Angkor Galore!

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We arrived in Siem Reap on the afternoon of February 14th after a bus change in the middle of the highway with an opposing bus- seems strange but the system works! Upon arrival 20 or so tuk-tuk drivers swarmed our bus and one was holding a name card: Brakes Charlong and Rebecca Francis. Brakes??!! haha and how'd they get our names? We later learned that they took our names from our guesthouse registry (also where we bought our bus tickets) and phoned them to the guy there. the good news is that our tuk-tuk ride was free and he took us to a couple before we found one we liked at a reasonable price. He gets a cut of what we pay so it worked out for everyone. It is a funny feeling though to show up somewhere with your name on a card...or your mis-spelled names in Brakes' case!

We were still quite tired from being a bit sick and travelling quite a bit on buses so we took a day to explore this little town before taking on the task of exploring the temples at Angkor. Siem Reap is a huge tourist trap. There are western hotels everywhere and loads of japenese and korean tour groups everywhere i looked. Also a fair share of budget guesthouses and we opted for one a bit out of the way and cheaper since we stayed put for a few days. There were 2 markets and we spent thee first day perusing and relaxing at a little cafe where we could eat a favourite meal from home to soothe our bellies. I opted for mashed potatoes, which hit the spot.

The next day we got hooked up with a tuk tuk driver and a guide and headed 8km out of town to the Angkor complex. Angkor is...more than we expected, bigger than we expected, more beautiful than we expected, and we were more interessted in the history than we expected. So I guess I could say it surpassed our expectations!! We loved and we became somewhat obsessed with piecing together the stories, kings, capitols, and dates in order and making connections among the temples.

It wont mean much to you but on the first day we saw Angkor Thom which includes Bayon, Baphoun, Phimeanakas, the Royal Palace, Preah Palilay, Tep Praham, the Terrace of the the lepper king, and the Terrace of the Elephants. These sites are among the most impressive in the Angkor complex with intricate and intact carvings from the late 12th and early 13th centiries under King Jayavarman V11 (or J-man as we came to know him- there is also S-man and I-man and H-man, all with several numbers besdie their names!). Some of the temples are Hindu, some Buddist but Angkor Thom is a colelction of only Buddhist temples. It is a 3km walled and moated city and was the last of the Angkoriam empire. A defining characterisitc of Angkor Thom is the faces that adorn many of the temples. They are often alined 3 or more in a row from certain viewpoints as our guide pointed out to us.

In the afternoon of the first day we saw the main attraction: Angkor Wat. Absolutely grandiose and stunning. It is the same structure that is pictured on the Cambodian flag with the 3 pillars. It actually has 5 if you look at it from the corners and in its original state it had nine. The building itself is 1km squared and rises 65metres above ground, consisting of 3 levels (the stairs are steep!!). It is also a moated wat and is surrounded by an exterior wall. The inside walls of the temple are covered with carvings and bas relief depicting Hindu myths. S-man 11 is responsible for its building in the early to mid 12th Century.

On our second day we woke up E-A-R-L-Y to watch the sunrise. We even trekked up to the top of Phnom Bakheng (another wat) to take it in. It was a bit hazzy, but definetly worth the climb. We also visited some of the wats around Angkor Wat in the morning: Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, Bantay Kdei, and Sras Srang. We made it back to the guesthouse at noon in time for a nap and some afternoon showers. Showers? I meant Torrential Downpour lasting an hour. A perfect time for a nap but we did head back out in the afternoon to take in Pre Rup and East Mebon.

After two 8-hour days we awoke on the 3rd day feeling tired but determined to make it through a third and final day. We made it till about 4 pm (6 hours) so still good, but we could take no more. We visited some of the more remote temples located about 40km from the main gates of Angkor. Bantay Srey wowed us with its detail, and Ta Som, Neak Pean, and Preah Khan we equally stunning.

All in all, we loved Angkor. I even remember some of the details about the kings, carvings, time periods, and religious stories!

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