course part of the history of Vietnam. Today, Da Nang is a modern city, with all the trappings thereof. It’s the largest city in central Vietnam, and a big port and commercial center.

Da Nang, looking out at the Lady Buddha ,
Linh Ung Pagoda, Son Tra Peninsula

You visit Da Nang for several attractions. Hue, the ancient imperial capital of Vietnam (1802-1945), lies about 90 km to the north of Da Nang, and it’s a nice day trip clubbed with the Tomb of  Khai Din and the Thien Mu Pagdoa. (each will be covered in subsequent posts).

Another attraction is Hoi Ann, a very beautiful and well-preserved ancient village is about 20km to the south. Another attraction, which we decided not to visit, is the Ba Na hills, which is a large amusement park reached by two cable car journeys, and at which you can walk on the famous “Golden Bridge”, so often shown when you look for Da Nang.

A great attraction not to be missed are the Marble Mountains, a series of 3 mountains in an area which otherwise is flat. These are several caves and temples which are inside the mountains, reached by a series of staircases. Nice place to take a stroll around and see the surroundings.

The Dragon Bridge, Da Nang

Along the way south to Hoi Ann, you can see a series of empty shells of hotels and casinos which were started to cash in on the tourism boom planned but got derailed in the covid years. When we visited this area in December 2022, there was a whole series of hotels under construction and incomplete.

The Dragon Bridge is another sight, a bridge in the shape of a dragon. Every night at 9pm there's a fire works and light show which attracts large crowds. You can see it from the road, or from a boat ( for a price). Its a well marketed attraction, like Hoi Ann and The Golden Bridge. But an undiscovered gem still remains Hue and its surrounding areas. Dont miss it when in Da Nang. 

Tran Quoc Pagoda - Hanoi , Vietnam: Beautiful and peaceful.

Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hanoi 

The Tran Quoc Pagoda is one of the oldest ones in Vietnam, today placed on a small peninsula on the lake called West Lake. 

This Pagoda was made around 541 AD- that makes it over 1500 years old, and witness to many of Vietnam’s cultural and evolutionary landmarks.

Tran Quoc Pagoda was originally on the banks of the Red River, but was moved to this place after the dyke there collapsed. The words Tran Quoc means “national defense” – clearly the hope was that this pagoda would protect the people and bring happiness and peace to the people of Vietnam.

Buddha statues on very floor

The most interesting part of this heritage site is the 11-story pagoda, a red-brown stupa structure that you can’t miss. Each floor has distinct Buddha statues. People place offerings, much like we do in India, for blessings.

There are also several other places worth seeing here. One of the incenses burning house, where visitors can burn incense for health and good luck. The Stele House houses poetry of scholars of old. And of course, don’t miss the Bodhi Tree, which was a gift from the late President of India, Rajendra Prasad when he visited Vietnam in 1959. It is said to be extracted from the Bodh Gaya tree, and today it’s a nice peaceful site.

Overall, this is a nice place to visit. ( no entry fee). It’s calm and peaceful (on most days), and its easy to reach from the city; we took an uber back to the Tha Long Water Puppet show from here.

For more pictures of Tran Quoc, and our Vietnam trip, please visit my instagram handle (sjbaxi). 

A day trip in Ha Long Bay– Vietnam Travel

Islands in Ha Long Bay

Once on the waters of Ha Long Bay, it was a great day. The knifing cold wind notwithstanding, the voyage on the boat was nice. Although it was grey day in winter, it was sufficiently clear to see the green waters. On a clear summer day, the water would have really been a magnificent shade of green.

Typically, a day cruise covers Ti Top Island, Tunnel cave and Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave, before heading back to Tuan Chau marina, from where all cruises start. 

There’s lunch on the boat, which we found quite good in its quality and variety, especially the vegetarian dishes (rice, noodles, dimsum).

The famous "kissing Rocks" 

Ti Top Island

Ti Top Island is a sort of staging point on the cruise. It was so named because of a visit by a USSR cosmonaut Gherman Titov back in 1962, but otherwise earlier it was named after sailors who had perished in a shipwreck in the Ha Long Bay in 1905. The statue on the island is of Gherman Titov. 

Ti Top Island

The island is steep wooded on one side and a slope going down to a beach on the other side. This seems to be man-made beach (quite neat and clean) nice enough for a swim if you planned for it; else you could climb the many steps to the top of the island and have a look around the bay. We climbed halfway to a stage, and got a view, but most people take a quick walk up. Takes about 20 minutes, but we weren’t the heavy outdoorsy type. 

People were also kayaking, and we understand you could also do some paragliding- check with your cruise operator, or the people on the island. 

Luon Cave entrance 

There’s a smallish restaurant and a rooftop where you could lounge around as well. The bathrooms were clean enough- just don’t expect 5-star cleanliness as there are simply too many visitors to the island.

Beach on Ti Top Island

Luon Cave

Leaving Ti Top, the next stop is an island formation with a secluded cove called Luon Cave, reachable thru a tunnel that’s got carved in the side of the island. You get transferred to a smaller boat which takes you into the tunnel and into the cove inside the island. 

A short scenic ride in a small boat with travelers wearing life vests. You could kayak thru the cave as well. This cave entrance must have been carved by years of erosion from the sea (see the photos).All in all, quite a neat nice excursion.

Sung Sot Island - Surprise Cave

This was the really surprising part of the trip. From outside, its just one of the many islands in Ha Long bay, but climb up on the steps and enter the cave, and its gigantic within. Its apparently called Surprise cave because the French who discovered it were surprised by the sheer size and scale of it. In the local language, its called Sung Sot Cave. 

The soaring ceiling of "Surprise Cave" 

The steps are many, and go thru the grotto and up and down thru the mountain, finally descending to sea level after about a half hour walk. Its not very easy, but there are more steps than slopes, so those with knee or heart issues may well be advised to skip this part.

But important notice! The boat that brings you to the Sung Sot cave does not wait there- it leaves after dropping off the passengers and goes to the other side of the island where the exit of the cave is. So if you don’t want to visit the cave, do NOT leave the boat! The cruise operator does tell you this, but many people miss it. Be careful!

It’s a very huge place with water streams, green- and brown-coloured stones and pathways and a lot of Stalactites (caused by water dripping from the roof of the grotto). Theres also many stalagmites there, as the water keeps dripping onto a place and the minerals harden over time. Makes for dramatic landscapes and arches all over, highlighted by strategically placed lights.

Stalactites in "Surprise Cave" 

Its worth a quick walk thru, if your health permits. Do note: you must be aware that this part of the trip can be difficult if have ailments.

There are other tours also- some with overnight stay on the cruise ships; some on hotels on the mainland, and some with more activities. But the one we took was just right without getting tiresome or boring. 

View from the exit of "Surprise Cave"

Of course, the weather was great, and that helped. The tour organization was perfectly fine as well, with good buses, ships and food. 

Hotel Review: The Tirant, Hanoi - Good hotel in a great location

The Tirant Hotel (pronounced "Tai-Rang") in the Gia Ngu Street,
also came recommended thru Club7Holidays. It was in the old quarter, very close to the Water Puppet show Theatre and right in the center of shops and coffee cafes, for which Hanoi is famous.

From the outside, the hotel and its sister hotel (Rex) are cheek and jowl with other buildings and a host of cars and retailers all around. Looks very much like Mumbai or Delhi, especially Delhi with its buildings with common walls everywhere between residences. But that’s the charm of many of these cities in Asia- so alive and vibrant, so tightly integrated and inter dependent. Very familiar to most Asians (especially Indians) and very exotic for the western world.

The lobby 

The Tirant was well done up inside. Quick check-in and well-appointed  room ( though it was a bit tight for three beds), but that wasn’t a major issue. The bathroom was quite large after the one in Siem Reap, and overall, it was a slick, modern hotel -quite surprising to many if they form an opinion of the surroundings of the hotel.

Breakfast was, as we had come to expect in Indochina, not very hep- but much better in its mix ( noodles / eggs/ breads etc). Its too much to expect completely standardized food but a judicious mix of International and local would be expected and welcome.  As good, seasoned travelers, we did carry our own food when the local cuisines got a tad too much, but that’s a personal preference.

Double room with extra bed

There were some key aspects we liked our choice finally. One, it was in the heart of the old quarter, the really original Hanoi, which we tend to see in all the pictures of the city. Full of souvenir shops at every corner. Two, very close to the Ho Hoan Kiem (lake) with its Confucius temple with a leafy nice walkway around it; three, walking distance from the Tha Long Water Puppet Theatre, of the really unique highlights of Hanoi ( more on these later), and four, absolute walking distances from several coffee cafes- Highlands, Giang for its egg coffee, The Note, Trung Coffee, Kafa, a hole in the wall cafe, and Timeline Coffee. There are many others. Vietnam is famous for its variety of coffee. Fifth, all buses for Ha Long Bay pass by this hotel and pick up / drop off within 100 meters of the hotel door. Uber is easily found, and they know the hotel as well. And of course, should you need Vietnamese Dong, there’s one of the many money changers right opposite the door of the hotel.

Clearly, this area -the old quarter has started getting“touristified” but its up to the visitor to be curious and absorb the culture and sensations. 

The Hanoi skyline

If you stay there, don’t forget to visit the rooftop restaurant. Beautiful airy place, with great views of Hanoi all around (see pictures). Unfortunately, it was simply too cold and windy in December to enjoy the outdoors, but it was nice nevertheless.

View from Tirant roof top of lake 

All said and done, The Tirant was a good choice, great location and for the brief 2 days we were in Hanoi, very enjoyable. 

Airline Flight Review: Vietnam Airlines - Siem Reap to Hanoi

The bridges into Hanoi 

We flew from Siem Reap (at the at time, the old airport , nice, small and neat, and close by from the city) to Hanoi in the evening flight of Vietnam Airlines ( 1950 hours) It was on time, and we landed Hanoi about 2 hours later in a coldish evening ( 2145 hours). 

The aircraft was clean and neat, with the airline coloured seats. Good enough flight. And the timing is such that you get almost the whole day in Siem Reap for sightseeing before you need to head to the airport around 430pm.  While this particular flight was fine, later on in Vietnam, we did have some delays, but nothing that disrupted the plans too much.

Hotel Review: Amber Angkor Hotel & Spa, Siem Reap, Cambodia

We were recommended The Amber Angkor Hotel and Spa by our long-time travel consultant Club7 Holidays. There were plenty of other options, across the city, but we finally settled on this one. It turned out to be a good choice. It was right in the centre of town, a little set back from the road and just near the Wat Bo (temple), and near to the night market, a short tuk tuk ride away.

The hotel itself is quite large, which isn’t immediately visible when seen from the road. Spacious ground floor and a simple enough lift. We had a triple room, which was quite roomy, though the bathroom was a little on the cramped side, but quite ok. The single room we saw was neat but small. You may be hard pressed to put too many bags. 

The one thing I always dislike in hotels is that one needs to climb into and out of bathtubs for bath. That’s not a good idea for older people, or for that matter, any people in wet areas. Fundamentally, I don’t even know how many people really use bathtubs in hotels! But presumably, a lot do, as I have seen bathtubs in hotel bathrooms across the world. Would this be considered a water wastage?

The restaurant was simple and roomy, but the breakfast quality left much to be desired. It simply wasn’t good enough quality, and variety. It gave the impression that a majority of the guests were usually SE Asian or locals- and even the few locals we saw didn’t look very pleased either. This is one area this otherwise nice hotel needs to drastically improve. The quality of breakfast we had in Helsinki, for example, was top notch- prices were more or less the same ( Cambodia is not a cheap destination contrary to beliefs that Asia is cheap).  

Water dispensers are on the ground floor, and you need to go fill bottles yourself. Nothing unusual in this. The rear area that backs onto the Wat Bo road has the swimming pool, quite nice and well frequented. 

The best part was Daniel, the manager of this hotel. Quick, efficient and polite, he arranged all the taxis and tuk tuk that we hired during the stay. His replies on email before we arrived were also comprehensive enough ( he in fact told us in detail of the small circle and grand circle tours, and arranged the taxi and guide as well). Eased any concerns we had quite bit and other wise made the trip far more enjoyable. On the last day in fact, we had to check out by 11am but our flight to Hanoi was around 7pm- Daniel was kind enough to arrange a single room for us to rest in.

All in all, a good stay- recommended as on December 2022. Readers need to go thru the latest reviews and take their own decision.

The Baphuon Temple : inspiring story of skill, persistence and passion!

The Baphuon Temple, Angkor Thom

Just close by to The Bayon, is another interesting temple, the Baphuon. This is just behind the terrace of the elephants and the leper king, and is worth a visit, for its sheer size, and its history. This temple is part of the Small Circle circuit.

The Baphuon is a very old temple, dated by some experts to around 1000 CE (nearly 1400 years old at this point). This temple is a three -tiered temple.  The unique part is not just the scale of the temple, but that it was reconstructed entirely by first dismantling the temple, and then reconstructing it, a process called anastylosis. The workers had labelled all the thousands of parts carefully but had to abandon the work in 1970 during the Khmer Rouge era.

The temple reconstruction was revived from 1996 under Pascal Royere and was widely called the “largest 3 D jigsaw puzzle in the world”. It was finally reconstructed fully in April 2011, after 51 years of work!

The temple has tremendously steep stairs, and not for the weak hearted! When we visited it, there weren’t many tourists. We went to the first level, as the stairs are quite hard to climb. But this temple is worth a visit for the efforts to reconstruct it, for the many people who worked so skillfully and tirelessly to bring it back to life!

Cambodia has had a dark history in the 1970s-1980s, with the Khmer Rouge running amok in the country. 

The Killing well, Wat Thmey

One of the sites of their outrages is near Siem Reap , now an active Pagoda site, called Wat Thmey. This is a small museum just on the outskirts of Siem Reap, which one may visit for an understanding of this dark era. 

This place is also sometimes referred to as " the killing fields" in literature. The skulls and bones of the people who died here are displayed. Its a somber site, and we hope such atrocities never happen again anywhere. 

The larger Cambodia Landmine museum with the war materials and all is a bit further away and we didn't visit that. 

A somber reminder, in the midst of such beauty

Even as you gaze upon the wonders of Angkor and its temples, their intricacy, beauty, style and scale, do remember to look around beyond them, to more modern times. 

Cambodia has an unfortunate history of war and human carnage. While much of that, thankfully, is now in the distant past, the country has made efforts to make sure locals and visitors never forget about the landmines and the havoc they wrought then, and wreck even now. 

Media reports will tell you that even today, that up to 

6 million landmines remain in the land, and Cambodia has the highest rate of accidents caused by landmines. A lot of effort at clean up is on, but it isnt easy. Hopefully one day the land will be free of this scrouge. 

A reminder of the landmines and the havoc they caused is at almost every tourist site in Siem Reap. At almost every major walkway, there are small tents (See photo- this one was at Bantaey Srei temple) under which landmine affected persons sing or play music- they even play music depending on the nationality of the tourists passing by. Tourists can donate if they so wish, but never once did they ever solicit. 

Banteay Srei : an intricate masterpiece of a temple in Angkor

One of the most intricate, intimate and beautiful temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park area is the temple of Bantaey Srei, rediscovered in 1914. 

Its about 32 km (50min or so) from Angkor Wat, outside the city of Siem Reap. You need a vehicle to reach it. Tuktuks and taxis are available, though we preferred a taxi as the distance was a bit too much for an open tuktuk, and the roads outside Siem Reap tend to be not as smooth or well maintained as in the Angkor premises. Our taxi charged us US$ 40 for the day- it was quite worth it, as it become decently humid later in the day. 

This temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati, and made in the 10th century, is quite unique, in its sheer intricacy and delicacy of its walls, temple decoration and surroundings. Its name apparently means "citadel of beauty or citadel of the women".  Not surprisingly ,its regarded as the highlight of the Khmer culture. 

Set in jungle land but with a very clean organized entry area, its a small temple as far as the other Angkor temples go. Its made mostly of red sandstone, giving it a very nice tint and colour. There are scenes from the Ramayana across the temple. 

There have been some thefts and damage to this temple over the years, but much has been restored. Each of the six staircases are guarded by human figures with animal heads, but apparently many of these were stolen and had to be remade. 

When we visited in December 2022, much of the temple was sealed off as reconstruction work was still on, but you could still see the temple , its entrances, libraries and with a good camera most of the temple sanctuary itself. 

This may be a bit out of the way from the main Angkor complex, but its a visit really worth making. 

Business of Tourism : Extent of tourism in numbers - the T/P Ratio

Overtourism is the current rage in the travel, tourism, government and social circles. There are cities being overwhelmed by visitors in particular months and empty in others; there are protests and water being squirted over tourists ( which is sad because tourists cant be blamed for local policies that enable them to arrive!).

That said , I thought it would be interesting to gauge from numbers exactly how bad is the problem of over tourism. I compiled a few numbers (see table) from various sources - the Ministry of Tourism India (2022 data) , UN tourism site, Euromonitor, Statista, ET, TOI, The Guardian, CNN and a few others). 

The "T/P ratio" is essentially simply Tourist- to- Population ratio. Just my way to grasp the scale of the issue. 

Not surprisingly, western Europe has some T/P  ratios that could be called alarming. The point here is that not all these millions are leisure travelers. Quite a large component will be business arrivals too. Still, the numbers are huge in already huge cities. Istanbul, for example, gets 25% more visitors thru its gates in a year than its resident population. London, nearly 2x, and Barcelona, the current hot topic, 37 % more than its population. These are serious enough "overruns" to stress out people, resources like water and sanitation, as well as transport. ( populations are measured differently in different cities - some take in only metro city areas; some the wider metro area including suburbs, but the core purpose of the analysis remains good). 

numbers in millions.
Sources: Euromonitor, Statista,
WTTO, UN Tourism Dashboard, media reports,
TOI, ET, Guardian, CNN

India : big on population, low on tourism

Ironically, in the second half of the table, you can see how under-developed India is on the tourism scale. India gets less than 1.7% of global tourism, and its FTA (Foreign Tourist Arrivals) are about 9 mn. Basically, the whole, huge subcontinent of India , one of the oldest and most diverse cultures on Earth, gets less tourist arrivals than any one of the cities in the table! 

India has tremendous potential for tourism - both domestic and international. There are some clear concerns, but they pertain to infrastructure, costs, general perception of safety, and that India is destination by itself requiring much time and planning). 

There's essentially no concern on overtourism for India! As it is, Indian cities are densely populated. A few million more may not even be noticed! 

The Circle Tours of Angkor - all together !

The temples of Angkor - Small + Big Circles 
map source: Google Maps

This route is most of the Small Circle and Big Circle tours put together. This is what you would end up doing if you do both these tours over 2 days (nor advisable to do all these in 1 day- and anyway gets too humid to travel / walk so much - nearly 30 km totally). 

That said, this map still doesn't cover the Rolous Group of 3 temples , 15 km away. 

And this map doesn't cover one of the prettiest and most intricate temples in Angkor- Banteay Srei. Its quite off the beaten track of Angkor, but its totally worth the visit. Will cover it later in this Cambodia series. 

The Rolous Group Tour (Angkor Archaeological Park)

 

The Rolous Group of 3 temples 
map from google maps

The Rolous Group Tour-3 temples

These are Bakong, Preah Ko and Lolie Temple. (See map).

This group of temples is a little off the rest of the temples, and you need a vehicle to reach them. But each of these are starkly different from the small circle and big circle temples.

Bakong claim to fame is the it was the first temple mountain design made by the Khmer Kings near today's Siem Reap. It was the state temple of the city called Hariharalaya, in the area called Rolous. Hence the name " Rolous Group of temples." 

Preah Ko means the sacred bull, and is over 1200 years old. Three Nandi statues face the temple structures, hence the name, 

The third temple of this tour is the Lolei Temple, This is the third and last temple made around 893 AD. There are four temples on a sandstone platform, and at one time apparently this temple was surrounded by water. Quite a nice place. 

The google map shot is of a larger area, to show where the Rolous Group is in relation to the main Angkor Wat ( about 15 km away). 

The Big Circle Tour (Angkor Archeological Park)

 

The Big Circle temples 
map source : google maps

The Big Circle Tour

Temples covered are: Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon and Pre Rup Temple. (See map). This is a nice tour with all temples unique in their own way.

Preah Khan is a flat straight line- quite different from other temples around.  This is a 12th century temple, This has been left mostly unrestored, which gives it a whole different feel! 

Neak Pean (means Intertwined serpents in Khmer) is in the middle of a lake ( Preah Khan is on the shorter side of this rectangular water body- see map besides. This temple was said to be built for medical purposes, as it was in the lake and the water would balance the elements. 

Ta Som is also a small temple, on the opposite side from Prasat Preah Khan, This is a relatively simple temple, but has now been restored. 

Pre Rup is a temple made for the Khmer King and dedicated to Lord Shiva. The name apparently means : "turn the body" - so it could have been used for funerals, This is also approx. 1,000 years old. 

Photos coming! 

The Small Circle Tour (Angkor Archaeological Park)

 

The "small circle" tour 
maps : google maps 

The temples in the "small circle tour" are Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom complex, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, Beanteay Kdei and Prasat Kravan Temple. (see map).

The term small circle can be misleading to say it covers just 6 temples. Actually it covers a large area with all the major sites. 

The Angkor Wat complex itself takes 3 hours if you really want to enjoy it starting from the sunrise. 

Angkor Thom is an enclosed city area with its five gates, and the massive temple of Bayon in the centre. Apart from the Bayon, The Terrace of the Leper King, and Terrace of the Elephants,and  Baphuon temple and all near Bayon. 

Angkor Wat is situated outside the Angkor Thom complex.

The famous, and breathtaking temple of Ta Prohm (made famous by the Lara Croft Tomb Raider movie) is between Angkor Wat and Bayon.  Don't miss Ta Prohm! 

The central question: how to visit as much as possible of Angkor?

The Bakong Temple, Rolous Group

First, it’s possible to see all the 75+ temples if you have the time, energy, inclination, interest, and money (yes, it’s expensive).  

Second : the tours are for the temples- the city expanse of roads and canals are not in the focus (if visible at all, as they are covered by jungle). 

Third : most people won’t want or need to visit all temples. So quite intuitively, there are specific tours of Angkor that cover much of the city, temples, and area. There could be others, and you could technically cover many more on your own with the tuktuk, but I took three tours and were quite satisfied with my coverage ( but still less than 15)

These are: Small Circle Tour , Big Circle Tour and the Rolous Group Tour.

I will explain all three in detail going ahead. 

Clarification: “tour” does not refer to group tourism. It refers to the collection of temples on a route designed such that a trip covers temples of a similar nature efficiently.

This tours 5-6 temples each, though the guide can do more if you pay more. This can be by car, tuktuk or guided tour in bus.

Siem Reap surprises!

 

The city

This city has evolved into an organized tourist hub, and when we visited in December 2022, it was quite a revelation for its cleanliness, roads, the Angkor complex, and transport.

There are many hotels at all price points and all ratings and reviews, of course, as expected in one of the most visited sites in Southeast Asia. Quite a few in December 2022 were empty. Many suffered badly in the covid years, and in 2022, we heard that tourism had still not recovered, That may have changed now that China has opened outbound tourism, but in 2022, almost no Indians or Chinese were there, and there was a smattering of other nationalities in the city. Consequently, the city was quiet and not crowded, and it presented itself very differently!

Cambodia , Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

 

The famed Angkor Wat. 

“Angkor” is the city and “Wat” means temple. This massive complex is the largest Hindu temple complex in the world, and part of what was once a huge city and civilization but today stands a somber reminder of what awaits everyone who consider themselves invincible. We wanted to visit it for its history, its fabled mystery and its scale- and there was no time like the present!

And what did we find? Angkor Wat is exactly what they all said it was, and more. We were extremely impressed. In December 2023, Angkor Wat was voted as the 8^th wonder of the world, and having seen it, it deserved to be.