After the Entry Gate, you exit that onto a second causeway. Angkor Wat temple is directly ahead. On either side of this causeway (north and south) are two “Libraries.” The to the north has been renovated by a Japanese Archeological team. The one to the north sits in the middle a of a field between the causeway and a body of water where people gather to watch the sunrise.
Author: jmaurizi
Sunrise at Bayon
While the majority of people flock to Angkor Wat for sunrise, which should be experienced at least once, there are other options. If you are getting a late start and want to avoid the crowds at Angkor Wat, a visit to Bayon Temple for sunrise is a very worthwhile trip.
If you are fortunate to have clear skies in the morning, I would suggest going to the top platform of Bayon and observing the faces as the sun comes up. Part of the fun is finding the right angle and right face where the sun makes first contact. I spent an hour here enjoying the light show on the faces of Bayon. Best part I had the place to my self. No crowds at all!
Author: jmaurizi
Bayon Temple
Bayon Temple was built in the 12 century and about 100 years after Angkor Wat. Bayon is in the exact center of Angkor Thom. It is famous for it’s stone faces that highlight the magnificence of Bayon. In Bayon’s current state, it has 37 towers. Each tower has four faces point in four directions. It is very impressive.
Entering from the direction of the South Gate, the road circles Bayon. There are many tours. Buses cannot enter this part of Angkor. The largest size can only be 24 passenger. This does not stop the crowds. Not to mention the tuk tuk’s however there are far less of these.
I decided to enter Bayon from the north side. There are several entrances to the main temple. There is an outer wall with beautiful Bas-reliefs carved in stone. Once on top you can walk around in a complete circle. Several towers are very close at this point and makes for great photo opportunities.
A good amount of time can be spent here, especially if you want to get a photo with no visitors in it or really want to study the carvings on the outer and inner walls. I enjoyed Bayon more than any other temple in Angkor. So much that I went back a few days later in the late afternoon. This is the time to visit. Most people are flocking to Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng or Banteay Kdei to claim their spot and watch the sunset. By 5pm there were 4 or 5 other visitors at Bayon! Maybe I was lucky but I know I would return again this time of day.
Author: jmaurizi
Victory Gate
The Victory Gate is an entrance and exit on the east side of Angkor Thom. I passed through near the end of the trip when I wanted to visit a few sites a second time. The photos were taken around 8:00am. I was lucky no one was around. Most enter Angkor Thom from the south and spend the morning at Bayon. It is worth the effort to take a different route into Angkor Thom so you enter 
through the Victory Gate early in the morning. This is easy if you hire a Tuk Tuk. A tour operator may have their own agenda that they will not deviate from.
Author: jmaurizi
Sras Srang
This is a man made reservoir just across from the entrance to Banteay Kdei. There are steps going down into the reservoir. Water is here year round. There is actually a trail that goes around the reservoir. I didn’t have time to hike it. Seems like a good activity if you rent a bike. There is also a small village here. They sell drinks, snacks and souvenirs. The children hawk the trinkets quite aggressively. More so than other places around Angkor.