Ankgor Wat Temple and Banteay Srei

We started our day with a nice Asian style buffet breakfast in the Angkor Hotel’s brightly lit dining room. Bonseuth met us in the lobby and introduced us to our guide Mr. Sok Som. He was a 42 year old who has been guiding tours in Siem Reap for the past 12 years. We also found out that he was President Bill Clinton’s guide when he visited Siem Reap the previous month. We were also supplied with a driver and comfortable A/C mini van by the hotel.

On the way to the main Angkor Wat Temple complex, Som (meaning moon rays) explained the history of the temples, and how they were designed by both Hindu and Buddhist believers.

We entered through the east gate of the temple and were amazed at the excellent condition of the hand carved sandstone believed to be over 1000 years old. The temple itself is a massive 3-tiered pyramid crowned by 5 lotus like towers rising 65 meters from ground level. It was constructed by Suryavarman II as a “temple mountain” dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. The temple is surrounded by a moat that used to provide protection.

We examined the nearly 2000 distinctively rendered apsara carvings that adorned the temple’s outer ring wall of the 1st tier. As we headed toward the steep stone staircase to climb up to the 2nd tier, we were greeted by some monkeys looking for a free handout.

Once inside the 2nd tier, Som and I proceeded to the 3rd tier by crawling up the very steep stone steps on our hands and feet. I didn’t dare look down !! Once inside the courtyard of the 3rd tier, I was able to see the 5 lotus towers. From ground level, you can only see 3, because it was built in such a way, that 2 of the towers become hidden when looking from that level. There was a small Buddhist Temple set inside one of the many courtyard alcoves. Som made an offering of incense to ask for “a good journey” for us.

There was a long line to use the downward stone steps with the handrail. But Som had special connections with the temple guards that allowed us to slip out a secret back staircase. We crawled down backwards on our hands and knees and landed inside a beautiful courtyard closed off to the general public. I enjoyed the peace and tranquility of it all for a few minutes, before rejoining the others.

We continued through the temple to the west gate. We saw a number of wedding parties dressed in colorful silks, posing for photos in front of the temple. The piece de resistance of the temple visit was the view of the temple in the reflecting pool. This is the most famous sight most people are familiar with when thinking of Angkor Wat.

It was time for a relaxing Khmer style lunch at one of the local restaurants, before our 40 minute drive to Banteay Srei. The Banteay Srei translates to the Citadel of the Women. The temple was buily in the 13th century and was constructed of pink sandstone. The temple had beautiful, intricate designs carved in the walls and its relatively small size allowed us to see it all in a little over an hour.

We enjoyed the ride back as we passed through small villages and stopped at a local house that demonstrated how they collect the sugar cane juice in bamboo baskets, cook it into syrup and then press it into palm leaf molds where it hardens into a fudge like consistency. This is the form they sell it in. We also bought a couple of hand-weave straw hot plates.

We continued on and made some photo stops along the way of water buffalo and local farmers in the rice patties. We arrived back in Siem Reap town and stopped at the “Souvenir Supermarket”, where the boys were able to enjoy inexpensive local beer and Helen and I could get a 45-minute foot massage for $10.00 USD. We could have added the head, neck and shoulder massage for a full hour at $15.00 USD, but we had a tight schedule due to dinner scheduled with Bonseuth. The massage made us feel like a million bucks.

We made a quick trip back to the hotel to allow for a shower and change. Bonseuth met us in the lobby and hosted us as his guests at the Koulen Restaurant for a Khmer style buffet dinner and cultural dance show featuring Apsara dancers. We had ringside seats. The food was good and the show typical tourist fare, but well done and enjoyable. It amazes me how those women turn their hands and fingers the way they do. Our guide Som and Bonseuth did an excellent job of explaining each of the dances and the different areas of the Khmer kingdom that were represented in each.

We returned to the hotel about 10:00 pm after a very busy day. We turned in right away to prepare for our full day tomorrow with a planned 07:30 am start.

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