Our little sneak peek yesterday had definitely wet the appetite, I was super excited to head to Angkor Wat and this time go inside.

We had booked a guide to help us decode the immense site. Having a guide definitely gave us another perspective for example I would never have guessed that the reason one of the gates was so massive was because it was for elephants. We also learnt that originally it was built as a Hindu temple but now is repurposed as a Buddhist temple.

But of course a guide meant the boys stopping and possibly looking at things they are not that interested in. I had thought this might happen so had made the oldest two a little booklet to fill out. It contained space for observational drawing, questions on things I thought might interest them. Which for my boys is “how things are built”, “what animals statues can you see” “how is it protected from attacks” “how many toilets?

On the whole these worked really well for the eldest two (age 5 and 7). It meant when we stopped to listen to the guide they usually stopped and drew whatever they found interesting near by. Sometimes they were so involved in what they were drawing that we actually had to wait for them. Of course it was less successful for Baby Blue who wanted the same as his boys but didn’t really have the attention span yet.

After the gates we stoped for the obligatory photo in front of the temple before heading into the temple it’s self.

It was hot so we were all happy for the shade of the temple. Inside was just as mind blowing as out. Every surface was carved and decorated.

Almost 2000 devatas with 47 different hair styles abdorn walls and columns. Our guide said some off the women had scars in their bellies which some believe show these prestiged dancers continued to dance after a child.

In the main chamber a modified Hindu shrine now servers as the focal point for the Buddhist worship. The boys received a blessing from a very young monk. I was doubtful but they behaved so well!

After a couple of hours exploring we were almost at the top, one more very steep climb to go and we would be in the kings private floor. Unfortunately the boys couldn’t go up and my mother quickly volunteered to look after them so I didn’t have an excuse not to climb the very step scary steps.

In fact going up wasn’t that bad and the view made it worth it. The space was massive it’s hard to believe it was only built to be used by one person. Each side gave a different view over either the grounds of Angkor Wat or jungle. From the final window we could see our children jumping in puddles below us. Going down wasn’t as nice as coming up but I made it despite having to stop a couple of times and causing a bit of a traffic jam.

We had planned to visit Angkor Thom in the afternoon but the heavens opened during our lunch. It rained so much that our tut tut wouldn’t start! When it eventually did we headed back to our hotel to play on the pool and rain. Followed by a fish spa and a delicious Italian!?!

For our last day in Siem Reap the camp was split on what to do. The kids and husband are most definitely templed out but mum and myself were keen to see Angkor Thom.

So while me, my parents and Baby blue exploded the even crazier temples of Angkor Thom my big boys and husband went zipping and climbing around the jungle at Angkor Ziplines. (Photos will have to follow as on our active cam)

When we reconviened poolside later that afternoon we exchanged stories. Ours stories of the mind bending design of Bayon which is beyond serial with it 216 smiling faces and theirs with stories of climbing and swinging that I’m glad i didn’t need to witness.

Now all of us had our fill of temples it was time to move on! The temples are truly a fantastical place, I’m so pleased we came.