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Published: July 26th 2009
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In order to avoid being part of the ridiculous soaring rise in Tuk-Tuk prices (thanks mainly to the rich tourists flying in for a day or so from Thailand and paying $20+ - crazy!) we decided to boycott the whole thing and hire bicycles instead - $2 each per day!
We spent the whole day with our new pals Erik and Maddie, and planned to cover 90% of the temple complexes between dawn and dust travelling some 20-25 km on bumpy roads - great fun.
The history of the Angkor region goes all the way back to 800AD when the Khmer King Jayavarman II brought together the kingdom we now know as Cambodia and started to create a new empire. In England the Vikings were starting to invade Eastern regions. London was a small town with only ~5000 people! The capital was actually Winchester and England's First King, Egbert, was Crowned here in the Year 827
The first stop of the day was the largest of all the Angkor complexes - the Angkor Wat temple built around the 12th century for the King Suryavarman II. Back in England it was the rein of William II who had begun
the building of Westminster Hall and Abbey. We parked the bicycles under a nice shady tree ignoring the bribes from the water sellers telling us that unless we purchased their water that they couldn't guarantee the safety of our bicycles!
Andy was our official guide for the day, armed with the Lonely Planet Cambodia guide book and a rather enthusiastic narrative manner. Entering via the Main West sandstone causeway over the great moat we made our way through the Portico and were instantly hit with the enormous scale of the Angkor Wat complex. The outer walls encompass an area over 200 acres. We passed by the twin Libraries that were as large as most temples and grand buildings of that era anywhere in the world. Heading towards the central Temple complex we viewed the two huge Pool's that contained hundreds of beautiful lotus flowers and apparently a great place to watch the sunrise. The following maps give a better idea on the scale of Angkor Wat - http://www.sacred-destinations.com/cambodia/angkor-wat-map.htm.
Once in the central Temple complex we wandered through the labyrinth of corridors and tower structures following the amazing bas-relief friezes that depicted the great historical battles and royal processions
of great kings. There were scientists conducting scans of the friezes to assess restoration requirements and digitally document them.
After leaving Angkor Wat our cycling party visited the Angkor Thom complex with incredible gate entrances enclosing the visually stunning Bayon temple with 216 carved stone faces looking out over King Jayavarman VII's empire. The group was treated to further instalments from their wannabe guide!
Preah Khan temple was a wonderful ruinous place making us all feel like explorers from yesteryear climbing through the large blocks and collapsed archways that once rose high above the floor.
The final temple complex of the day was perhaps our favourite and made famous by the Tomb Raider movie. Ta Prohm is the truly the lost world that we all think of when we imagine the explorers cutting their way through the jungles until finally through a small clearing they see the remains of a forgotten temple ruin. The huge silk cotton trees that have grown to become an integral part of the temple giving a mysterious and enchanting feeling to the whole place.
Outside the temple was an ice cream van..... a proper ice cream van of all things...... it
had been a long time since we'd had one so we thought about treating ourselves and went to buy some.... only to find the price was $2!! Just to put this in context, this is more than a days wages in Cambodia!! The young man selling them didn't seem phased as irresponsible wealthy tourists had been buying them all day long so our protest seemed odd to him. It was this distortion making artificially high prices in and around Seam Reap that became hard to put up with as a backpacker on a budget. It was like the poor people of Cambodia were having their faces rub in it with relatively rich people flying in for a few days, staying in top hotels and then leaving feeling they had 'experienced' Cambodia without even stopping to understand the journey these remarkable people have been through. Rant over!
Leaving Ta Prohm it was a race against the clock on our bicycles to get back to Angkor temple for sunset (although Sunrise is best here!), sadly we just missed it as the unmade roads slowed progress and we'd already covered 20 miles so everyone was getting tired, not to mention sore bums!
Detailed entrances...
...although sadly one pillar worn away. It was dark when we returned back to our hotel so it was food and bed..... after what had to be a real highlight for us enjoying the day with great friends and seeing the temples on bicycle in our own time made this day even more special.
Special thanks to Erik & Maddie for such a great day!!
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