Bayon Temple, Cambodia

Bayon Temple is another in the Angkor Archaeological Park, and entry is included with your Angkor pass. We visited here on our second day of the three day pass we purchased in Siem Reap. Built somewhere between the late 12th and early 13th century, Bayon Temple sits in the middle of the Angkor Thom complex and over the last 30 years, restoration efforts here have been assisted by the Japanese government.

Bayon temple is also known as 'the temple with the faces'. Around 200 faces remain here, with the towers having four faces on each tower, some estimates claim that there were around 200 towers here at one point.

Lori has spent almost her entire working life in the mining industry, so when she saw this, mostly female, crew working to excavate more of Bayon Temples secrets, she was naturally very intrigued and rushed over to find out more.

Our Angkor guide, Kea Simon, explaining some of the details in the bas-relief on the outer galleries of Bayon Temple.

Part of the bas-relief from the outer galleries of Bayon Temple, showing the Khmer army marching into battle with the Cham.

There are a number of points along the outer galleries where you can pause to admire the innner part of Bayon Temple.

Here we can see more of the inner part of Bayon Temple, we could keep on coming back here and still not see all that it has to offer.

I love the shots down these dark passageways in these Cambodian temples, and so does the Canon EOS R3. I was a bit apprehensive taking this camera with us, but I think I would have really regretted leaving it at home.

Mel and Ken pausing for a photo as we explore the inner sanctuary of Bayon Temple.

Another view of some of the faces that adorn the towers of Bayon Temple.

Buddhas and faces are everywhere you look here, faces above, Buddha statues with you as you walk. This is, as is common in the Angkor Archaeological Park, an amazingly beautiful temple and one that commands a repeat visit or three.

A bonus shot, Lori (with a little assist from Mikah) getting in on the action at Bayon Temple.

Much like the other temples here in the Siem Reap area and in wider Cambodia, you will not see all Bayon Temple has to offer in one visit, we are hoping to return to Cambodia at some stage and the Bayon will definitely be on the list of places we wish to revisit.

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Tonle Om Gate / South Entrance to Angkor Thom

Tonle Om Gate is the southern entrance to the Angkor Thom temple complex. This is the most well known and busiest of the five gates to Angkor Thom. We visited Tonle Om Gate the morning after we had been to Angkor Wat, our first temple visit of the trip. Angkor Thom and its five gates are part of the Angkor Archaeological Park, meaning you'll need your Angkor pass to visit here. We purchased a three day flexi pass for the park, giving us the choice of which three days we would use to explore the area.

As you can see here, this gate is very popular, not only is it the primary way to access Angkor Thom from Siem Reap, it is also the gate which has had the most attention when it comes to restoration and preservation, making it a popular photo stop for tourists and locals alike.

Our Angkor guide, Kea Simon, explaining some of the history of Tonle Om Gate to Mel and Ken. Simon was our guide through all the Angkor temples and was an invaluable asset to us during our stay in Siem Reap.

The 100m causeway across the moat at Tonle Om is flanked by balustrades featuring Devas and Asuras holding the body of a giant Naga serpent.

On the left side of the causeway, the Devas are depicted with happy faces and represent the good in the world. Here we have Mikah and Lori with the Devas of Tonle Om Gate.

The Devas are in constant battle with the Asuras on the right hand side, who are malevolent beings representing all the bad in the world and depicted with grumpy faces and bulging eyes.

The preservation and restoration of these ancient works is a continual project and you can see here the contrast between original and replacement parts of these statues.

Lori doing her best Asura impression at Tonle Om Gate, Angkor Thom.

Tonle Om Gate, Angkor Thom, as seen from the causeway across the moat.

Here you can see the tri-headed elephant, Airvata, below the faces that tower over Tonle Om Gate. The four faces are believed by some to represent Brahma, the creator, although this is not known for certain.

Here is another angle showing Airvata, the tri-headed elephant, which also features in other nearby monuments, such as the Terrace of the Elephants.

Inside Tonle Om Gate are these small chambers, which could have functioned as guard stations at one point.

Once you have passed through Tonle Om Gate, make sure you turn around and appreciate that these gates are works of art on all four sides.

Tonle Om Gate is an amazing place to visit, no matter the time of year, although visiting at the tail end of the wet season, like we did, ensures beautiful green scenery all around. Make sure you take the time to get out and walk through this gate, as it really is awe inspiring. For me, this gate, and the whole Angkor Archaeological Park, is a very highly recommended part of any visit to Siem Reap, and Cambodia in general.

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Hard Rock Cafe - Angkor / Siem Reap

After spending the bulk of the day at Angkor Wat, we headed to Hard Rock Cafe Angkor, in Siem Reap. Mel is a confirmed Hard Rock addict, with quite an impressive collection of memorabilia, so we would be visiting two Hard Rock Cafe locations in Cambodia.

Mel with the guitar outside Hard Rock Cafe Angkor, in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Now for the big question - what did we think of Hard Rock Cafe Angkor? Well, our impressions needed to be tempered with the knowledge that Cambodia is still returning to popularity after COVID put the brakes on tourism world wide for several years, and more recently, we were visiting at the tail end of the wet season, historically a slow time for tourism in the region.

Mel and Lori checking out the shirts in the Rock Shop at Hard Rock Cafe Angkor.

We were the only guests for most of the night, with another couple coming in while we were there, and the Rock Shop was missing quite a few regular items. There were no Hurricane glasses and no collectors pins, so our cocktails came in well worn hurricane glasses, but the collectors glasses we brought home were pint glasses. This was also the case in Phnom Penh and from speaking to the staff at the two venues, this will be rectified soon.

Loaded fries and potato skins at Hard Rock Cafe Angkor, in Siem Reap.

We also noted that there was a reduced menu here for food and drink, but that what was presented to us was top notch, we certainly had no complaints about the food, drinks or service here. While there was no live music on offer here, we would find out later that the band was only a week or so away, as they were performing at the Phnom Penh venue at the time, as that venue was training the new bands for both locations.

There was no live music here tonight, so Mel hopped on the skins for a photo. We would later find out that we missed the return of live music to this venue by a matter of weeks.

Would we come back to Hard Rock Cafe Angkor? Of course! Although being the only guests there put a bit of a dampener on the atmosphere, we're quite confident that with the return of live music and as tourists return to the Angkor region, Siem Reaps own Hard Rock Cafe will start to see the crowds returning and we would love to see this venue when it's really pumping.

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