Angkor

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Angkor

My favourite indulgence of the past few years was daydreaming about rambling amongst the temples of Angkor. Imaginings of sitting atop a sun-warmed stone, surveying the crumbling ruins around me or clambering over giant tree roots to access hidden inner chambers were frequent and vivid. As Duncan and I bounced our way there in a tuk-tuk on our first afternoon in Siem Reap, I couldn’t quite manage to get a grip on myself: a stupid, giddy excitement, inexplicable nerves and a teeny, tiny fear that the experience would be anticlimactic.

Needless too say, the last was unfounded. The week we spent in Siem Reap immersing ourselves in the temples and enjoying the atmosphere of the town was one that neatly encompassed all the emotions and sensations that make traveling so thoroughly satisfying.

Dawn and dusk are the magic times to see the temples, when the sky is by turns navy, bruised, rose or golden, then palest to cobalt blue (or reversed). There’s a palpable sense of timelessness as the day dawns or returns to night, unveiling or cloaking the stones and towers. It’s a very ceremonious experience, a church-like hush pervading as visitors are awed into silence.

Varying in age, style, stone and state of decay, each temple houses thousands of stories. Walking amongst the leftovers of the once-great Khmer empire is humbling, inspiring and incredibly peaceful (as long as you don't happen upon a guided tour group). The temples are all that’s left of the vast empire; everything else was built from wood and has decayed and returned to the forest. Travelling along a small road and seeing the trees part to reveal a many-storeyed structure rising in front of you never becomes ho-hum.

To gain another perspective on things, we took to the air in a half-hour helicopter tour. Extravagant, yes, but what a way to celebrate Duncan’s birthday! Rising above Angkor Wat with sunlight reflecting off the moat, the concentric walls, terraces and minor buildings all revealing the inner sanctum of the temple itself, we were truly exhilarated. Flying low over surrounding temples, we saw from the top the vast plains (once flooded as part of the intricate irrigation systems) and spied colourful rooftops of the floating village. We topped the evening off with dinner and cocktails on the lawn of the FCC - a very fitting end to an incredible day.

Happy snaps and a quick blog do nothing to reflect the majesty of Angkor. The experience is thoroughly enriching - lively history, mind-blowing workmanship, the novelty of tuk-tuk transportation, seeing elephants wander past, traveling along roads surrounded by forest, talking to locals and being followed by adorable Khmer children - all combines to make an extraordinary trip.

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Photos

Dawn
Angkor Wat, from the Northern Pool.

Pachydermatitis
From the Terrace of Elephants at Angkor Thom.

Gentle and fierce
One of the 216 subtle smiles of Bayon.

I made it!
In front of the remains of the palace at Angkor Thom. Behind me is what was once the Central Square.

Meet you on the library steps
Duncan at the Southern Library, Angkor Wat.

Apsara
Saucy dancing nymphs grace many of the galleries. Generations of visitors have been unable to resist a fondle of her spherical breasts, buffing them to a sheen.

Wood and stone
Both temple and tree are equally reliant on the other for support.

Bakong
One of the earliest of the large stone temples, of the Roluos group. The corners of each of the first three levels are guarded by the stone elephants.

Banteay Srei
Citadel of the Women, Banteay Srei is a stunningly carved (and thankfully preserved) Hindu temple.

Happy days
Elephants cruising round Angkor Thom’s Bayon.

Pre-flight
Obligatory 'with helicopter' portrait.

Wat’s that?
A more modern temple on the shores of the Tonle Sap.

Breaker breaker
Can we go again?