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Published: December 11th 2005
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The Bayon 1
Big brother Apologies for the gap in submission - but - we are who we are.
Angkor has to be hailed as a must see at some point in ones life. Of course when I say this I refer to all of Angkors sites. Again - and we have said this about other locations - it will change. Already having an airport and a Hilton, this site is catering more and more to the rich and shameless, but to be fair, if we had more money and a different lifestyle we'd have visited in whatever way was available.
We arrived in Siem Reap, the modern day settlement of the area, and were instantly mobbed by taxi drivers and the like, but we had been forewarned. We chose our hotel from the plethora of 'pushed' establishments and hoped in a taxi, which then drove us around three other more expensive hotels! After the usual insisting, and insisting, we arrived at the hotel of choice and were then asked for money for the free transfer (what can you do).
The hotel was cheap - $3 - and nice. There was some good company and most of the food was tasty and cheap,
Ominous
Sorry, not sure which temple this is (there's so many) especially our base diet of veg noodles. But - to the point - Anchor and its Wats.
Firstly we decided on a three day pass for US$40 instead of the one day pass, giving us the time to see some of the outlying temples - without getting 'wated out'. We split this up with hiring cycles the first day, a rickshaw to see the distant ones on the second day and then a third day of cycling to attempt a sunrise viewing (Ha - like we made that on time). We'd recommend the cycling to anyone with the stamina (it worked out at about 15 to 20 km's for the day - in blazing sun and drenching humidity) as it really reduces the hassle factor, and being alone allows you to feel the wilderness of the environment.
In our time there we managed to see a majority of the temples - and there are loads of them. Of course the famous Angkor Wat stands out, especially because you pass it first and it makes a huge first impression. But on our first day we decided to bypass, settling for a distant first impression. Our first proper excursion was
to the Bayon (within the walls of Angkor Thom), and this structure still leaves an overwhelming top ranking for us.
As the pictures (hopefully) demonstrate, the Bayon is amazing. Wherever you look there’s a face looking back at you. It might not have the size and grandeur of Angkor Wat, nor has it stood the toll of time in the same way but it is an amazing structure. Pictures say far more than I can (and I think the Bayon is exceptionally photogenic) so what more can be said.
Our joint second favourites (but it was close) were Preah Khan and Ta Promh. Again, for me the abundance of photo opportunities left me squandering film after film, AND filling the digi's memory card. These structures leave you reeling with images of Lara Croft-esque adventures and mysteries. They have formed into a meld of mans drive for permanence with natures time-driven dominance. This blend of stone and wood has now been slowed and should last for a number of generations as is, although by freezing the 'growth' of its mutation you feel a little of its destiny may have been taken from it.
The site of Angkor covers
Ta Promh
'Jack, have you been messing with those beans again?' some 77 square miles and features a diversity of building that will keep you exploring for weeks if you had the time and money. The more distant groups feature older ' original' structures which are suffering times persistence a little more, but still leave you with their original sense of presence and grandeur. And scattered around are the smaller ones that give you that understanding of the greatness of the Khmer people - and the tribes and warring that changed the face and the culture of the inhabitants of this region.
Angkor Wat! Much has been said, televised and extolled about this structure, and indeed it is great. It is also the most undamaged by natures thrashing. It is grand, tall and instils the intimidation it was built for. As an early traveller and visitor you would assume the creators and inhabitants were giants among men - in a literal and physical sense. As part of the complete melange that is the Angkor region it fulfils its destiny as a focal point to the city. With a greatness that can only be complete with its brother and sister structures the site of Angkor Wat is more akin to the
lead singer of a band - not necessarily the talent, or the soul, but a figure that personifies the product and is willing to prostitute itself to the media without debasing itself or the whole.
Time once again to move on, but this time - a first time - it will be a backtrack, to Phnom Penn, this time underwater we discovered (well, the hotels by the lake). This was only a brief stop as Vietnam was our destination, and broken - rickety busses were to be our steed!!
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