Photos of the Temples of Cambodia

I went to Cambodia a couple weeks ago. It’s my first vacation in over a year. Honestly, I don’t fancy vacations; there’s just something infuriating about not having enough time to fully immerse oneself in a foreign culture. Nevertheless, I got to take some breathtaking shots of the Cambodian temples with my brand new dSLR, the Pentax K-x. I even had an enlightenment!

Photos first, enlightenment later.

Photos of Angkor Wat

This is the moat that surrounds the Angkor Wat temple at 5am.

This is Angkor Wat at dawn. The Cambodian skies are absolutely gorgeous. On hindsight, it’s probably not the sky that’s beautiful, but that it isn’t littered with skyscrapers like Singapore.

This is one of the towers of Angkor Wat. I took this shot from the inside of the building to give it a bit more perspective.

Another shot of Angkor Wat from the inside.

One of the hundreds (or was it thousands?) of depictions of Apsara at Angkor Wat. An apsara is a nymph. The Hindus believed that having pictures of apsaras will bring about good luck and ward off evil spirits.

A monk happened to be posing for a group of photographers as I was leaving Angkor Wat. What luck!

Photo of Ta Phrom

By the time we arrived at Ta Phrom temple, where Tomb Raider was filmed, I was so exhausted under the sweltering heat, I couldn’t be bothered to take photos. This was the only half-decent shot I took.

Photos of Bayon Temple

The amazing view that surrounds the entrance to Bayon Temple.

The entrance to Bayon temple.

Bayon Temple. This is probably the most magnificent temple of the three I visited at the Angkor Wat complex. I didn’t manage to visit the inside of this temple — not because it was under construction or anything…

…I was simply paralyzed by uneasiness as I approached the temple steps. Partially, it was fear. Due to an accident some years ago, I am afraid of heights. You could say that I’m trying too hard to rationalize my fear, but another part of the uneasiness came from a voice within. Something was telling me that I wasn’t ready to walk in yet. It was telling me that I spent all my time acquiring new skills to advance my career, strategizing the most efficient way to lead life that I had begun to neglect my spiritual and physical well-being. It was telling me that I had to learn to balance mind, body and soul before I could gain the right to step in.

So I’m taking life a little slower and trying not to suppress my soul so much. Hopefully, I’ll achieve that balance within this lifetime.

My Favorite Photo Taken in Cambodia

To end my entry, here’s my favorite photo from the entire trip. No post-processing was done.

This is taken at the Silver Pagoda complex at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. I loved how the silver stupa blends with the silver sky. I felt a strong connection with the structure. I couldn’t really identify the feeling but it sure helped capture this shot.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I’ve enjoyed taking them! You can find more photos on my Flickr photostream.