II. Cambodia
Chapter IV. Siem Reap (part 1)
Day 24 Siem Reap
After a 5hr cramped minivan ride, we arrive in Siem Reap. In our whole trip, Siem Reap is the place we planned the most time for. Because there’s so much to see here. After all, this is where you find one of the world’s most iconic buildings –Angkor Wat.
We’re going to stay there for 6 days to avoid rushing our visit.
However, the temples will wait. We had to get up at 5.30 to take our van and the ride was quite uncomfortable. We take a 2hr nap before visiting the city.
Most tourist places in Siem Reap are located along the riverside. A walk along the river is a nice way to pass the time and have a look around. The Old Market is just on the other side of the bridge.
This place is packed with vendors waiting to check your haggling skills. If you’re looking for souvenirs, it’s the place to go. Here, I get a shoulder bag to carry a large water bottle. With this heat, we’re gonna need it.
It’s already night time. We’re looking for a place to have dinner.
Right on the riverside, there’s a good and cheap Japanese restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet.
A couple of blocks from the restaurant, there’s a Blue Pumpkin ice cream (the original one, before others start opening in the country). We get some and find a cart – near a really creepy monkey - with painted designs on T Shirts. It looks quite nice. There’s the business card of the creator with them.
He has two shops and one of them is in the Art Center, near the Market. He may not be there tonight, but let’s have a look.
We’re in luck. He’s here tonight.
He’s quite friendly and he tells us how he manages to paint directly on T Shirts, using paint that doesn’t wash off. At first, we wanted to buy a T-Shirt, but none of them is our style – and they’re a bit too expensive. To support his art however, we both get a shot glass that he also meticulously painted on.
Quinn had been to Siem Reap once before and she thinks that, for me, the best way to explore the temples is to start chronologically – with the oldest ones first, which leaves Angkor Wat for the finale. I think it’s a great idea. From our hostel, we hire a tuk tuk for tomorrow to visit some of the far away temples tomorrow.
Day 25 Archeology 101
Visitors come to Siem Reap to visit Angkor. But it’s not all about Angkor Wat. There are dozens of other temples around the area. If you want to see them all, you’d better plan at least a week…
There are multiple ways to visit the temples of Angkor: -Renting a car or a bicycle -- Being part of a tour group --Hiring a tuk tuk for the day -- Walking Pity you can’t hire motorbikes or scooters. But I’m sure there are good reasons for it.
However, you can’t visit the temples without a pass. There are the 1 day pass, 3 days, or a week pass, depending on how much time you have and how much money you want to spend. If we’re staying for almost a week, Quinn says that we should get the 1 week pass. I agree.
Once we get our pass, our driver brings us to the temples of Roluous, about 15km east of Siem Reap.
The temples of Roluous are among the oldest temples built by the Khmers and mark the dawn of Khmer classical Art. Before their construction, temples were mostly made of bricks. There are three temples to visit in this area : Bakong, Preah Ko, and Lo Lei.
Bakong is the largest (900m x 700m) and the most spectacular of the three. It was built and dedicated to Shiva by King Indravarman I. It is the first Khmer temple-mountain, where the highest tower in the centre represents Mt Meru (the home of the gods).
It is surrounded by two moats – 3m deep and a surface area of 15 hectares
Inside the pyramid. The base is 67m x 67m, the top 20m x 18m. There must have been a statue or a linga in place of the hole.
The temple is flanked by eight towers of brick and sandstone. I stop to sketch one of them while Quinn listens to folk musicians who are victims of landmines.
The next temple is Preah Ko, built in the 9th century. Also erected by Indravarman I and also dedicated to Shiva. The temple consists of six brick towers and has some of the best surviving examples of plasterwork seen in Angkor.
There are elaborate inscriptions in Sanskrit (ancient Hindu language) on the doorstep of each tower
Now, if you think this is a horse in a bikini‌ you may be right.
I’m glad we kept Lo Lei for last. Compared to the other two, there’s nothing to see here. You can’t even get close due to the renovation in progress. It used to be an island temple, built in the center of a large reservoir. Today, it sits on a terrace 90m x80m.
Enough temples for one day.
We get back to Siem Reap and spend the afternoon in the Angkor National Museum (no photo allowed inside). One of the most expensive museums I’ve been in South East Asia, but also a great place to learn more about the temples and the Khmer ancient civilisation. It’s worth checking out to put the story of Angkor in its context before exploring the temples.
For dinner, we get back to the same restaurant. Next door is a restaurant with a similar name. We are confused. The meal prices and the architecture are completely different, but we are assured by both parties that they work together. All right, then. Let’s try this new place. This time I’ll have Fish Amok, a national dish (baked fish with lemongrass, coconut - and chili for those who like it hot). For a national dish, it’s really disappointing. But I think that this restaurant is just not that good. I have confirmation when I ask for sticky rice with mango. This one should have been called ‘chewy rice with stringy mango’. Not a fan. We get back to the hostel at 10pm and hire another tuk tuk for a whole day tomorrow.
Day 25 Mines and Temples
Last night, we had to find another hostel because we only booked for two days and now they’re full. But all we had to do to find another room was cross the street‌
Today, our plan is to visit the far away temples by tuk tuk and visit the landmine museum 30km away.
We first stop at Pre Rup. Jut like Bakong, it’s also a pyramid-shaped temple-mountain. But this one was erected later, in the middle of the 10th century, during the reign of King Rajendravarman II. Pre Rup means ‘turning the body’ – a traditional method of cremation. It is believed that the temple may have served as an early royal crematorium.
Next, we drive to Banteay Srei (2nd half of the 10th century), known as ‘The Art Gallery of Angkor.’ It may be one of Angkor’s smallest temples, but it has some of the finest carvings in the world.
We will now drive to the landmine museum.
The Cambodia Landmine Museum was established by former child soldier and DIY de-miner Aki Ra. It displays a mine (no pun intended) of information on the curse of landmines in Cambodia and includes an extensive collection of weaponry used during the civil war. Profits from the museum go to mine awareness campaigns and support a rehabilitation centre.
A huge cylinder - filled with mines disarmed by Aki Ra - stands in the centre of the museum.
One of the most interesting pieces is this mock minefield - to learn how to spot land mines.
Our next temple is Neak Pean (12th century), an island temple in the middle of a large pool. This is the first temple on our list constructed by Jayavarman VII (one of the most important Khmer kings).
To reach the temple, you first have to cross a really long wooden bridge.
This horse is supposed to have human feet, but the statue is being renovated.
We are now in Preah Khan, one of the largest complexes of Angkor. It was built during the reign of Jayavarman VII, in the late 12th century. According to the Lonely Planet, it was dedicated to 515 divinities.
Where’s Waldo ?
There’s a huge garuda on one of the walls.
By jove, men! This ancient waffle maker must be centuries old!
Not the most convincing, but you get the idea. (there’s a sign behind the statue, you can’t get any closer)
There are linga shrines as in most temples. This one is inside a Yoni –the female symbol of fertility.
Left – Monstruous roots embrace the temple walls. Right – A devata (deity) carved in the wall.
Preah Khan is a really fun temple to visit. It’s also one of the most atmospheric. No wonder this couple is taking wedding pictures here.
I wonder, however, what a Greek temple is doing in this part of the world‌
Our last temple for today is Bakheng, located on top of an isolated hill. This temple was built at the end of the 9th century, during the reign of Yasovarman I. It used to be the state temple of the first capital in Angkor.
Its structure is quite similar to the temple of Bakong at Roluous. But people don’t really come for the temple itself, but rather for the view.
Bakheng is really popular at sunset for this reason. The issue is that only 300 people are allowed to climb to the top at the same time. We arrive at 5pm. Sunset is in one hour. It should give us enough time to queue if necessary.
I guess not…
And don’t expect to enjoy anything while you’re waiting in line. There are trees everywhere, hiding the sun and the temple.
When we finally get up there, the sun’s almost gone. But it still makes for some nice pictures.
The crowd is still here however, no doubt.
We walk back down the hill pretty much in the dark (good thing I have a flashlight) and get back to our tuk tuk.
After dinner, we find a place to rent bicyles. I couldn’t ride a bike earlier because my wrist hurts since the accident. But I’m feeling better. Tomorrow, we’re going to ride around the temples.
Day 26 Tomb Raiders
We get up at 6am to take our bikes at 7am. They are city bikes, not mountain bikes. And you can’t change the gear. Thankfully, the road around Angkor is mostly flat and in good condition.
From the city, we ride on the left of Angkor Wat until we arrive at the South Gate of Angkor Thom (more about it later).
Each gate of Angkor Thom displays a stunning representation of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. The tug of war between the gods and the demons, who churn up the primordial ocean to extract from it the elixir of immortality. To do so, they use the Naga (snake) Vasuki as a giant rope. The demons hold its tail and the gods, its head. This is one of the most famous scenes of their mythology.
On the other side of Angkor Thom, we stop at Chau Say Thevoda, a small and compact temple built during the 12th century, under the reign of Surayavarman II. It was dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu.
Much more impressive, the giant ‘temple mountain’ of Ta Keo is the first Angkorian monument built entirely of sandstone. Construction started during the reign of Jayavarman V (late 10th century),but Ta Keo was never finished. Some say that the temple was struck by lightning during construction, which could have been seen as a bad omen and led to its abandonment.
The base of the pyramid is 60m square and the summit 47m square. To get to the top, you have to climb some pretty steep staircases.
We are now in Ta Prohm (late 12th century), one of Angkor’s most atmospheric temples. Ta Prohm was a Buddhist monastery dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII.
The peculiar atmosphere of Ta Prohm is mostly due to the massive trees that have grown intertwined among the ruins.
Its layout also surprises by its complexity. Ta Prohm is a jumbled mess of towers, closed courtyards and dark, narrow corridors.
There are two ways to visit the temple, the short one and the long one. We choose the long one that makes us follow the outer walls first, and then leads us into the courtyard.
Ta Prohm is also known as the ‘Tomb Raider temple’. Several scenes for the movie starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft were shot around these ruins. It’s not easy to find the exact spots because most of them were modified by the studios. But it’s a lot of fun to look for them anyway.
The only issue is that it’s hard to escape from the crowd. It kinda ruins the atmosphere and it’s hard to get around. After a while, I decide to sit somewhere and sketch a little.
Ta Prohm is covered by a canopy of trees, so we didn’t get too hot while we were inside. But as soon as we’re back on the road, we feel the scorching sun again. It’s about noon, the worst time to stay out in the sunlight. We stop for a break and have a thirst-quenching coconut. Then, we keep riding east to Banteay Kdei, taking nice pictures along the way.
The structure of Banteay Kdei is really similar to Ta Prohm’s.It’s another Buddhist monastery from the 12th century. When you enter the temple, you are greeted by lions and nagas, but the inside of the central tower was never finished.
Unlike Ta Prohm however, you can walk straight through it and it is considerably less busy.
(left) a column of the Hall of Dancers.
Oh my god! I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to spot one of these rare and elusive birds that live deep into the jungle and… Now, wait a minute…
Across the road from Banteay Kdei, there is the basin of Sra Srang (700m x 350m). It was first built in the 10th century and then remodelled late 12th century. There used to be an island in the middle, supporting a wooden temple.
Riding south towards the exit, we get to our final stop – the five brick towers of Prasat Kravan. The temple was built in the early 10th century and features brick bas-reliefs that are unique in Khmer art. It was dedicated to Vishnu.
From the Lonely Planet: One of Vishnu’s best loved incarnations was when he appeared as the dwarf Vamana and procedeed to reclaim the world from evil demon king Bali. He politely asked the demon for a comfortable patch of ground upon which to meditate, saying that the patch needed only to be big enough so that he could easily walk across it in 3 paces. The demon agreed, only to see the dwarf swell into a mighty giant who strode across the universe in 3 enormous steps.
This is a classic representation of Vishnu. His four arms hold his four attributes: a discus, a mace, a lotus flower and a conch shell.
After sunset, we ride back to town and stop for dinner at an Italian restaurant. We’re starving and they serve extra large pizzas.
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. We had planned to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. But instead, we choose to dodge the crowds by going to one of the most remote temples – Beng Melea…