Most of the temples are clustered within a five-mile radius of Angkor Wat and the ancient fortified city of Angkor Thom. A few very notable exceptions lie further out. The temples are widely varied — ranging in area from hundreds of acres to less than a single acre — and together they showcase over six centuries of architectural and artistic innovation.

Angkor Wat

No amount of hyperbole seems unwarranted for Angkor Wat, the largest and best preserved of the Angkor temples.

The central structure of Angkor Wat

It is simply amazing, covering nearly 500 acres and reaching 700 feet at its highest point. Sunset from atop Angkor Wat is spectacular, as the sun turns the whole structure a rich orange, from the impossibly steep stairs all the way to the massive towers above.

The temple is equally beautiful in the early morning, when, unlike the afternoon, it is almost completely deserted. The rooms echo with your steps, and the stone carvings are gorgeously shadowed in the slanted light. Angkor Wat's bas-reliefs, or wall-carvings, are a colossal achievement, standing seven feet high, and stretching 800 meters around the central sanctuary.

Many people whiz through the bas-reliefs, but it is worth taking the time to study them, to follow their narratives and locate the central figures. They are considered among the finest examples in the world.

Bayon

Approaching Bayon, you may be a little underwhelmed by its appearance. Everyone makes a big hullabaloo about it, but from afar, it has none of the clean lines and shapely towers of Angkor Wat, and its blotchy gray stones give it a somewhat dumpy look.

Stone faces at Bayon

But closer up, you'll see that the erratic look comes from a multitude of small towers foresting the entire temple. What makes them particularly fascinating are the large carved faces that blend seamlessly into stone on all four sides of each tower.

They're easy to miss from a distance, but you soon realize there are dozens and dozens of faces peering out at you, many as large as 5 feet from chin to headdress. Adding to the mystique, most have their eyes closed, and wear small, enigmatic smiles.

The temple itself is a multi-level labyrinth of rooms and corridors, some with statues of the Buddha inside, the air sweet with the smell of incense. A thunderstorm struck while I was at Bayon, and I walked around for an hour in the rain, exploring the empty corridors as water poured through the masonry and the quarter-light cast odd shadows on the imperturbable faces. It was great.

Thommanon

After you leave the enclosed city of Ankor Thom (where Bayon is located), but before you turn right to get to Ta Prohm, you'll pass by a cluster of four small temples, two on each side of the road.

Though most people don't stop, the best of these temples — Thommanon — is well worth a look-see. Built in a grassy grove, and surrounded on three sides by tall leafy trees, Thommanon feels more like a modest southern mansion than a temple to the gods.

It is remarkably well preserved, with the carvings along its base and doors particularly so. It even sports a true porch, on which you can almost imagine King Suryavarman (or else Scarlett O'Hara) sipping a cool drink in the shade.

Many of the Angkor temples are so mindboggling in scope that is difficult to imagine them being occupied by real people — at Thommanon, you can capture some sense of the Khmers themselves, as people suffering many of the same foibles and fears, and the same simple pleasures, that humans have for all time.

Ta Som

Like a shy little boy hiding behind the leg of his brother, Ta Som is easy to miss.

Unlike Thommonan, it's not along the way to anything, and unless you happen to miss the turn-off to Neak Pean, you won't get there unless you mean to.

It's a charming temple though, and a good place to start off a day of touring the smaller sites. Ta Som has not been restored, so it's somewhat dilapidated, but the surrounding trees and pale green moss make it a beautiful sight.

The most notable feature is the back gate, the top of which is adorned with a huge carved faces, and fig trees strangling the stones with their massive roots.

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