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Published: February 28th 2006
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Siem Reap is a nice town with lots of guesthouses, restaurants, bars, etc., but everyone's main reason for going there is to see Angkor. The park is absolutely huge, and there is a lot to explore. It doesn't sound like we did a lot on our first day, but keep in mind that these places are massive.
We woke up at 5am to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat, which is probably the largest religious complex in the world. Angkor Wat was Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu that was used as a funeral temple for Suryavarman II. It has some gorgeous apsara carvings that are currently being restored by a German team. Even though it was crowded for the sunrise, we were able to find some deserted areas in the temple when we explored the back corridors, because most tour groups do not go back that far. In my opinion, they missed some of the best parts, since the most beautiful carvings and most mysterious parts were toward the back. We also climbed a rather steep crumbling set of steps to the top of the temple and were rewarded with an amazing view over the causeway as the sun appeared
in the sky.
Angkor Thom (Great City) is not a temple, but was the capital of Jayavarman VII, who I will henceforth refer to as J-VII because the name is too long to keep typing. The Khmer Empire was originally Hindu, so many temples at Angkor are Hindu. However, J-VII tried to change the religion to Buddhism (which is now the predominant religion in Cambodia), though Hinduism was also tolerated. During its height, approximately 1 million people lived in Angkor Thom and the surrounding regions, while Europe was mired in the dark ages. Angkor Thom is supposed to represent Mt Meru surrounded by the oceans. In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, Mt Meru is a sacred mountain that is considered to be the center of the universe.
To enter Angkor Thom, you pass over a causeway lined with huge heads. There used to be more heads, but many statues have been looted or relocated to the National Museum in Phnom Penh. There was a Buddhist festival going on nearby, so Angkor Thom was a bit of a zoo the day we visited, but once we got inside and away from the food stalls, it was much better.
This
Angkor Wat
It would have been cool to go up in the hot air balloon, but it was on a fixed line, which we thought was rather lame. causeway eventually takes you to the Bayon, which is one of the most famous places in all of Angkor. Supposedly, this temple represents the synthesis of Hinduism and the new Buddhist faith. There are 54 towers, each representing one of the 54 provinces that existed during the zenith of the Khmer empire. Each tower has heads on four sides. Heads can be seen no matter where you are standing in Bayon, but the exact person is unknown. Is it a god or J-VII himself, watching over all parts of his empire? No one knows for sure, but the heads do resemble J-VII. Inside, there are bas-reliefs with stories of everyday life in the Khmer empire and battles between the Khmers and Chans.
One of the parts of Bayon that we liked the most was a library that had recently been excavated by a Japanese team. There were some very detailed before and after photos and explanations about all the aesthetic and geological factors that had to be taken into consideration. For example, the ground under the building had shifted, so they had to stablize the foundation before the restoration could even begin. Just the surveys took several years. The
project went on for more than 10 years and only recently finished.
Baphuon must have been a grand temple back in the day, but is in ruins. A team that started a major renovation project in the 1960s took the temple apart (an approach that has been used quite successfully at many Angkor sites). They had to stop working in the early 1970s due to the civil war, and all their survey records were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge years. A French team has been renovating the temple for the past 10 years. So far, they have only finished the first level. Renovating this temple must be a major challenge, because they have to figure out where each piece goes and put the temple completely back together. Many pieces are in fragments, especially on the second and third levels, where the stones caved in.
Phimeanakas is in ruins, but there is a fantastic view of the surrounding buildings at the top. The Terrace of the Elephants has some beautiful carved elephants on there, but we liked the Terrace of the Leper King even more. Both places are very mysterious, because no one knows exactly what they were used
Hello Elephant
The elephants will take you to Bayon for only $10, but we didn't do this because we thought the elephants looked bored with walking the same route every day. for. Maybe the kings reviewed military parades or were entertained by circus performers at the Terrace of the Elephants? Maybe the Terrace of the Leper King was used for royal cremations? No one knows for sure.
We found a "secret passage" near the Terrace of the Leper King. Recently uncovered by archaeologists, this corridor has some fantastic apsara carvings on the walls that are in great shape because they were not exposed to the elements. The carvings look like they were just done a few days ago, not hundreds of years ago.
We had to visit Ta Prohm, which is the place where part of Tomb Raider was filmed. This temple is massive. Built by J-VII and dedicated to his mother, many parts are caved in and covered by giant tree roots that are slowly eating the structure. We spent a long time exploring the various corridors. Every time we thought we came to the end, we realized there was even more. Plus, all the Korean tour groups were leaving as we entered, so there weren't too many people there. What an eerie, beautiful place. We liked it so much, that we decided to go back again the
Serenity anyone?
Statue on the causeway to Angkor Thom next day.
After spending sunrise and most of the day at Angkor, we took the rest of the day off to relax. It gets very hot in Cambodia in the afternoons. Tomorrow: visiting more places in the Grand Circuit and taking in sunset.
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