Advertisement
Published: February 23rd 2010
Photo 2
Sunrise at Angkor WatFor my third and last day at Angkor, I'd saved the main attractions - the walled city of Angkor Thom, which houses around 8 key temples, Ta Prohm (used as a film set for Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider - the archetypal Angkor ruin) and Angkor Wat. I decided that the Lonely Planet's suggestion to see some of the smaller temples first and work up to the big ones made sense... I could imagine that seeing the best first would rob me of any appetite to see the lesser ones, which would be a shame. So I hired a bike for $1 and headed off in the dark to see if I could catch the first light of day hitting the many faces of Bayon. The majority of my time on the third day would be spent in Angkor Thom, a huge walled compound that housed the royal city... which at its height had a population of one million. Built by Jayavarman VII, Angkor's greatest king, it has 12km of walls surrounded by a moat and accessed by five large gates, each topped by four giant faces of Avalokiteshvara. Riding beneath them on a bicycle is a pretty cool experience!
Photo 7
The enigmatic smiles of Bayon's many faces Bayon photos 5,6&7 It's funny how we imbue feelings and meaning to inanimate objects, but the enigmatic Bayon temple encourages just that. Its' 216 huge faces, which stare serenly out in all directions across Angkor, seem to be guardians of the place and of time... witnessing the rise and fall of the Khmer empire, and still today gazing out, timeless and all-knowing. I remember thinking the same thing about the Egyptian temple of Abu Simbel, but Bayon has a different character entirely. It's a temple you can walk all over and get close to... you can even touch some of the faces. I was lucky to have this ancient pile of stones all to myself for about an hour, as the morning sun slowly illuminated its upper levels, casting some of the faces in light and others in shade. The temple also features 1,200 metres of bas-reliefs and about 11,000 stone figures... not bad for one building!
Ta Prohm photos 8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15&16 Ta Prohm... if you ever dreamt of being Indiana Jones, come here and your dream will come true! It's an amazing, wondrous, riot of a place, where the Cambodian jungle has decided that its had enough
Photo 13
One of Ta Prohm's temple-smashing trees of all these temples and wants the space back! Huge trees sprout from rooftops, looking like they're trying to stamp the stones back into the ground. The temple is about 500 years old, and some of trees have had about 300 years to wreak their havoc... the end result is quite frankly one of the most amazing places I've ever been! I had so much fun getting lost in the dark corridors, clambering over stone columns sent crashing down by the trees, and ducking and weaving to crawl into some forgotten courtyard (no mean feat for someone 6ft 5in tall!). Luckily, although Ta Prohm is always busy, the tour groups stick to one route, so its easy to lose them. Most people head for what's known as the 'Tomb Raider tree', but there are much better examples elsewhere if you go looking for them. I enlisted the help of two boys who had Ta Prohm as their playground, and for a small bunch of riel they showed me all the hidden corners. About two hours later I emerged with scuffed trainers, dirty shorts and a great big smile on my face!
Baphuon photo 18 Baphuon is a different
Photo 14
Magical, riotous Ta Prohm kettle of fish entirely. Already the subject of several restoration efforts by the early French explorers, it was carefully dismantled piece by piece to undergo a complete structural reconstruction. However, during the Khmer Rouge's reign in the 1970s, the index for the pieces was lost, so a large portion of Baphuon is now spread out across the surrounding land, stone after stone... the world's largest jigsaw puzzle? The slightly strange thing about Baphuon is the huge reclining Buddha grafted onto the side several centuries after the original temple was built, re-using some of the material from the collapsed upper levels. Very odd.
Phimeanakas photo 19 A small but attractive pyramidal temple set in the trees to the side of Baphuon, and guarded by some attractive lion statues. I hate to say it, but I was lazy and didn't go up this one!
Terrace of the Elephants photo 22 This is exactly what it sounds like... a long, low wall with elephants carved into it! Along with the far more interesting Terrace of the Leper King, it was used for public announcements and ceremonies, and provides a good elevated view of the nearby Prasats Suor Prat.
Photo 20
Sir, you buy postcard sir? Terrace of the Leper King photos 23,24&25 I thought the Terrace of the Leper King was amazing. It takes the shape of an unattractive mound, with a carved outer wall about 4 metres high. The fascinating part is a narrow trench which runs behind the wall, within which the walls are absolutely covered with beautifully detailed figures, including some nagas. The carvings are a mixture of different coloured stones, and it's astonishing that so much work went into a wall that is for all intents and purposes hidden from view.
Preah Pilihar photos 26&27 After a long morning walking and cycling around the temples, the shady trees around Preah Pilihar, tucked away near the ruins of the Royal Palace, provided a calming respite. There were very few people there, and although the temple itself is only small, it perches dramatically on a small mound, with three large trees (recently reduced in height to protect the temple) spaced purposefully in front. While walking back from this temple, I also passed a BUddhist monk performing some form of cleansing ceremony on a Cambodian family... motorbike and all were repeatedly doused in cold water, while the monk uttered his prayers.
Photo 23
In the trench at the Terrace of the Leper King A reminder that Angkor remains very much a site of religious and cultural importance.
Prasats Suor Prat photo 21 I didn't really visit these temples as such, but they are located at the centre of Angkor Thom, lined up in open grassy fields as if just for show.
Angkor Wat photos 2,3,4,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36&37 So my tour ended where most people's begins... at Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious building and undoubtedly one of mankind's greatest architectural achievements. I actually visited it twice - first at sunrise with Jelle and Debra, then on my own in the late afternoon. Sunrise wasn't quite as dramatic as hoped for, but that famous silhouette still provides an exhilarating sight. Sadly it was spoilt by large swathes of green scaffold and tarpaulin, but I suppose a building of this size requires constant repair work. After the wonders of Ta Prohm and Bayon, I was really looking forward to Angkor Wat, despite the crowds. And although it is an astonishing feat (the sheer size is at times overwhelming), I have to say I left disappointed. It just didn't excite me like the others. The long view from the front is impressive, and the
Photo 27
Angkor remains an important Buddhist site bas-reliefs on the outer terraces are very beautiful, but aside from that, it's really not that interesting! I think I spent 20 minutes inside, and some of that was looking for the exit. The symmetry and state of preservation means that once you've seen one side, you've almost seen them all, and the huge queue to get to the top discouraged me from venturing past the second level. A wonder of the world, yes, but Angkor's star attraction? Not for me.
With three full days of temple seeing behind me, it was time to move on, but not before a day at leisure sampling Siem Reap's many fantastic eateries (where else in SE Asia could you get bangers 'n' mash with Heinz beans and Bisto gravy? I ask you!). I then crossed Tonle Sap by boat to Battambang, which was a mistake as i) the boat journey is long and tedious, and ii) Battambang is a dump. Well maybe that's a bit harsh... it could be Cambodia's Hoi An with a bit of work, but for now there's just nothing there. So there was no other option than to hot foot it to Bangkok and await my flight to
Photo 4
First light penetrates the gatehouse at Angkor Wat Borneo, to begin a month-long volounteer project in the heart of the rainforest!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.257s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 28; qc: 129; dbt: 0.1446s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.4mb
anna007
anna007
You have an amazing talent at taking photos and writing! I randomly came across your blog and I must say I really enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to hear your experience of Malaysia coz I'm from KL though I'm now in Kiev. You have to try out the famous 'roti canai' and 'teh tarik' at any 'mamak stalls'. I'm sure you'll love it. If you get into any problems, don't worry, Malaysians are ever willing to help, especially when it comes to foreigners (Trust me, foreigners are better treated than their own Malaysians :P) Finally, Malaysians have a weird way of speaking English with a 'laa' behind...so you can start by saying 'ok laa'! All the best!