Day 12: Tarantulas, Angkor Thom and Bayon

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Geo: 13.4691, 104.041

That was a day of endurance! Up early for a low key breakfast that contained no fluids because you definitely needed bladder stamina for the land transport to Siem Reap. I can say with some certainty that we ended the trip at the muddy bank of PrekK'Dam- an area that we had visited earlier in the week and the subject of one of the losing bets for Richard.

The morning farewells just flew by and, with colour coded luggage successfully outside our cabin by 6.30 and breakfast with Leah completed we assembled in the Saigon Lounge one last time before departure.

I was done before we we even made it up the mud steps to the bus. The combination of the knee, the back pack and the uneven uphill climb had my back in spasm so that Mac had to man handle and drag me up the hill to fork lift me onto the bus. The best I could manage was to stand for the first couple of hours.

The trip was broken by two stops along Highway 6. The first was a market that specialised in local Cambodian delicacies of tarantulas, crickets, grasshoppers and preying mantis. All boiled down in oil and presented as crispy snacks. The tarantulas were the draw card of the markets with young children parading around with live tarantulas crawling over their body. They were on their heads, in their hair, curled around their ears and crawling up arms and chests. And of course everything was for sale. As soon as the convoy of four APT buses slowed down, women and children materialised trying to make a sale.

I was almost relieved that I was confined to the bus. Although I saw many of the passengers parting with a dollar to have their photo taken with a de-fanged tarantula, I didn't see anyone buying the delicacies except the bus drivers and the local guides.

Next stop, two hours later, was a snack shop that sold every imaginable souvenir. The Australians topped up on Pringles and Drumsticks before completing the last leg of the journey. Peter has provided a running commentary on board, interspersing details of country life and politics with extended periods of quiet so that passengers could stretch out for a snooze. Think we all got a little shut eye.

Siem Reap arrived like an oasis in a sea of poverty. One minute were looking at rice paddies, buffalo and cricket farms and the next it was luxurious golf courses and 5 star hotels. We even took the back roads to avoid the traffic jams and on reaching the main street were slowed for traffic lights.

I cannot begin to explain the Sofitel. The bus wound its way through the tree lined avenue and pulled into the gaping welcome area where masked drummers joined with beautiful dancers to perform a welcome greeting for each load of travellers. Staff were swarming on the steps with hands clasped in greetings and whispering "Bonjour" and dispensing cold face washers and cold drinks. The foyer was cavernous and was filed with flowers and statues, shining floors, glass, paintings, carvings and chandeliers. Doors were opened, keys were distributed and because I was struggling a little, one of the managers was on hand to walk us to our room.

The room was beautiful and have to say we have never seen a bed as big in our lives!

But it was a quick scan of the room because a quick lunch in the dining room was the prelude to our first visit to the temples. The fried tarantulas of the roadside were long forgotten as we chomped down on a simple club sandwich. Was perfect actually.

Siem Reap is host to 3 million visitors a year and the first stop was to line up in the "ticket booth." This massive processing centre was a hive of activity. Every tourist who visits the temples must have a photograph ID created which needs to be worn at all times and of course shown on demand to the park police at a variety of checkpoints. Mac and I laughed because there seemed to be more formalities around getting into the temples than into Cambodia.

But our local guide Leo had it under control and we were processed in 5 minutes and 29 seconds.and found ourselves heading to Angkor Thom and Bayon. This Buddhist complex is one of 237 temple areas in Siem Reap and the "best driver in Siem Reap" delivered us safely to the massive car park.

As soon as the bus door swings open the traders converge. It was the "modern" constant of the day. Adults and children as mobile markets, carrying an assortment of stuff and following and offering bargains and deals. A friendly "no thank you" , a shake of the head, a gesture with the hand all mean nothing. No does not translate as no, it only means you haven't bought anything "yet." There is no respite from the persistence the only solution is to keep walking and to stay tuned to Leo.

We have arrived a week before the celebration of the new year and there is construction going on everywhere. "The Government" is creating a festival playground for the half a million locals who will descend on this area to celebrate the coming of the new year. Once the festival is over, the buildings will get demolished. But the festival atmosphere has already started with families set up along the moat with blankets and food and swinging hammocks as children run and play.

But that is just the side show to the major attraction. The city of Angkor Tom and the Bayon Temple.

I definitely need Leo to write for me because I cannot remember the details of the history he shared about Angkor Thom, Bayon, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. Angkor Tom was the last enduring capital of the Khmer empire and was established in the 12th century by Jayavarman VII and covers an area of 9 square kilometres (Leo can quote the dimensions of anything!) The number 9 is "lucky" and under Leo's tutelage we looked for 9 everywhere including in the 54 devas on the left (5 and 4 are nine) and the 54 Acura on the right that lined the causeway of the entrance, the 54 faces on the towers....and so it continues. This was a building project on a massive scale.

The entrance to the city is flanked by a moat and there are gates at each of the points of the compass all leading to Bayon at the centre. The devas and asuras are holding a giant naga (snake) in a tug-o-war and are just a taster for the majesty of the ruins inside.

I love the description of this area as a "muddle of stones, a sort of moving chaos assaulting the sky" because that's exactly what it is. I can't believe that 3 million of us every year are able to trample across this ancient centre piece of Jayavarman's monumental building projects.

And they are ruins. The towers are surrounded by blocks that have cascaded over time in jumbled heaps to the ground and are covered in black moss. The sandstone is etched in carvings of monkeys, elephants, fish, snakes, gods and goddesses and other-worldly beings from stories and poems. Every wall is a canvas that carries a story of a celebration or a battle.

The centre piece is the Bayon Temple with its 216 serene, smiling stone faces which jutt out from every tower on the upper terrace. The carved faces appear to be identical and according to Leo represent the four sublime states of Buddha - kindness, compassion, sympathy and equanimity. But they do look the same - the face repeated over and over facing out in the four directions.

Leo walked and talked and waved the yellow APT sign around for emphasis and managed to breath a story and life into each of the stone walls. Up stairs, down stairs, through doorways and along causeways, he filled the afternoon with the marvels of our first temple visit.

The restoration of the temple is a work in progress and there will be many more stories and treasures revealed in the tumbled mass of stone over time. Maybe even the jewels and gold will eventually be found. For us though, there will be lots more reading on this one after the trip.

It was a quick turn around for us because it was dinner time! We arrived back to a Sofitel shrouded in smoke. Apparently, this was a regular practice - the mosquito prevention strategy that keeps the guests free of malaria and dengue fever. Comforting...I think.

The "signature" experience of the evening was a free choice of restaurant. We loaded up into tuk tuks and headed out to a Khmer restaurant at Sokkhak River and enjoyed a combination of chicken, pork, seafood, beef, curries, vegetables and wine. The hits of the night were a prawn and squid salad and the pork filled fried spring rolls. Although featured in a number of combinations on the menu, all guests avoided the stuffed frogs.

Has been another long day and the softness of the expansive bigger than big king bed was a great end to the day.

Steps: 7 391
Temperature: 38 degrees (wringing wet humidity)

PS Many of the guests continue to be ill. Some have spent 5 days holed up in their cabin. Today was a gruelling ordeal for a number of passengers who found it particularly difficult with limited convenience stops. Think more will be visiting the hospital for rehydration. Eric had shared that the health status on the ship had been elevated to a code orange and that heightened stringent hygiene protocols had been in place. So far so good for us.

PPS Have taken so many tablets for the back but am confident that a good night's sleep on a soft bed will restore some normalcy. Bus steps are so high - got one pushing and one pulling to get me on board. Got to acknowledge the help of Mac and Richard in getting from A to B and so grateful that Loraine has a MaryPoppins bag that always contains just what you need!

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Comments

[Aunty Gail]

Wow! Sofitel looks amazing.....with more yummy food!!Jan, I hope your back is better by tomorrow. Both the bus ride & the steps must have been a bit of an ordeal.....maybe that beautiful bed will do the trick!!....a glass or two of medi
cinal alchohol might help as well!