11-Day Visit & Photography in AngkorSchedule
Day 1:
Departure 13:55, Shanghai Pudong airport, Shanghai Airline. Arrival in Phnom Penh（金邊） at local time 17:30(1 hour later than BJ time)
Phnom Penh airport checking point police is well known for their corruption because they ask money. Please do not give them when there’s nothing wrong with your visa.
Take moto from airport to Capitol Guesthouse(the moto drivers in airport ask 2 dollars. Just walk out of the airport and take the moto waiting at the gate for 1 dollar). Moto to the guesthouse near Tonle Sap riverfront need 1.5-2 dollars.
Day 2:
Get up at 5:00 and go to Tonle Sap（洞裡薩湖） riverfront（河邊） for sun rising. In the morning from 5:00 to 6:30, there are hundreds of young people dancing (gym dancing) at the riverfront in front of Royal Palace. Aged people may prefer TaiJi, while teenagers play a special bamboo football, jogging, and others just sit there watching. Highly recommended to take a visit or take photos at the great morning. Or take a 200mm lens to take photos of the boat catching fish in the river.
Suggest coming back to the riverfront (can just after the visit of Royal Palace or National Museum) in the afternoon before sunset for taking photos or just having a can of beer, watching those talented ladies (some of them quite young and charming) carrying goods at the top of their head, people having picnic and barbecue. After the sunset, future-and-fortune telling ladies will do their business at the riverfront.
Theres a nice bar FCC just at the riverfront. The price for food and beverage is comparatively high. We can go just take a beer or coffee. The French styled atmosphere and view of riverfront from its open veranda make the moment a nice memory of Cambodia.
It is said that the best reserved and masterpieces of Angkor statues are kept in National Museum (3 dollars). My impression is that most of the best pieces are in Paris Guimmet Museum (museum for art from eastern countries) rather in Phnom Penh. I have seen a huge and beautifully carved Naga in Guimmet two year before, while can not find any statues as good in Phnom Penh. Nevertheless, it worth the visit, because at least we can see some of the best statues of Angkor god Shiva（印度教神）, Vishnu（印度教神）, Nagesha（印度教神，像頭人身）, and marvelous Buddha in meditation sitting on Naga（蛇神，protector of Buddha）.
The Killing Field（殺人場） is 15 kilometers far away from downtown after an extremely bumpy and dusty road so can skip this place if no time. The field is not a garden for happy. Actually, it is a place or a moment, coolly and quietly, to re-think about the history of Cambodia, or furthermore, the history of communist in various countries. Sometimes we wandering that, when the idea is so good, why the execution is so bad for communist world.
Toul Sleng (紅色高棉時期監獄博物館) was the concentration camp of Kmer Rouge（紅色高棉）. The feeling during the visit will the same when visiting Killing Field. Local people was imprisoned in the camp (originally a school) for around 4 months before went to Killing Filed for death during Kmer Rouge period.
Royal Palace asks 5 dollars for visiting and additional 3 dollars for taking photos. It’s a beautiful palace indeed.
Buy the express boat ticket (20 dollars) at Capitol Guesthouse (or your guesthouse) for day-3 trip to Siem Reap
Day 3:
6:30: bus from guesthouse to the ferry (carry something to eat and drink before go on boat)
7:00~12:30: on the way to Siem Reap（暹粒）. Quite nice view along the river of Tonle Sap if sit at the deck of the boat (half with roof). Photo taking at this moment is a challenge because most of the image will get blurred or not very well focused. Make yourself well protected with product of UV poof cream with high index, e.g. UV 50.
Hundreds of guesthouses’ drivers will welcome you at the boat terminal. You can take a moto (1 dollar) to the town, or choose one guesthouse and go with its car (free of charge). Most recommended guesthouse in Siem Reap is Popular Guesthouse (quite alike the Capitol Guesthouse in Phnom Penh). I stayed in Smilly Guesthouse (4~12 dollars). Quite nice restaurant and garden.
Hire a moto driver that day for the afternoon-night visit (total package can be only 1 dollar, because driver wants you to hire him for the coming days visit). 4-6 dollars for a whole day visit at the temples (25 kilo meters far way temples usually need to double the price) for one moto. Toto is more comfortable and sense of luxury transportation tool if compared with moto and local truck. However, price can be only 10 dollars for one-day visit after a negotiation (15 dollars for the temples far away). Toto can take 2 persons (3 persons is not comfortable, 4 is too many) at one time, and have plenty of space for bags, so is recommended.
16:30: Go buy ticket for one-week visit of Angkor temples start from the next day (can enter into the temple region with ticket at that day after 17:00). Need to attach a photo on the ticket (take one with you, or take the photo at that time). 20 dollar for 1 day visit, 40 dollars for 3 days visit, 60 dollars for 7 days visit. Tips: never do anything to the ticket, otherwise you will face challenge and chance to pay dollar.
17:30: go to Bakeng Hill（巴肯山，唯一能看日落的地方） for sunset. This is the only high place for sunset in Angkor, so surely crowded with tourist. Photography at this place is not so interesting or the image is not so Agnkor styled because there’s nothing in the film except the sunset. Need to take a 70-200 zoom.
19:00: dinner at Bayon II restaurant. 11 dollars per person for the buffet and for watching Apsara（歌舞伎女神） Dancing
Day 4:
Leave guesthouse at 5:00 for sunrise (sun rises at around 6:10 during Dec. and usually the sky light will be very beautiful 10 minutes before sun rise) at Angkor Wat (吳哥窟) and arrive at the west gate (facing east) of Angkor Wat.
There are three places for taking photos of sunrise of Angkor: Angkor Wat west gate before the Moat (護城河, before entering into the gate), Angkor Wat north pond (enter into the west gate and walk till before the central of the temple, then go north), and Sras Srang (ancient reservoir).
I like the first place very much because that morning, a kid (his name is Ta) is collecting the lotus roots in the Moat and I surely have him in the film with sunrise and Angkor Wat silhouette together, making the film more vivid than a pure sunrise. The Moat of Angkor Wat is also a swimming pool for kids. If interested to take photos of kids with Angkor Wat as background, go at noon. 24-85 zoom may do the job. But 70-200 zoom would be better.
The second location can make a normal Angkor Wat sunrise photo that you can see everywhere. But it is beautiful indeed. The photo take in the afternoon after 3:30 at the same place is a standard, too.
Sras Srang is a pond in Square shape. We can go to the north west corner of the pond to have a clear view of the sun rise without the crowd, or at the west side of the pond with lots of tourists.
Actually, there’s another location for sunrise. It is Tonle Sap riverside sunrise. But it is at the top of a hill near ferry of Siem Reap, 15 kilometers far away from the downtown. That day I go there, it is too clouded to see a beautiful sunrise. Back disappointed.
Morning: visit of Angkor Wat (always go from west gate, or can try from east gate, at least I tried once, not so interesting)
Noon: rest in guesthouse (can go to take photos of people if not rest)
Afternoon: quick visit of Bayon（拜雲廟） and Elephant Terrace, Leper King Terrace
Day 5:
Leave guesthouse at 5:00 for sunrise at Sras Srang.
Breakfast near Sras Srang
Morning: visit of Banteay Kdei [bænte kdei] temple and Ta Prohm [ta brom] (usually group tourists visit Angkor like this: Angkor Wat ->
Bayon->
Elephant Terrace and Leper King Terrace->
Ta Prohm, so suggest to go to Ta Prohm very early to avoid crowd)
Ta Prohmis famous for its jungle, so also called jungle temple. Must go to this temple early not only to avoid the crowd, but also to avoid the high contrast of light. Because when sunshine gets too strong, we cannot have the details of sky, trees and temple in the film together. My impression that after 9:00 will be very hard for taking photos. Serious photographer may need a tripod because of the dark under the temple and jungle. It’s a place need several visits.
Banteay Kdei is a quiet and nice temple, no many visitors (maybe because I go there just after sunrise when others go for breakfast).
Afternoon: visit of Angkor Wat from west gate
Day 6:
Leave at 5:00 to the west gate of Angkor Wat for the sunrise. Enter into the west gate to see the temple just after sunrise is beautiful too. To avoid the crowd, please go to terrace south of the main road leading to the temple.
Afternoon: Royal Palace, Baphuon, Bayon
You can see the very famous Smile of Angkor at Bayon temple. To go there after 3:30 from west gate (it is a quite small temple) to catch the golden sunshine on the smiling faces of Jayavarman VII, ancient king of Angkor. A wide lens of 20mm-24mm is a must, and 105mm for a close-up detail.
Day 7:
Morning: taking photos on the way to Banteay Srei (女王宮，精美雕刻，西北25公裡). We notice that the scene on the way to Banteay Srei is beautiful. And it is also a nice place for taking photos of local people. The advantage of go there in the early morning is that we can see people cooking, preparing something local, light harmonious. Drawback is when we spend time on the way. We arrive at temple later than the group tourists, so get crowded.
Morning to noon: visit of Banteay Srei. This temple is famous for its wonderful bas-relief on stone. But at this moment, local government closed a big part of the temple for reparation. It should last for a while.
Afternoon: visit of Banteay Samre and Preah Kanh（聖劍寺）. I personally list Banteay Samre the second wonderful temple just behind Angkor Wat because of its marvelous and beauty. Its bas-relief as good as that in Banteay Srei, and the temple in detail more delicate designed than Angkor Wat. Good thing is than it locates far away from the way of traditional group tourist, so very quiet.
Here are some photos taken on the way to Banteay Samre
Memory of Preah Kanh gets blurred. Only a portrait of bas-relief of Apsara is still vivid for me.
Day 8:
Morning: Visit of temples of Roluos group. The temple is not as good as others. I take one photo in a primary school near one of the temple of girls playing games before the class that day. And I list this photo top 1 of all my photos taken during this trip. I call it Ballet of Angkor.
Afternoon: visit of Angkor Wat
Night: visit of local opera. It is said that they hold one time a year and a year just one night. Lucky am I.
Day 9:
Leave guesthouse at 5:00 to Siem Reap ferry (climb on a small hill) for the sunrise.
After the sunrise, we can go to the fish market nearby. Hiring a mini fishing boat (1 dollar/half an hour) to visit the river and family living in their floating house will be an interesting experience.
Afternoon: visit of Angkor Wat and Bayon
Day 10:
Leave Siem Reap (still can visit Angkor temple this day, while we both get tired and want something new)
6:30-7:00: guesthouse car take us to ferry
7:00-13:30: from Siem Reap to Battambang (15 dollars for the express boat). The boat is 1/3 big as that from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, but still too big and too long for the small river. The river from Siem Reap to Battambang is originally narrow and with urgent turns one after another. It gets narrower when local people plant tools for catching fish at two sides all way long. So the boat goes forward and backward all the time to avoid hitting into the bank or damaging local tools. And the boat will slow down when runs into every floating village to check the possibility of taking passenger. So a trip can finish in two hours turned into 7 hours.
There’s no seat on the top of the boat, because initially the boat is not designed to take passengers on the top. But beautiful view of riverside during the 7 hours makes trip valuable.
There’s nothing in Battambang except go to temples of 25-30 kilometers away of the town, so the next day I take bus back to Phnom Penh.
Day 11:
7:00-13:00: Take bus from Battambang to Phnom Penh
Afternoon in FCC, coffee and beer, reading
18:20 take Shanghai Airline back to Shanghai
Some suggestions for serious amateurs to take photos in Angkor
Lens:
A fixed lens of 20-24 mm maybe necessary for temple with jungles (Ta Prohm), Marco view of temple
A fixed lens of 85-105mm lens is necessary for portrait of local people, smiling faces of Bayon temple, bas-relief details
A fixed lens of 35 mm or 50 mm will be very useful for photography of people (usually monk) in environment
I use 15-30(in my DSLR is 22.5-45mm) Sigma zoom all the time, even for portrait and feel quite happy with it. One friend use 24-85mm zoom and 50mm fixed lens all the time and feel can do the entire job. So think may just take 24-120mm zoom. Or more seriously, take 20mm, 50mm, and 105mm fixed lens with two to three small bodies.
The chance of using 70-200mm zoom is quite few and can be supplemented by 105mm with a close up. So suggest not take this.
Films:
It is suggest on the French network that Velvia 50 is recommended for temples while some 400 ISOs for activities (I have no experiences on film photography).
Tripod:
It is useful for sunrise, and the time just after sunrise. And then, can leave the tripod to moto driver or Toto driver (so find a trustworthy driver is important. Suggest hiring driver from your guesthouse.)
Digital photography:
Avoid changing the lens because of the heavy dust. Never believe you can change the lens without the dust entering in and sticking on your CCD.
If possible, take two bodies with just tow lens and never take them down: 15-30mm (or 12-24mm), and 60mm (or 85mm)
Mini compact digital camera is extremely useful when taking photos of local people. Because when you show them the photos you taken just now, they will feel happy and then you can take more good photos with their high cooperation level. It is also useful for photographer who takes on film.
Attitude to local people:
Sometime local people (kid or adult) ask dollar after you take photos of them. Give or not give is based on you. However, I suggest that we do not give money to them because we take photos. It is no wrong to give local people money if you get paid on the photo you taken on them. Remember that you yourself at that time is not you alone. You represent all people from your country or photographer in a whole. So your response to them will affect local people’s attitude to others and the expectation on the future photographers and all other tourists. I suggest that you may take some small gift to the kid after you take photos of them, or like me, I will show them in LCD screen the photos of them and make them happy.
Angkor temple ranking according to PAN (just rank those temples I have visited):
★★★: Very well reserved, master piece, or very impressing
Angkor Wat (photos of temple and monk in the afternoon), Bayon (can have lots of monk visitors in the afternoon), Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre (quiet, no group visitors, wide lens is a must), Leper King Terrace
★★: Very nice for a visit
Banteay Kdei, Royal Palace (not that in Phnom Penh), Elephant Terrace, Baphuon, Preah Kanh
★: Nice for a visit, but not a must
Bakeng Hill, Roluos Group, Sras Srang
Thousands professional photographers have taken excellent photos in Angkor. Some of them are:
Steve McCurry, Sanctuary: The Temples of Angkor
John McDermott, Images of Asia, (photography in infrared)