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Phnom Bakheng:

          Around 400m south of Angkor Thom, the main attraction of Phnom Bakheng is the sunset view of Angkor Wat. Unfortunately, and inevitably, the whole affair has turned into something of a circus, with crowds of tourists gasping up the steep slope of the hill and jockeying for space once on top. Coming down can be even worse as there is nothing at all in the way of lighting. still, the sunset over the Tonle Sap lake is very impressive from the hill. To get a decent picture of Angkor Wat in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun you will need at least a 300mm lens, as the temple is 1.3Km away.

          Phnom Bakheng is all so home to the first of the temple_mouintains built in the vicinity of Angkor. Yasovarman I (r 889_910) chose Phnom Bakheng over the Roluos area, where the earlier capital had been located.

          The temple mountain has five tiers, with seven levels ( including the base and the summit ). At the base are _or were _ 44 towers. Each of the five tiers had 12 towers. The summit of the temple has four towers at the cardinal points of the compass as well as a central sanctuary. all of these numbers are of symbolic significance. while the total number of towers, excluding the Central Sanctuary, is 108,a particularly auspicious number and one that correlates to the lunar calendar.

          it is now possible to arrange an elephant ride up the hill (U.S$ 15 one way per person ) and the location certainly makes for a memorable journey, if you are O.K the idea of elephants hauling themselves up the steep hill day after day. It is advisable to look in advance, as the rides are very popular with tour groups.