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Discover the stories behind my photographs, captured around the world in magnificent landscapes and foreign cultures

Hidden Treasure

 

Hello out there,

For me, Angkor Wat was probably the main reason, why I came to Cambodia. After seeing its sheer size on satellite pictures, I was so fascinated, that I had to discover it in person. I just could not believe, that hundreds of years ago, people had built this giant complex, of which the well-known temple Angkor Wat is just a small part.

Therefore, I decided to hire a guide and a driver for one day, to get around quickly and pick up some new information along the way. We started early in the morning with the Angkor Wat temple and headed from there to Angkor Thom, the ancient city of the Khmer Empire. Within the outer water ditch, there were several other temples and buildings of the former inhabitants, we visited in the morning.

Then we headed to some temples outside of the ancient city, like Ta Prohm, which is partly still overgrown by the jungle. But one of the most amazing places, we kept for the end. The Phnom Bakheng temple. Its location on top of a hill is just wonderful since you can perfectly overlook Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and all the other places I had been to during the day.

The first view I had of Angkor Wat, as I was climbing up the hill through a thick jungle, was probably also the most memorable. Seeing the temple rise out of the jungle was just magical and the perfect end to an unforgettable day. So I pulled out my camera and just pressed the shutter.