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Published: April 12th 2009
The day started early, having set my alarm at around 5:30 am and with an early breakfast of chicken porridge this time around. I honestly wish that these breakfasts would catch on in Canada because what a great way to start the day! And no communication breakdown with the side dish this morning ... salt and pepper with a wedge of lime.
I had made arrangements again for a tuk tuk driver who would be arriving at around 7 am. I had decided on an earlier start just to beat the crowds and the heat. Yesterday, the heat was bearable with most of the day being a little overcast and even some sprinkling here or there. Today would be a different story with scorching heat and the glaring sun. I love this kind of weather but regardless it is still somewhat difficult to bear no matter how much you love it. Anik … think Casablanca, Cuba but with Buddhas instead!!
The first stop was the Angkor Balloon. I think that my driver was disappointed for me yesterday that it was not flying so first thing he said was “today we try balloon” but it was not to be yet again. I still have a couple of days so maybe tomorrow will be my lucky day.
We headed down the road towards some of the temples that I had visited yesterday; passing through the South Gate of Angkor Thom (did I mention that there are tons of monkeys around there?). The Bayon with all of its 216 faces looked amazing in the early morning sunlight. The first stop today would be Prasat Preah Khan. Preah Khan stands for sacred sword and was again built by Jayavarman VII and was thought to be his temporary residence during the building of the Angkor Thom complexes. This is actually one of the largest complexes within the Angkor region. To reach the temple itself, you have to walk down a long wooded pathway, which is made even more atmospheric by the sounds of crickets, birds and yes, roosters (I am not kidding when I say that they are everywhere!). You eventually reach this passageway lined with again rows of demons and gods, referred to as the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. This one was different in that it seemed a little more colourful, with hints of red and the green from the moss and lichen on some of the wall carvings. As you make your way through, the doorways significantly decrease in size. The temple is actually dedicated to Buddhism on one half where all of the doorways are the same size and the other side is dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Bhrama and this is the half with the decreasing doorways signifying the unequal nature of Hinduism. Within some of the archways are areas where statues would have been and all that is left is a big hole. On the Hinduism side, I did notice that there were always three holes for each of the gods. The tour of this temple ends with the sight of again an enormous tree whose roots have completely overtaken the structure.
As I exited, I of course was bombarded with “hey lady where you from” and “hey lady you want cold drink”. I relented and bought bracelets from a small boy named Will (not very Khmer sounding !!) who proceeded to tell me that the capital of Canada was indeed Ottawa. I have yet to find a child who looks excited when I tell them that I actually live in the capital of Canada (and I still want to know what the capital of Madagascar is!!).
The next stop would be Preah Neak Pean. The Lonely Planet guide described it that should there ever be an Angkor Experience Casino in Las Vegas, this would be design for the pool. Again constructed by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th Century, it literally is one large square pool surrounded by four smaller pools. As you near it, it actually just looks like five big holes but it actually had quite a few surprises. There is a small temple in the middle which would actually have been almost like a small island if you figured that this would have been filled with water. Neak Pean stands for Intertwined Nagas and when you actually look closely at the base of the temple, you do realize that there are two intertwined serpents (FYI ... the Lonely Planet guide comes with a glossary of all of these terms, in case you were wondering how I knew that a naga was a serpent!). Water would flow from the central pool into the smaller pools through four ornamental spouts depicting an elephant, horse, lion and human heads. These spouts are housed in what look like small temples, where people today leave incense and other offerings.
Next would be Ta Som, again built by Jayavarman in the 12th century as a Buddhist temple (the Lonely Planet guide calls him the Donald Trump of the Angkorian period!!). The entrance is similar to the gates to Angkor Thom with that enigmatic face peering down at you. Again this involved going through various passageways exploring the incredible carvings and ending with again an enormous tree where its roots had completely overtaken the structure. I cannot even put into words what these trees look like and you would think that after seeing so many that you tire of them but not at all. It is just so incredibly impressive to see how massive and powerful these trees can be.
The next stop was the Eastern Mebon, a Hindu temple which currently lies on dry land but in its time would actually have been like an islet. This is like a smaller version of Pre Rup, which I would see later on in the day. As you arrive, you climb a steep set of stairs and you are on a huge platform. The four corners are guarded by these enormous carvings of elephants. You climb a little further and you see five towers; the central one holding a Buddha figure where again people have left incense and offerings.
The next stop was Pre Rup and when I saw the sheer size of it, I decided to stop first for lunch and to just regroup a little. I of course was greeted by a bunch of young girls yelling “hey lady what you want”. I sat for lunch and of course went through the whole Ottawa is the capital of Canada thing. They were actually very sweet and I think that one was learning to read English because she sat there quietly muttering the menu in English under her breath. I had this amazing dish of fried ginger, pork and steamed rice. You know how I love my pork!!
I then crossed the street to Pre Rup and began exploring. Pre Rup means Turning the Body and therefore it is thought that this particular structure was used as an early Royal crematorium. This involved a lot of climbing as this particular structure is enormous (and very high). From one vantage point, you can actually see the tip of the Angkor Wats. By this time, it is almost noon and the sun is just blaring down as you explore this relatively shade free structure where you are constantly climbing these excruciatingly steep stairs. And what goes up, must come down … just not an easy task.
By this time, I was pretty much done for but the tuk tuk driver stopped in at Bantey Kdei. After having visited this temple, I met up with the driver who looked at me and said “you want home”. Yes my friend!! The beauty of travelling in the tuk tuk is that you get this amazing breeze as you make your way down the streets of Angkor. Great way to travel …
So I have been spending the rest of the day sitting by the pool making some freckles and reading a book on my little terrace. This year I had this itch to go to Cuba and just sit on the beach but I also needed my culture fix and this truly is the best of both worlds.
And I would like to leave you with this .... as I sit here in the reception lobby typing this blog, a gentleman of a certain age has just walked up to the reception desk and said "so how DO you work the shower?" It's not just me!! I felt like saying that there is a lovely coconut shell that seems to do the trick but I refrained. Now that I am relaxed, my edit button seems to be back on!
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Francine Fournier
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Re: Day Two of Temple Tour
Chicken porridge??? Hhmm...quite a concept:) How I wish you manage to "try balloon"...keeping my fingers crossed* Sure sounds like a lovely trip so far. Enjoy to the fullest! FAF~