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The next morning we bought a 3-day pass to the Angkor complex. Our first temple was Angkor Thom - a 3km walled & moated Royal City and the last capital of the Angkorian empire. There are 5 entrances (gates)
to the complex, one for each of the cardinal points, and the Victory Gate leading to the Royal Palace area. The South Gate
is usually the point of arrival.
The Buddhist temple of Bayon - with its beautiful, peaceful, smiling faces, gazing out into the jungle - was
constructed during the late 12th Century C.E. during King Jayavarman VII’s reign. Our guide explained that
there are 37 standing towers and most sport four faces. There are bas-reliefs on the exterior walls of the lower level and
on the upper level where the stone faces reside. The bas-reliefs on the southern wall contain real life scenes from the historical
sea battle between the Khmer and the Cham. There are extensive carvings of unique and revealing scenes of every day life interspersed
between the battle scenes, including market scenes, cockfighting, chess games, and childbirth.
The Terrace of Elephants was built during the late 12th Century by King Jayavarman VII and extended by his successor. This is a 2.5m
wall spanning the heart of Angkor Thom, and is adorned with carved elephants and giant garudas.
We moved on to the Terrace of the Leper King, located at the north end of the Terrace of Elephants, which was again built by Jayavarman VII, and consists
of a double terrace with carved nagas, demons, and other mythological beings. The statue of the Leper King is a replica -
the original being in the National Museum in Phnom Penh.
We moved onto Ta Prohm early afternoon – when the majority of the tourists had returned to their hotels for lunch, making the
area much quieter – and spent a couple of hours in the cooling shade of the huge trees. The Buddhist temple
of Ta Prohm was constructed in the mid 12th – early
13th Century C.E. during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. Out of all the temples we visited, this was definitely
my favourite. Ta Prohm was used in the Hollywood
blockbuster 'Tombraider I' and tourists queued up politely & quietly to have their photo taken with the 'Tombraider' tree.
The area was so calm & peaceful.
It felt such a magical place and I was utterly spell-bound, watching the small yellow butterflies dancing in the sunlight.
On leaving Ta Prohm we were approached by a number of locals selling books, trinkets etc however we didn’t
feel pressurised into buying. If you said ‘no thank you’ they just moved onto the next tourist. The children’s
English language ability was very impressive – far better than our Khmer! My husband was asked by one little girl where
he came from and when he said the United Kingdom, she replied “yes
a big country – made up of England, Ireland, Scotland Wales”.
Finally, we travelled to the magnificent Angkor Wat complex. Built in the mid 12th Century by King suryavarman II, Angkor Wat is definitely the jewel in Cambodia's
crown. It is truly breathtaking and no amount of photographs can substitute for seeing it first hand.
Surrounded by a 1300m x 1500m wall and moat, once inside there is still a considerable walk along the causeway before
you reach the main temple. The temple itself is 1km square and consists of three levels and five towers rise 65m from ground
level. Approximately 2000 apsara carvings adorn the walls throughout the temple, but it is the exterior walls of the lower
level that display extraordinary bas-reliefs, depicting stories and characters from Hindu mythology and the hostorical wars
of Suryavarman II.
Most visitors start their tour with the bas-reliefs which highlight the mythological Battle of Kuru on the west wall;
the march of the army of Suryavarman II against the Cham, followed by scenes from Heaven and Hell on the south wall, and the
classic 'Churning of the Ocean Milk' on the north wall.
On the higher levels are Buddha images, each facing a different cardinal point. Even though the temple was Hindu,
Angkor Wat has served as a Buddhist temple ever since Buddhism became Cambodia's dominant religion. Access to the higher levels
can be gained by climbing incredibly steep stairs - the sort which need both hands and feet to climb - but definitely worth
it, especially as you look out across the main causeway. Coming down is a little easier, with most people doing it on their
bottoms!
The best time to visit Angkor Wat is mid-late afternoon, when the light is perfect for photographs.
Before leaving the Angkor complex, take the helium balloon ride which goes 200m straight up to give amazing views of Angkor Wat, Bayon, and East Baray. The big yellow balloon is located
by the road between Angkor Wat and the airport, just 1km from the gates (t) 012 320 810
As dusk approached, we climbed the hillside to Phnom
Bakheng to watch the sun set. My husband and I sat quietly on the edge, overlooking Angkor Wat in the distance. As
the sun started to set we turned and looked over our shoulders to find a sea of faces - hundreds of people all sitting, waiting
for the same thing! The sky was a stunning burnt orange and when the sun finally set everything went pitch black very quickly!
I had been teasing my husband for days about carrying a little torch with him - but we certainly needed it walking back down
the hillside!
The next day was an early start. We travelled to
Phnom Kulen – 50k from Siem Reap – along dusty, bumpy roads. The luxury of an air-conditioned car was very welcome.
It was a wonderful opportunity to see the beautiful countryside. En route we stopped off at a tiny village where a family
was making palm sugar. They showed us their homes – wooden huts built on stilts – and took us to see the palm
trees where small metal containers hung from them, catching the palm juice. The juice was then boiled down to make palm sugar
tablets which were wrapped in palm leaves and sold on a small roadside stall – 2 palm leaf tubes containing 8 sugar
tablets for $1.
Phnom Kulen is the most sacred mountain in Cambodia as it was here in 802 that
Jayavarman II declared independence from Java, thereby creating modern-day Cambodia. There is a fee of $20 per person
to access the area. Our guide explained that vehicles were allowed up the mountain during the morning and could only come
back down the mountain after noon - basically it was one way! At the top of the mountain is a wat (temple) with a large reclining
Buddha carved into the rock - Preah Ang Thom - the focal point
of a pilgrimage for Khmer people. On arrival we were guided up the mountain steps by a young boy, who waited patiently
at the top guarding our boots as we went into the wat. The reclining Buddha is carved into the stone upon which it sits and
the views across the forrests from the 487m peak are tremendous. We had left our boots scattered under the bench and when
we returned the young boy had lined them up, all neat & tidy. He was delighted with the Riel we gave him and
waved us off.
We
jumped back in the car and started our trek back down the mountain, stopping off at Kbal Spean on the way. Here we passed a large open area which our guide explained had been used as a camp by the Khmer
Rouge. Kbal Spean, or River of a Thousand Lingas, is a riverbed full of carvings, mostly of lingas (the Hindu symbol of masculinity) and gods. Bathing in the
river is believed to bring fertility and good luck. We were greeted by two Khmer women and their adorable children. They watched
us as we took photos and video footage of the river, by which stage the children had become very curious about our camcorder.
After asking the mothers if they minded us recording, I spent a few minutes recording the children and then knelt down on
the ground to replay the film to them. They gathered around me, their little faces intrigued by the contraption I was holding,
and then burst into huge smiles as they saw themselves on the screen. Suffice to say the children then started playing to
the camera and I have some fantastic footage of them running ahead of me and then running back to see the screen.
The two mothers took us to see their homes and also the spring water pool where
they get all their drinking water. Occasionally turtles pop their heads up through the sandy bed of the pool and this is considered
sacred. My husband knelt down and drank some of the water and announced that it was probably the best he had ever tasted!
We had spent an hour or more here and as we moved back towards the car everyone followed to wave goodbye. We gave the two
women a few $ and thanked them for being our guides and for allowing us to spend time with their families. As our car pulled
away down the mountain, the little boy who had been the most entertained by our camcorder, ran after us with a huge smile
on his face and waving goodbye.
We moved on to the powerful 35-metre
Phnom Kulen Waterfall - also used in 'Tombraider I' and close to the temple of Prasat Krau Romeas, built
during the 9th Century. You could hear the thundering of the waterfall well before you reached it and it was very tempting
to just dive in to cool down. It's quite a steep climb down to the bottom of the waterfall but definitely worth it. Along
the way we saw the biggest butterflies we had ever seen!
On the way back down the mountain our driver stopped
off at the side of the road where a family were selling bananas. You have never tasted anything like them – tiny yellow and fat red bananas - they were gorgeous!
We started the journey back to Siem Reap and stopped for a bite to eat at a small roadside restaurant just by
Banteay Srei. Sitting with our guide and driver, the young girls in the restaurant laughed at how much water and coca-cola
my husband and I were drinking! We were drinking far more than we were eating – the heat was definitely zapping our
appetite – however we shared a large plate of Khmer fried rice for only $2.
The Hindu temple, Banteay Srei (‘The Citadel of the Women’) lies 38km from Siem Reap and was built in the late 10th
Century during King Rajendravarman’s reign and later by Jayavarman V. The temple is relatively small, constructed from
pink sandstone, with ornate and delicate carvings. The best time to visit is after 2pm when there are fewer tourists and the
colour of the sandstone is at its most beautiful.
Our last temple of the day was the Hindu temple, East Mebon, constructed in the late 10th
Century, during King Rajendravarman II’s reign. East Mebon is a large temple-mountain-like ruin, rising three levels and crowned by five towers. Jayavarman
IV, a usurper to the throne, moved the capital from Angkor to Koh Ker
in 928AD. Sixteen years later Rajendravarman II returned the capital to Angkor and shortly thereafter constructed East Mebon on an island in the middle of the now dry Eastern Baray. The temple is dedicated to Shiva in honour of the king’s parents. Inscriptions
indicate that it was also built to help re-establish the continuity of kingship at Angkor
in light of the interruption that occurred when the seat of power had been moved to Koh
Ker.
Here we were greeted by three beautiful little girls at the entrance to the temple. Two were selling postcards
and the third was selling handmade bracelets. I knelt on the ground and the girls gathered round me. I handed each of them
a $1 note and picked out some postcards. The third girl handed me a dozen bracelets and I put them on immediately. The girl
smiled and me and scurried away. We toured the small temple and as my husband and the guide climbed the steps to the top,
I sat at ground level and watched a mother and her son playing in the field next door. It was obviously bath time and she
suddenly poured a bucket of water over his head! On our way out, one of the three little girls walked up to me and handed
me a piece of paper, on which she had drawn in green crayon three pretty flowers. She smiled up and me and said “For
you Madam, for free”. I think my heart exploded in my chest! Suffice to say I got back into our waiting car with tears
rolling down my face and that little picture still has pride of place on our fridge door!
Over
the next few days we revisited the temples, as well as visiting the Cambodian Land Mine
Museum, which was very moving. Hundreds of deactivated mines were stacked up everywhere – just a
small proportion of the mines deactivated by Aki Ra, a former child soldier.
Les Chantiers Ecoles was
created to help young people find work in their home villages, allowing them to practice traditional crafts, whilst providing
them with a vocation and a role in society. Crafts include silk screening, wood & stone carving, lacquering, and gilding.
Located close to the Old Market in Siem Reap, Artisans Angkor is open daily from 7.30am to 5.30pm with tours available in
Khmer, English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese and Thai. The school shop - Artisans
d’Angkor - is open until 6.30pm and sells a range of products with profits from the sales going back into funding
the school. Click here for more information.
Les Chantiers Ecoles also runs a silk farm about 16km west of Siem Reap, in the village of Pouk. All stages of the
production process can be seen here and the work produced and sold here is some of the best in the country.
Our time in Siem Reap was quite action-packed and we
left knowing that we had only touched the surface of what this beautiful country has to offer.
Until
the next time . . . . . we can't wait to go back!
For more information on places of interest together with personal recommendations of
hotels, guesthouses, restaurants & bars, click on 'On Location'
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