Read part 16 here: Angkor Archaeological Park - Angkor Wat

After all that walking under the intense heat at Angkor Wat, we're glad to be back in our tuktuk seats.  Angkor Thom is our next destination that afternoon. Among it's five entrances, the southern gate is  nearest to Angkor Wat having a distance of 1.7km.

Angkor Thom Map

Angkor Thom or "Great City" was the last capital of the Khmer empire. This city is enclosed in a rectangular wall having sides measuring about 3km each. It is also surrounded by a moat for added protection.

Lined up on each side of the causeway leading to the southern gate are statues of gods. On the left, are guardian gods called 'devas'...

while on the right are demon gods called 'asuras'.

 the arch on the southern gate

Angkor Thom has many temples inside but the most prominent one is the Bayon Temple. It is unique for having carved giant stone faces in each of the four sides of every tower.

Here's a close up shot of one of the stone faces.

Like the Angkor Wat, some parts of the temple are undergoing restoration.

We climbed up to the steep wooden stairs to access the innermost parts of the temple.

These apsaras are always present in every temple we visited.

This window is perfect for pre-nup shots. Our tour guide asked us to pose like we're doing a pre-nup but I preferred not sharing them with you. Too cheesy.

 

We took advantage of the sun's rays for some dramatic shot. Hehe.

Some locals make a living by having their photos taken in their traditional costumes.

Bayon Temple: Check!

We didn't explore the other temples anymore after this one. We headed back to our hotel to freshen up and rest before we go to the Apsara Show.

--- part 17 of my 3 Countries, 7 Days - Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam series

Read part 16 here: Angkor Archaeological Park - Angkor Wat