Of course you have to go to Angkor when you visit Cambodia and today I take you on a hair-raising ironic trip through the fabulous world of Angkor. If you like dry humor and a pinch of sarcasm, you’ve come to the right place.
Let’s first enter the temple complex of Angkor Wat, which is so big you could almost charge an entrance fee for orientation. But hey, who needs orientation when you can instead jostle with hordes of tourists for the perfect selfie with the rising sun? Get ready for the latest Instagram phenomenon: “selfie battle at sunrise”!
(Copyright of the whole article by ChatGPT 🙂 except the pictures. If you feel like this text is a waste of time, a lot more about it you can read in my magazine “Structure of Cambodia”)
Exploring the temples of Angkor
When you finally explore the temples, you’ll find that they are guarded by friendly temple guards. You can watch them do their heavy lifting, keeping the crowds of tourists at bay while themselves appearing to be about to go into a deep sleep. Perhaps they have secretly allied themselves with the Grin Stones to feign the perfect waking sleep? In any case, their facial expressions are priceless!
But that’s not all, Angkor has some fascinating wildlife to offer. Forget the typical monkeys stealing your snacks – here you have the chance to meet a whole army of hungry mosquitoes. They are perfectly trained to bite you in the most impossible places, making you feel like human dartboards. A truly amusing game for them to play while you desperately rub mosquito repellent on yourself and hope you don’t become the main course of dinner.
And then we have the local vendors, whose sales tactics seem to be right out of the “How to make funny tourist jokes” textbook. They promise you the best prices while at the same time trying to lighten your wallet. Don’t forget that you must have completed at least one semester at the University of Haggling to negotiate with them on equal footing. One small caveat: You’ll probably wonder if you actually bought a souvenir or rather binoculars for the next comedy show.
Angkor offers not only history and impressive architecture, but also a seemingly endless source of ironic and comical experiences. So put on your humorous armor and enjoy this crazy trip through the fabulous world of Angkor. But beware: laughing fits and sprained irony muscles are a possible side effect of this adventure!
Here are three more temples we can take a humorous look at:
1. Bayon Temple
Welcome to the land of mischievous faces! The Bayon Temple is known for its impressive stone carvings of faces welcoming you with their mischievous grins and winks. Sometimes you’d almost think they were secretly making fun of visitors. But hey, who wouldn’t want to be greeted by stone-faced comedians? It’s almost as if they’re saying, “Welcome to Bayon Temple, where the stones are fun and the jokes are already hidden in the walls.”
2. Ta Prohm Temple
Welcome to the jungle of lost camera equipment! Ta Prohm Temple is famous for its ruins overgrown by nature. As if struggling with the stone remains wasn’t enough, lianas and roots have also decided to take over the area. It’s a real adventure to fight your way through the winding paths here, coming across lost cameras and lenses lovingly wrapped up by nature. Don’t forget to stick to the famous motto “lose your camera, find a plant” as you explore this enchanted temple.
3. Banteay Kdei
Welcome to the labyrinth of secret hiding places! The temple of Banteay Kdei is known for its intricate passages and hidden corners. The stones here seem to have a real talent for confusion. You think you’ve found the main entrance, but suddenly you’re stopped by a wall of stones that looks like it’s laughing at you. Perhaps the stones have held a secret meeting and decided to fool the visitors? You’ll wonder if you’ve really entered a temple or rather a crazy version of the famous Labyrinth of Minos. Tip: Just follow the best dressed tourists, they might have cracked the exit direction – or at least pretend to!
With the Banteay Kdei temple, you now have another humorous stop on your journey through the wonderful world of Angkor. Be challenged by the stone puzzles and enjoy the secret comedy hidden behind the walls. Enjoy the laugh-out-loud moments and let the stones, faces, and enchanted plants make you smile! Have fun exploring!
And please, do not forget to visit and explore more of Cambodia. In this article “The old stones of Cambodia” I do give you some reasons for it.
Cambodia is much more then old stones