29. The Churning of the Ocean of Milk

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(N) Visiting Angkor Wat is something many people have on their travel wishlists, not least because of its recent shortlisting to be one of the new seven wonders of the world. But it's not as easy as just turning up, seeing the temple and then going for a sundowner, no sir. Because there is more than just one temple. Many more!

Designated a world heritage site by UNESCO, the Angkor Archaealogical Park encompasses dozens of temple ruins representing the pinnacle of ancient Khmer architecture, art and civilisation; the most famous of which is indeed Angkor Wat, whose artisitic and archaeological significance and visual impact, says the local marketing info, put it in a class with the Pyramids, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal. A big boast indeed.

Firstly, a couple of clarifications:
Angkor literally means Capital or Holy City; Khmer refers to the dominant ethnic group in modern and ancient Cambodia. In modern usage, Angkor has come to refer to the capital city of the Khmer Empire that existed in the area of Cambodia between the 9th and 12th centuries as well as the empire itself.

For five centuries, the region's (Khmer) kings built temple after temple, each one trying to out-glory his predecessors. Sometime around the 15th century, their great civilisation came to an end, and the temples were abandoned to the jungle, rediscovered by the French colonisers in the 19th century. Angkor Wat is itself considered to be the world's largest temple, believed to be mausoleum of Suryavaman II (reigned 1112 - 52).

"To talk about Cambodia without including Angkor would be to miss the point", says Liz Anderson, who wrote about her VSO experiences in Cambodia in the book Red Lights and Green Lizards, "for the Kingdom of Cambodia was founded both physically and spiritually on the glories of that ancient city".

So, as mentioned, the Angkor Wat area not only includes Angkor Wat ("AW") itself, but also hundreds of other temples and ruins, some within a kilometre away, others 50km and more. We therefore needed to be fairly selective about how and where to spend time, and how many days' entry to buy: 1, 3, or 7. We opted for 3, at a cost of $40, a relatively large figure by local standards (guesthouse room $6 / night, main course in a good restaurant $3 - $4...).

Entry to the temple complex after 16h30 is free without a ticket, and as we arrived in town mid-afternoon, we decided to take advantage. We chose to climb the temple called Phnom Bakheng, about 400m from AW, which gave a fairly good view over the forest in the immediate area. Warnings by the steep steps informed us that we were climbing at our own risk!

We had spoken to a few people who went to sunrise every morning that they were there, but we sufficed with just the once(!), the following day (our first full day). Up at 04h30, we left our guesthouse in the nearest town, called Siem Reap, at 05h00. Siem Reap is the nearest modern town to the millennium-old ruins, a place which sits between rice paddies and stretches along the Siem Reap River and whose name, incidentally, means "Siamese Defeated", a big jibe at Thailand - Cambodia's traditional foes - and something akin to calling Newcastle "Germany Defeated".

Our tuk tuk driuver dropped us off outside AW itself, from where we walked along its sandstone causeway across the 190m-wide moat that surrounds the temple ("wat" means temple), which is obviously much wider than moats around most (all?) European castles. Even the sandstone blocks of the causeway are supposed to have come fom more than 50km away, an amazing feat for its time of construction in the 12th century. There's a 3m statue of 8-armed Vishnu at the main entrance, followed by another 500m causeway to the cental temple complex, made up of 3 storeys. Outside here are 2 pools, behind one of which we sat and awaited sunrise. The dark turned to light through its usual grey-blue-yellow-pink stages, while the birds sang in deeply tropical tones all around.

After day had broken, we entered the central area, first coming across The Gallery of 1000 Buddhas, which was quite literally a gallery but there are now less than 1000 Buddhas, many having been removed or destroyed. Interestingly, all the Buddhas are different. Around the walls of the lower level, on the inside, is an 800m-long series of wall carvings (bas reliefs) depicting various events such as battles, parades and The Churning of the Ocean of Milk, which is a giant tug-of-war between 88 devils and 92 gods: instead of a rope, they are pulling on a massive serpent (the gods have the tail end), in whose middle is a mountain. The force of the tugging sends the mountain spinning, churning up the sea and thereby releasing the ultimate prize, the elixir of immortality. Cool huh?

The five towers of AW make up the classical view. It was a very steep climb to the second level (deliberately, because it was not supposed to be easy to reach the kingdom of the gods).

It was on this second level that we had a close encounter with one of the many monkeys that inhabit the area. I watched one of them emerge from the thickets at ground level was fascinated to watch it apparently nonchanantly lumber to the bottom of the steps, and then hop up them towards us. All too late, I realised where it was headed: to our picnic bag, which contained about 10 small bananas! I called to Paula to move them, but the monkey got there first and grabbed the bag. I approached it, and tried to take the bag back. All I managed to do was spill our baguettes onto the floor and enrage the monkey with my brazen attempt to steal its hard-won breakfast, so it maintained its grip and bared its teeth at me. Tempting though it was to give the monkey a good old boot in the face, I fancied that it was a lot more jungle-hardened than me (who would probably have received a bite in return leading to possible rabies concerns), and besides I would definitely have lost the PR battle among my fellow tourists ("Aw, that guy just kicked the little monkey in the face"), so I contented myself with the non-too-satisfying option of watching (i) the monkey gorge itself on two of our five-a-day, and (ii) the other tourists photographing all this and recounting what had happened to those unfortunate to miss it.

Back in the temple, we were impressed by the skill of its construction, along with the symmetry and scale (1,025m x 800m) it projected, but were disappointed that the third and final layer of the temple was closed off for renovation work, and also by the curse of scaffolding on a couple of towers, which I tried to disguise in photos through tactical tree positioning.

Our tuk tuk driver then took us 2km to Angkor Thom ("AT"), a 10 sq km "Great City" ordered by Jayavarman VII, one of the most prolific Khmer builders. The monumental gates to AT are 20m tall and feature four huge faces facing each way of the compass. Outside each gate is a representation of The Churning of the Ocean of Milk with giant statues engaged in the mythical tug of war (see photo), they were so impressive!

I won't go into detail about all the other places that we saw within the Archaelogical Park, suffice to mention our favourite parts:

Bayon - a temple in the dead centre of AT, with 54 gothic towers and 216 huge heads looking down on visitors from every angle;

Preah Palilay - which was the first of several temples featuring enormous trees making themselves more than welcome by encroaching and wrapping themselves around the stonework;

The Terrace of Elephants - a 350m-long viewing platform for the king to watch official parades, and bearing some intricate elephant carvings.

We exited AT on the east through the so-called Victory Gate to get to Ta Prohm, often called the most atmospheric temple ruin at Angkor. The largest trees, hundreds of years old, have been allowed to remain, and their root systems scale and invade the temple. One of the roots must have been around a foot in diameter, running parallel to the ground and a metre or so above it, so sturdy that it was possible to hang from it. There was also the over-developed tree that features in the Tomb Raider film with Angelina Jolie, a motion picture that neither of us has seen but our excitement at seeing the tree was almost palpable.

We tuk tuk'd off to Preah Khan, another atmospheric ruin of a temple with peaceful galleries off which are rooms full of 500kg blocks of stone in piles, like the box-room of a giant. Another huge tree at its east gate was photogenic, and a pillared building looked like it had been shipped in from ancient Greece.

We ended the day back in Angkor Wat, perhaps the only time I have seen sunrise and sunset in the same place on the same day.

A much-needed lie-in greeted Day 2, not least as we'd had the previous evening out (mostly in a bar called Angkor What?), and we hired bikes to explore more temples at our own pace. We headed to the north of the complex, a good hour's ride away from Siem Reap, and to Preah Neak Pean, another 12th century ruin which would have been amazing at the time of construction: one large central pool is surrounded by four smaller pools, all now dried up; and an odd statue of a horse's body with a tangle of human legs is the only one that remains. As always at the moment in Cambodia, the heat is intense and we'd have loved to dive right in. Instead, we made do with another ride and a visit to Ta Som, a small temple with another huge tree growth.

Much larger was the Hindu temple known as the Eastern Mebon which we peddled to next, its five towers on the top level are mighty impressive, and are guarded by many huge well-preserved elephant statues. It was late afternoon by this stage, long shadows were cast by the stones and huge butterflies continued to flutter all around. We saw sunset over the surrounding jungle-like overgrowth in the company of about 100 Japanese at the top of Pre Rup, another five-towered pyramid-shaped temple-mountain, nearby to and like Eastern Mebon.

Day 3 was our challenge. Banteay Srei is considered to be the jewel in the crown of Angkor, but it also lies 37km east of Siem Reap. I really wanted to go but the tuk tuks were a bit on the steep side to go the distance. It was Paula's great idea, over a beer or two, that we try and cycle there. So on the morning of Day 3, the bike I had asked the dude to keep for me (the same as I'd used the previous day) was not available - he regretted that his mother had had need of it. Such can be the trials and tribulations of daily life in Cambodia. The one I got instead was equally basic (no gears) but also had oddly-proportioned handlebars. I took it anyway, keen not to waste any time. After a brief diversion to take a couple more photos of Angkor Wat (the other times we'd been there, it was either sunrise or sunset), we began the great peddle. It was a picturesque ride through green rice paddies and along a track interspersed with tiny villages: small wooden houses, roadside stalls and hens, mostly.

Around the 25km mark, Paula announced something along the lines that she wasn't peddling another 12km (and back) just to see yet another temple - those weren't her words, but it was basically the sentiment! She turned around for a leisurely peddle back in the sunshine, while I pressed on, completely knackered when I got there. After a breather and the nicest milkshake, I did appreciate the fine stone carvings of this temple from around the 10th century, which was in a great state of preservation. There were three central towers and a similar number of finely-decorated libraries, which took on a pink hue in the mid afternoon light.

Getting back in the saddle was like sitting down on granite, so sore was my butt. This, however, was to be the least of my problems. Just starting out on the 2.5hr journey back, I began to feel cramp in my legs. If you've never had it, I would describe it as stretching your calf muscles taut and then someone slapping them with a short, thick plank. So about every 15 minutes, I had to dismount and stretch to avoid the muscles tightening up and refusing to carry me home. Then, about 1.5hrs from Siem Reap, I heard a hissing sound from the front wheel. It took me a while to get down to it and realise that the problem was with the inflation valve, and screw it back tight. By which time half the air had seeped out. Thankfully, a bike shack further down was open to pump the tyre back up.

Around 5pm, school was out and I managed to time my appearance with the emergence of about 500 kids on bikes joining the road from the school down a side lane. Gringos (or falang as we are known in this part of the world) are evidently few and far between, especially one in a rather fetching straw hat, so soon I was surrounded by all of them peddling in the same direction as me, the younger ones calling out "Hello! Hello!", the older ones too but with a little more (good-natured) sarcasm in their voices. Amazingly, my pace was faster than them and I passed them all by, but it was not long before cramp threatened yet again, so I stopped and began my stretches on the roadside. This unfortunately allowed the hitherto abandoned swarm of kids to overtake me, each group of two or three looking back over their shoulders bewildered at me doing my contorsions.

Finally I got back to the Angkor Complex in the late afternoon. Needing all the momentum I could muster, the final insult came as a man who quite clearly saw me coming stepped out into the road, pulling behind him three cows tethered in a line. I had to brake to avoid them, and came to a complete stop. The man just smiled, and it was impossible not to do so back, even if it meant a slow build-up back to speed, and my position as a cyclist confirmed as somewhere below cow-herd.

I was delighted to meet back up with Paula in Siem Reap and rinse away 80km of sweat, dirt and sun lotion under a cold shower.

Loads more on Angkor Wat can be found here. (For reference, it was the Khmer Rouge whose genocidal activities in the 1970s made world headlines, and who are remembered today principally for the deaths of around 1.5 million people through execution, starvation and forced labour).

Siem Reap is a fairly pleasant town in which to be based, with plenty of restaurants and bars to chow down and drink up after the day's exertions, including the aforementioned and aptly-named Angkor What? bar. By complete coincidence we bumped into our friends John and Laura with whom we had travelled in the Vodka Train in September, and who we were due to meet for Christmas and New Year on the beach a few days later. We had dinner together in an unusual restaurant called Dead Fish, on numerous wooden levels, where food and drink was moved around on pulleys and where they had a crocodile pit with real crocs on the groundfloor.

We left Siem Reap for the Thai border at 07h30 the following morning, or at least that's what the ticket said. We were collected by a minibus at the right time, but it only took us 50m down the road, where we had to get off and wait for the main bus, which duly turned up 40 mins later: and it was exactly the same one. (While we were waiting, we were near a money changer, who must have had hundreds of dollars in various currencies loose behind a glass counter - something you definitely wouldn't get in the UK!).

The ride to the border was the worst bus journey we had done all year. It was five hours in the cramped minibus, made worse by the fact that there was no luggage room either below or above, so all our bags were squashed around us. The temperature was boiling and the cooling air that came in through the window was accompanied by large gusts of orange dust and mosquitoes, which also bite in the daytime here, specialising in dengue as well as malaria. This road is perhaps the poorest in all of Cambodia, full of potholes, and worse in a minibus with zero suspension. There is a well-founded rumour that one or more airline companies are paying the Cambodian government to leave it in such a ruinous state, to encourage people to fly. If this rumour is true, it's a terrible neglect of duty towards the people who live and work alongside the road, who have to cover their faces from the dust everytime a vehicle passes (frequently). At least our discomfort was temporary.

And thus we took in our final views of Cambodia: boys and young men waist deep fishing with nets in small muddy roadside ponds, plenty of tiny villages, several impressively-shaped Buddhist temples, like those that are found all over the country, and small billboards proclaiming "We don't need weapons anymore", illustrated by hand-drawn pictures showing guns and grenades being handed over, a poignant reminder that the Khmer Rouge were still wreaking guerilla havoc only a decade ago. At a rest-stop on our journey, while I was taking a photo, Paula was not tempted by the snacks of cockroach or what looked like deep-fried chicks complete with head and feet. For my part, I was disappointed not to see people eating large deep-fried spiders which are a speciality in some parts of Cambodia.

The Cambodian border town of Poipet was an unpleasant place, with an overpowering smell of fish and rubbish everywhere. Amputees and child beggars, sometimes with sickly-looking younger siblings, were asking for "one dollar". It only takes a few people to give a dollar for the beggars to earn more on the streets than they ever would in a job.

In the No Man's Land between Cambodia and Thailand, a couple of grand casinos sparkled on each side of the road, frequented mostly by Thais, whose government has closed off that particular avenue of pleasure in their own country.

After some hard bargaining, we got 20% off a bus ticket down to Bangkok, helped by the fact that we were now four; Paula, as in so many places since we left, having befriended a couple of unsuspecting Japanese backpackers, who in any case really appreciated help with the language.

The journey to Bangkok was much more comfortable in every aspect, and the scenery was quite different: sugar cane was the prevalent crop and shacks were uncommon. The Thais are very proud of their country, their faith and their king, and we often saw huge golden frames, 2m tall, sometimes with flashing lights around the outside, with pictures of king (or king and queen) inside.

On the rest stop on the way to Bangkok, we bought a couple of drinks and befriended a woman who worked at the cafe, and she let us try Durian fruit, reputed to be the world's worst smelling (and as such it is banned in lifts and on the underground trains in Singapore!), but it is quite a delicacy - to us it tasted of onion and cream :- P

We found a place to stay nearby where the bus stopped in central Bangkok and really appreciated the wash. At dinner, we were amazed how food in Thailand was less expensive than in the much less-developed countries of Vietnam and Cambodia.

The following morning we bought a ticket to Koh Lanta island, where we would be for Christmas and New Year, a 12hr bus journey & a 2hr boat journey away, and in the afternoon we hooked up with my friend from home Dan Clarke and girlfriend (now fiancee!) Evonne. We had a great couple of hours in their company, with Mr Chang and Mr Singha, before taking the overnight journey.

By the way..., the best t-shirt I saw in Cambodia was worn by a local man, but looked like it was originally from the States or somewhere. It read "It's tourist season; that means we can shoot 'em, right?"

*****

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Photos

Angkor Wat, side view
Paula shows the scale of the place

One of Angkor Thom's main gates
The statues are engaged in tug of war in The Churning of the Ocean of Milk (see text).

Preah Palilay, Angkor archaelogicial complex
You can just make us out...

Tree invasion, Preah Khan
Angkor Archaelogical complex

Nick at Preah Neak Pean, Angkor Archaelogical complex
The grassy area would have been submerged as one of five pools.

Paula outside Ta Som's big gate
Angkor Archaelogical complex

Old habits die hard
Eastern Mebon, Angkor Archaelogical Complex

Paula cycles past Pre Rup
We had seen sunset from its peak the day before.

With Dan and Evonne, and Mr Singha
Bangkok. Congratulations on your recent engagement guys!

The Churning of the Ocean of Milk
Bas-relief detail, Angkor Wat

Comments

[phil heaton]

Saw your Site
Sawatdee Nick and Paula, good to read your site (via Huw), very well composed and informative, with some great pics. A mate of mine (tourism/landscape consultant) wrote the conservation strategy for Angkor some years ago, so it was interesting to read your experience of the place. You seem to be having a pretty busy time, wonder what you thought of Thailand at New Year? I think it has gone to the dogs, too much decadence (and not just excesses by the tourists, the Thai forestry department sold all the islands for big cash). Stay safe, keep enjoying the trip, keep taking the pics, think of all us rat racers behind our desks with the arctic winds blowing outside! Best wishes Phil

[K Narayanan]

Hi Nice blog. I would just like to add som more information. Hindus believe that Elephant God Vinayaka should be first invoked and prayed before starting anything new. The asuras and the devas did not do so in this case and hence faced many hurdles. When they realise this they hurriedly made an idol of Vinayak using the froth from the ocean. This idol is now believed to be in the temple at Thiruvalanchuzhi near Kumbakonam. follow this link for details on the temple http://rajamala.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/thiruvalanchuzhi-vellai-pillayar/ I have also written about a lot of other temples in that region. Please do visit my site and offer your comments.