Angkor Wat

Prasat Kavan Wat, Angkor

Greetings from Phnom Penh. Yes, the Internet has reached Cambodia and the rates here in Phnom Penh are better than Siem Reap. We don't expect to be able to use email at the beaches of Cambodia & Thailand, but you never know.

We flew to Siem Reap via Phnom Penh and quickly found a guesthouse. One of the other guests there suggested we go directly to Angkor Wat to view the famous sunset. If you buy your pass on the way, it officially starts the next day. Like most of the guesthouses, this one had a motorcycle driver ready to take us to the ruins, which are about 6 K away. We agreed on the price and I got on behind the driver and Ray got on behind me. We soon got used to this method of transportation and this is how we got around every day in Siem Reap.

Angkor really refers to the period of the Khmer empire between the 9th & 15th Century and is a general term for the monuments in the Siem Reap area, for there are far more than just Angkor Wat. My first impression of the area as we approached on the motorcycle was that this was Disney run amok, but it is the real thing. The majority of the temples are in a huge park like setting in an area of more than 15 X 5 K. You need to have transport to get from temple to temple and you need to spread your visits out over several days to lessen the info overload. The temples are reputed to be especially beautiful and sunrise and sunset and we opted to see them at sunset. I am not at my best when I have to get up at 5 AM. The best place to view sunset is at Phnom Bakheng, right opposite Angkor Wat. Phnom means hill and this temple is built on the only hill in this otherwise flat plain. We scrambled to the top of the hill running the gauntlet of the children selling cold drinks, T shirts and souvenirs and land mine victims begging for USD. You could soon go broke if you succumbed to every entreaty for money. Besides, we are in training for a possible trip to India next year. The temple was crowded with tourists all waiting for the sun to set and of course we bumped into some we had met on our Vietnam excursions. We traded experiences with 2 German girls, Eva and Monica, and took their advice to buy a copy of the book, A Guide to Angkor, from one of the children on the site. I am sure the author would be a wealthy woman by now if she shared in the profits of the many photocopies of her book sold at Angkor. Anyway, it is a very informative book and we used it religiously, rather than hiring a personal guide at 20 USD per day. Oh, the sunset was OK, but due to some clouds on the horizon, was not as spectacular as the one we saw in the Mekong Delta.

Bayan Temple

Ta Prohm carving

Thom South figures

I will not bore you with details of each temple we visited but during the next 3 days we managed to tour all the major sites and lots more besides. By my count, we saw more than 20 temples and there were more we skipped. Each day on the way to other temples we admired Angkor Wat, made more beautiful by its surrounding moat. Most of the temples are decorated with depictions of daily life or stories from Indian legends and are huge and comprised of numerous buildings and rooms. They are built of red clay brick, large square porous stone called laterite or sandstone, which had to be carried from 45 K away. The Khmers must have been influenced by numerology and cosmology as all the temples are oriented on the compass coordinates and objects are often repeated 5 times: 5 tiers, 5 serpent heads, 5 towers. The sandstone has the most detailed carvings with recurring themes of Nagas (multi-headed serpents), Garudas (bird head, human body, clawed feet), Asparas (dancing nymphs) and Sivas.

Prah Ko carving

Prah Ko Temple

We took 2 out of town trips to see temples in remote spots. One afternoon we traveled to the Roluos group of temples that was the home of the Kmer empire before it moved to the Angkor site. To get there we rode 11 K down the main road to Phnom Penh. We heard from several of the backpackers who opted to come to Siem Reap by road how awful their trip was and we could fully appreciate their complaints. 11 K was far enough for us. The temples were interesting but the trip home was a highlight. Our guide took us over country roads through tiny villages and hamlets for our return trip. We waved to the villagers and rode carefully around the ancient ox carts still in daily use. The red clay roads were much smoother than the main highway, but boy were they dusty. It took a lot of scrubbing at the end of the day to get rid of the red dust.

Banteay Temple

Banteay Figure

The last day, over Ray's initial misgivings about another long trip over dusty roads, we rode 25 K to Banteay Srei. We stopped for a break half way and covered our heads with scarves, and we managed to survive. The temple is a miniature compared to some of the other temples, but it was encrusted with beautiful carved figurines and carvings. This must have been the morning to visit Banteay Srei because for the first time we felt the effect of tour groups. Nevertheless, it was worth the trip.

On the way back, we visited several more temples, ending with Prah Kahn that is being restored under the auspices of the World Monument Foundation. I wish we had left more time to explore this site as the work that is being done there is fascinating. Just think, for 20,000 USD you can support the restoration of a giant Garuda on the enclosing wall of the complex and have it named after you.

Fig tree growing over Ta Prohm temple

 This was only one of many sites that are undergoing restorations, usually sponsored by other countries such as France, Japan and Germany. They seem to be doing an excellent job and are very careful to use ancient techniques and materials wherever possible. That said, some of Ray's favourites were sites deliberately left in the same state they were discovered in the 19th C with huge trees growing out of the walls and with vines curling over the towers. 

Thursday, 20 Jan we took the fast boat over Tonle Sap Lake to Phnom Penh. I heeded the advice of other travelers and opted for a comfortable seat inside instead of riding the roof. There is just the hard roof to sit on and despite being under the hot sun for 4 ½ hrs, it gets quite cold up there being whipped by the wind. We had an easy ride, reading, snoozing and enjoying the scenery and arrived in Phnom Penh before noon. We are staying in an old French Colonial guesthouse and walking around town enjoying the sights. The traffic isn't as heavy as Saigon or Hanoi and now that we are used to motorcycles, that is our mode of taxi transport.

Phnom Penh River

Phnom Penh Palace

Last night we ate supper at one of the many small restaurants along the riverfront and this morning we toured the Silver Pagoda, which is next to the Royal Palace and set in lovely gardens. The pagoda is named for the silver tiles which cover the floor and is the repository of hundreds of jewel encrusted Buddhas and other treasures. For me, a highlight was watching a performance of traditional dances and music by a group of children. I was told they are orphans and that contributions were being solicited for their welfare. I am a sucker for this type of pitch and am apt to contribute when there is a reciprocal service.

Before leaving Phnom Penh, we walked to the National Museum. The National Museum was a lovely open sided building filled with sculptures from the Angkor and other temple ruins and brought back fond memories of our visit. On the way there we met Margaret, an American from Washington who had been working at an orphanage for street kids in Manila for 3 years. Boy, are we glad we opted for the comfortable fast boat from Siem Reap. Margaret told us her minibus ride the day before the 'ride from hell'. Two minibuses full of tourists suffered because of the terrible road conditions. One of them broke down part way there and was towed by the bus Margaret was in. This resulted in extra body jolts as the 2nd bus was jerked along. Finally the cable connecting the 2 buses broke, was repaired and proceeded to break every 15 minutes. The 6 - 8 hour trip lasted 14 hours! She also told us she had visited the orphanage in Phnom Penh where the children who performed the traditional dances at the Silver Pagoda live. Most of the children are left orphans as a result of land mine accidents. She said it had fewer facilities for the children than the one she worked at in Manila.

We are off on the bus for Sihanoukville tomorrow. We are told it has a nice beach and perfect swimming temperature, so no more Wats or temples or pagodas for now.