Round the World (Again) Cambodia, Siem Reap, Angor, day 1

Sorry for the delay (well I am not really as I have been enjoying my travels), I will endeavour to do a bit of catching up (the weather has turned a tadge chilly here in Hué).

I will be putting more photographs on this evening, but I think you have enough to digest for the moment.

I have been wondering how to tackle this and have come to the conclusion not to do it by days but to do it temple for temple. This way you can get the feel of the size of the place. I didn't do all of the temples (as my daughter wrongly always pointed out a pile of stones is a pile of stones) I didn't get out to see the outlying sites as this would mean another day and I wanted to see the fishing village.

My arrival was quite unspectacular, the bus plonked us at the out of town bus station, you are therefore either at the  mercy of the Tuk-Tuk drivers or your hotel has arranged a pick up mini bus. AS I had not booked a hotel mine was therefore the former. But I hit lucky, I got a good one, we agreed the price and off we jolly well set. He spoke English (always a plus) and he chatted asking me if I wanted to hire him for 3 days, I said to him I would have to see what my itinery was going to be he said 3 days 70 dollars and this trip for free. I had said a guest house recommended in my guide book, here they will always say it is full and suggest a one that they are going to get commission, I didn’t mind as this was a nice central one, was clean and had a bit of a restaurant and bar downstairs

Siem Reap and Angkor Temples

First a bit about the temple site, it is reputed to be the largest in the world, it was built first by the Kings of the Khmer Empire, it was an real Empire in the true sense of the word, covering all of what is now Thailand, Burma, Laos and Vietnam, in fact most of SE Asia. It had many vassal kings and princes. In fact it was first based on Hinduism, worshiping the Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Siva

To visit the temple sites you need to pay, a day ticket will cost you $20 and a three day one $40, I went for the later.

The Temple of Angkor Wat is the nearest to Siem Reap and therefore the most visited (it is famous for its Sunrise (more about that later) if you get there very early you will be trampled to death by the sunrisers.

But first a little bit about the Early Khmer Empire, 

Jayavarman II was the first of the great Khmer Kings ruling from Ad 802-835, he built his first capital at Hariharalaya not far from the Tonlé Sap river in the Reluos region and this was the first of a series of temples, palaces and towns of the Angkor civilisation. He later moved the capital 40 km to the East (a mountain temple, and no one knows why, may be on a whim, Kings are a bit like that), this was at Phnom Kulen, here also built the Rong Shen shrine, but this obviously didn’t tickle his fancy either as shortly after moving there he moved the Capital back to the Roluos region.

Jayavarman III (AD 835-877) following in his father’s footsteps , he moved it back to Hariharalaya, and he is thought to be the builder or at least started to build the great laterite pyramid at Ankor Wat meant to symbolise mount Meru, seat of the Hindu gods, this was Bakong. After his violent death at the hands of his successor Indravarman (AD 877-889), the work was carried on and in fact greatly embellished, most of what can be seen today  at the Rolous group is his work. After his death a bitter dispute between his sons ensued and the palace was destroyed.

The victor Yasovarman I (Ad 889-900) moved the capital from Roluos to Angkor itself so laying the foundations of the later Angkor Wat., funnily he dedicated the new temple to his ancestors.His new capital at Angkor was called Yasodharapura, it was here that he built the 100 retreats, alas out of wood so none remain today. Yasovarman selected the site of his new temple at Bakheng, he flattened the mountain top and built a new mount Meru, here he built a temple more complex than anything prior.He also built a road connecting the old capital at Roluos and the new at Bakheng. Like his predecessors he also built large waterworks and reservoirs, the largest at East Baray was considered an incredible feat of Civil Engineering, unfortunately it is completely dry today.

After his death, there was a succession of not spectacular kings and much moving of the capital, until Rajendravarman popped up and forcibly moved the capital South of the East Baray.

Angkor Wat
The greatest of them all and the king that built this the most famous temple complex was Suryavarman II (1112-1150) it was he that set about building the Angkor Wat with its libraries, the massive bridge causeway flanked by the great Nagas, symbolising the churning of the seas, The wonderful intricately carved Bas Relief that are on the walls of the corridors of the inside walls that surround the temple. The 5 km long moat crossed by that causeway.

The towering centre temple complex, that is emblazoned of the flag of Cambodia.

In the middle of the causeway are two of Buddha's foot prints , I wonder what size sandals he took?

The inner Sanctum (today a Buddhist shrine) was originally surrounded with the longest Bas relief ever carved and is quite intact in most of its 5km, though there are parts that did get damaged during the days of the Khmer Rouge. This is a magnificent piece of work it depicts, the wars against the Cham, the churning of the seas, wars between gods and demons, and what you can expect in after life, wine women and song for the good and eternal damnation for the bad.

There was also a gallery that originally housed the 1000 Buddha’s though few remain today, some removed to the museums in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh others found their way into Western museums and private collections.

In front of the central Buddha you can for a few coppers get threaded armband blessed and tied around your wrist by a seated holy man.

As you leave the gallery of 1000 Buddha's you look towards the mighty inner sanctum, this causeway is flanked left and right by the remains of the two great empires.

Before you reach the central inner sanctum, you cross between two large lily ponds, it is the left one that you will see the sunrise against in all of the post cards and the one were the crowds gather before dawn to do their click-clicky bit, bit more of that later.

You now pass through the walls into what would have been a wonderful water filled arena, it is unfortunately now dry, but would have been originally served by one of the large Barola's and their waterworks. 

The mighty central tower now houses a Buddha and you can climb the wooden (they cover the original stone ones) stairs for a look (please remove hats and cover arms and legs, take your shoes off when entering the holy of holies). Originally in here was a mighty statue of Siva in the likeness of the god king Suryavarman II. Below the steps will be a group of young temple dancers, for a small fee you can have your photo taken with them if you wish.

You can wander the complex all day, and to give it justice you should, but most tours only give you an hour or two at the most and then it is on to the next.

Angkor Thorm

This is a complex even greater in size than Angkor Wat and it is called Angkor Thom, this was not only a temple but also a living city. The most impressive part and most well-known (raiders of the lost arch) entrance is  across a mighty bridge bearing the heads of the gods and demons, then through the mighty gate depicting the builder and god king Jayayarman VII, this is the one that has the massive towers, built in the form of heads, this is the Bayon.

how did he slip in?

It was built about 100 years after Angkor Wat between the 12 and 13 centuries. It has about 2000 of these faces but the 5 large ones that form the central complex are the most impressive. I was taken through this complex with a very well-spoken and informed guide, just me, I was privileged and the cost was but $5.

Outside of the Bayon is the Royal palaces proper, the swimming pool a large one and a small one, the large one for Jayavarmans large harem and the small one for him and him alone, no one else was allowed near his lasses.

As you leave via the front, you come onto two 300 mtr long terraces, one depicts elephants, very well carved majestic beasts and the other is called the leper kings terrace (for no other reason than the lichens that cling to the stone make it look like it has leprosy.

Ahead of you now are the many stone reliefs and figures. Most are only now being reclaimed back from the jungle, though in places like Phnom Bakeng, it still has magnificent tropical  trees spanning and  even growing through the walls. Some of this complex has suffered in the near past at the hands of various combating forces. We then traveled to the East Barays, to catch the sunset, we had a spot of very late lunch and swung in a hammock suspended between two trees, we waited and I got bored so I said lets go back to my hotel, I have seen many sunsets will get a sunrise tomorrow that will do me.

A fish hot pot rice and a cold beer

That night it was out on the town after a foot and leg massage, a nice evening meal and some street food, snake and spiders. I also popped into the Irish pub as they had a great set of musicians, that played every type of music, but their Jazz was a dream. 

more photos to follow!

Next day started with the famous Sunrise over the towers of Angkor Wat, reflecting the mighty temple in the lily pond, alas the morning that I got there at 05:00 the sun refused to shine through the cloud, I was a little pissed off, but the photos of the other thousand almost made up for it, I kid you not this is a circus, they push and shove to the brink of the lily pond, row on row. I honestly wished I hadn’t gone, you can buy the real thing on a post card, but I went, I saw, but I was not amused.

There was a nice  moon

What should have been the spectacular once in a life time photo

But the rest didn't fare any better

But I did get some nice shots of the water lilies

One last shot

Then following in Buddha's foot steps off for breakfast

After that a spot  of breakfast across the road, then we tuk-tuked to a few places that I wanted to revisit before heading off to some of the more outlying smaller temples and some still in the early throws of excavation.

The Elephant Terrace

A double take

Don't you think

He went that-a-way

The Demons, the headless ones churning the seas using the body of Naga

  

Then it was quite a long drive to the Bantay Kadei and some of the other temple complexes, but this was along the way to the area of mangrove forests and the fishing village situated at the widening of the Tonlé  Sap as it turns into Asia’s largest lake.

But first to the outlying temples, these unlike the ones near Siem Reap are not attacked by hoards of tourists, they have had there fill after the non-sunrise.Please do not stray from the well trodden  roads and heed what your guide has to say, there ARE still landmines in the surrounding jungle.

The well trodden

And not so well trodden

The first of the out lying temples and you do enter at your own risk, is Prha Kahn. It was while wandering aimlessly through the complex of rooms and galleries, that I again hit lucky, as I was photographing the stele, a guide approached, you can recognise these with ease, dressed in green (no they do not have a skirt on) and have an official badge of office. He offered to take some photographs of me holding with the light that shines through a chink in the ceiling in my hand(s).

The guide explained that this temple was once the most lavishly decorated with gold leaf and precious stones studded into the walls (he said diamonds but it is a bit hard to imagine).

He told me how the walls depicted the temple dancers and that the whole temple was originally built to glorify the female spirits. Only later when Buddhism took over, did its purpose change, but the Buddhists never desecrated other religions places of worship, they just adapted them for their own use. The exception to this was the two factions of Buddhism that followed one an other in the later Khmer Empires. They beheaded the Buddha's of the previous Buddhist faith.

Every temple had two libraries, the Khmer Kings laid great worth in writing down their deeds and feats alas very little remains today

They are doing what they can to either repair, rebuild or make safe, but in such a poor country that was so ravaged by internal wars (with outside help), most of the works are being funded through international projects (may be a feeling of guilt)

Everywhere the scratching jungle fowl with their chicks

The Mangrove Swamps

A very nice visit, but time was getting on and I had a lot to see today

  The next and my last, as I was not going to the far out lying temple complexes as these are about 35km away was Ta po

Very little rebuilding has been carried out at this site, in fact it has been mooted that they will only make it secure and safe to enter. They wish to show how the jungle is reclaiming the sites as its own, I find this is may be the most impressive, though in a desolate state.

And then it was time to scoot as I wanted to get to the fishing village at the mouth of the Tonlé Sap lake.
This village is built on 3mtr stilts as during the monsoon this is how high the water rises. It can only be reached by boat, I was lucky because my tuk-tuk driver arranged a private boat, it was great.

There will be Photos later

It was then back to the hotel and again out for a bite to eat, next day was taken up with a visit to the Museum, I wish I had done this first as it explained everything in great details and answered some of the questions that my Tuk-Tuk driver couldn't and that I wouldn't expect him to know, he had after all never been outside of Siem Reap and its surrounding areas. I could have also gone to the killing fields but decided that I would leave that until Phnom Penh. Next day I was off there after being picked up at my hotel for the 8 hour journey.