The Temples of Angkor Wat

Due to the fact that it is really hard to get to Siem Reap in Cambodia without being ripped off by land, we decided to fly and managed to get a fairly cheap ticket with Bangkok Airways for $80 US. Anyone who has been with me anywhere near a plane can testify that this was a brave decision by me - made more so when we got there to find that the plane was a propeller driven plane. The journey ended up being fine and we got some great views over the jungles of Cambodia on our way in. Siem Reap (Khmer (that refers to the Cambodian people and language) for Siam (Thailand) conquered - a somewhat ironic name given Thailand occupied Siem Reap for over 200 years) airport was tiny but as a result we got through fairly quickly (no evil customs people here). We got a taxi into the town to the hotel we had arranged in Bangkok (always the best way as it avoids getting taken to some dingy little hole by a taxi driver on commission!!) but we did arrange with our driver, Kwan, for him to be our driver round Angkor Wat. He quoted us the rate recommended in the Lonely Planet too and spoke good English so we figured it was probably going to be good. We arranged for him to pick us up at 8 the following day then spent the rest of the afternoon in the bar before watching England's warm-up thrashing of Jamaica. We were greeted the next morning by a beautiful day in Siem Reap. Kwan was on time and we headed out of Siem Reap towards Angkor Wat It's only a short drive and Kwan pointed our various Siem Reap sights on the way. We stopped at the ticket office and bought our tickets - 3 day passes costing $40 US each. The pass was laminated and will make a good souvenir!! Unfortunately the site of Angkor Wat is run by a Vietnamese company so a lot of the money goes out of the country unfortunately. Kwan also told us that the biggest visitors were Koreans and they tended to stay in the Korean-owned, Korean-staffed hotel and used Korean guides. He wasn't a big fan of them!! Our first view of Angkor Wat was the moat surrounding the actual temple of Angkor Wat (the name refers to both the site as a whole and a specific temple). It was fairly wide - at least 100m. We could see the Wat wall right against the moat and a few of the towers. We followed the moat around and passed by the entrance and the causeway across the moat, as well as a huge amount of food stalls. We stopped outside the south gate of Angkor Thom - a great walled city just north of the temple of Angkor Wat - and Kwan told us to walk through the gate and we would meet him on the other side. Two things happened almost immediately as we exited the car. Firstly my glasses steamed up because of the difference in temperature - it was VERY hot! - and secondly we were greeted with lots of calls asking us if we wanted water, guidebooks, cameras etc. Unlike in Thailand, however, a nice "No Thank You" won't result in you being pursued for the next hundred metres. The South Gate to Angkor Thom was a causeway over a partially flooded moat. The causeway was lined with 54 gods and 54 demons (gods one side, demons the other), which relates to the Hindu myth of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk (more on that later). The heads are mostly intact but at the other three gates they've been stolen for us as rocks or to sell. The actual gate itself is about 20m high and decorated with stone elephant trunks. Angkor Thom (literally 'Great City') was built by King Jayavarman VII (you'll see his name a lot more!!) and is 8 miles by 12 miles - so very big all told. It's all jungle within the walls until the centre when it opens up to reveal the inner temple and palace area. First up was the Bayon which doesn't look much at first sight but once you're inside exploring it, it is a maze of tunnels and murals and was fascinating. I only just managed to get in as there are people checking your ticket outside all the main temples and outside the Bayon, the guard didn't believe it was me until I took my glasses off! We entered through the east entrance and wandered round the cloisters where they had murals called Bas reliefs which depicts everyday Cambodian life in the 12th century. There is over 1.2km of Bas reliefs in the Bayon and no, I didn't look at them all. We then wandered up to the second level and then to the third level, which had some great views down over the rest of Angkor Thom. Its a great experience wandering around the temple. You can see where parts have been restored but it is still a ruin. Next up was the terrace of Elephants. This is a 350 m long terrace decorated by elephants (surprise, surprise) which was used for viewing victory parades. It faces the Eastern Gate (also known as the Victory Gate) where victorious processions came through. If they lost they came through the Dead Gate (Western). The stairs to climb up onto the terraces are also lined with elephants with their trunks outstretched whilst picking lotus flowers. The Terrace of the Leper King is much smaller. The Leper King is a small nude statue atop the terrace. It's a copy as the original is in the national museum in Phnom Penh. It's an Angkorian mystery as to who the Leper King is. Myth has it that at least two of the Angkorian kings were lepers but it could also represent Yama, the god of death. There was also a little passageway that worked it's way round the edge of the terrace and you could see more bas reliefs down there. We got back into the car (thank god for airconditioning!) and Kwan took us through the Victory Gate and we headed east. Our next stop was a pair of temples called Thommanon and Chau Say Tevada which sit across the road from each other. We got out of the car and were immediately set upon by kids selling all kinds of stuff. We made the fatal mistake of buying something straight away - some little trinket for a dollar - and the kids who we didn't buy from then hounded us the rest of the way. Thankfully, they left us alone to view the temple in peace. Thommanon is a tiny little temple with a small library (I don't think any of the buildings referred to as libraries were actually libraries rather than just a name for a particular type of building). The main temple was in four parts and was in excellent condition. It's sister temple - Chau Say Tevoda - is in much worse state but is in the process of being renovated by the Chinese. After escaping the children (again), we headed further east and stopped at Ta Keo:

The majestic ziggurat of Ta Keo, most enigmatic of the minor fanes, stepping up toward the sun with a dignity and power suggestive of Angkor Wat [R.J. Casey]

Ta Keo is a unique temple in Angkor Wat for many reasons. First of all, it was never completed and they don't know why. A theory is that, as it is regularly struck by lightning, it might have frightened the builders and considered it bad luck. If it had been completed it could have been one of the finest temples in Angkor. The second unique feature is the absence of decorations giving it a complete simplicity. We picked up a shadow soon after entering the temple. He was a small boy of about 8 and he followed us around pointing things out and we gave him a dollar at the end. Ta Keo also offered great views out to Angkor Wat. Next up was the main reason for my visit: the jungle temple of Ta Prohm.

Ta Prohm's state of ruin is a state of beauty which is investigated with delight and left with regret [H Churchill-Candee]

Wandering around Ta Prohm was like entering another world. The archaeologists have left the place untouched (the jungle holds it together) and the jungle has taken over with ficus trees clambering over the walls. It gives the place an ethereal presence. We spent a good hour wandering through the complex exploring tunnels, finding some blocked by stones and trees, and others by hordes of tourists. I must have taken 20 pictures or more - every corner revealed another wonder of nature entwined with Khmer art. I confess to being a little sad to leave. I could have spent all day there amongst the trees and stone. Next stop was Bantu KDE - the citadel of the cells. This is also in fairly dilapidated condition but hasn't been attacked by the jungle to the same extent. The one curious fact about this place is that it was inaccessible during the 1960's due to a herd of dangerous deer. I'm not kidding either...! Just across from Bantu KDE is Srah Sang - the royal bath. This is a large lake which used to have a temple at the centre. We picked up some shadows at this point (again) - three or four children asking us if we wanted to buy water or postcards. We both made the mistake of saying 'Maybe' and were then followed all the time by two of them. We had run out of dollar bills by this point too so ended up buying a couple of cokes too but the little girl who had been following me around was part of a different stall so I ended up buying a t-shirt for $3 to stop her 'crying'. We had our lunch break at this point and we ate at a tiny little restaurant just by Angkor Wat. It was a good meal - chicken with yellow noodles - and we then chatted to Kwan for a bit while waiting for the heat of the day to pass. Dave had the Lonely Planet out trying Cambodian phrases. Next up was Angkor Wat itself:

Angkor Wat, in its beauty and state of preservation is unrivalled. It's mightiness and magnificence bespeak a pomp luxury surpassing that of a Pharoah or a Shah Jahan, an impressiveness greater than that of the Pyramids, an artistic dimension as fine as that of the Taj Mahal [D.H. Dickson]

The approach to Ankor Wat is across a causeway made more spectacular by the moat on either side. It was very hot by this point and there were few tourists around. The entry tower was very impressive with stairs leading up to the ornate gatehouse, but the view on the other side is most spectacular. The walls enclose an open grassy area with two fairly large libraries and two pools of water (one dry), and then the citadel of Angkor Wat with it's five towers representing Mt Meru - the mythical Hindu mountain. A walkway takes you through to the main citadel and, despite the temperature, the walkway was teeming with people. There was a horse tethered to a tree keeping in the shade and a little boy got a homemade kite into the air - made from string and a plastic bag. The main entrance to the citadel is through the Terrace of Honour and then, to the left and right, cloisters snake away with mural reliefs. These galleries were busy so we decided to do them on our way out. We entered the first of the three tiers. The galleries were in the shape of a cross with four small, dry pools - not sure if they were ever filled with water. To the right was the Gallery of 1,000 Bhuddas where, funnily enough, all the bhudda statues were kept. To the left was the Hall of Echoes and one of the guides demonstrated by smacking his chest with his hand and got a pretty decent echo. We continued up to the second tier and wandered round the inner cloisters which were lavishly decorated with asparas (celestial dancers). We also couldn't help but notice the steepness of the stairs up to the third and final tier. Thankfully one set of stairs had a hand rail although it seemed so shaky that I relied on the stairs and my own balance - thankfully without mishap. The view from the top was spectacular though out over the whole of Angkor. Only the priest and the king were allowed at these levels. At this point the rain promised by Kwan started to come down but thankfully we were under cover and the breeze that accompanies it was very welcome!! We descended down to the Bas reliefs at the start. The guide book gave us some detailed stories about the murals and we were also able to use it to identify key characters from the stories. First was the battle of Kurukshetra, a historical battle in a province of India. There was a second mural in the corner tower but the light wasn't too good to make it all out. The third long mural was another historical battle of the army of King Suryavarman II. We couldn't find any of the figures mentioned in the guide book but had more success with the fourth: the Judgement by Yama. On the left were three tiers showing people waiting to be judged. Yama was in the centre doing the judging and then on the right was heaven (at the top) and hell below. The fifth was the most interesting as it showed the epic Hindu myth : the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. The middle tier shows the ocean complete with various real and mythical sea beasts; to the left are the demons pulling the serpent Vasuki and to the right are the gods. Together they are churning up the ocean to make the elixir of life. There are several key characters including Hanuman, the monkey god. The next few all involved the Hindu deity Vishnu: fighting demons, fighting Bana the demon king and then fighting demons with other gods. The final scene was the Battle of Lanka showing the battle (mythical) between Rama and the demon King Rovana. It's curious why a lot of the Hindu gods and demons have multiple arms and heads (although not legs). We wandered back across the main causeway with most of the tourists heading the other way having sat out the heat of the day between 1 and 3 although it was still very hot. Our final temple of the day was Preah Kahn to the north of Angkor Thom. This is a bhuddist temple and yet another Jayavarman VII production. It has also been overrun by the jungle and was an enjoyable stroll - particularly as there were so few other tourists. We headed back to the hotel at this point and headed out to the hotel pool just in time for it to start raining and boy did it rain. We headed out for dinner at a place called the Red Piano in the centre of Siem Reap and the streets were so flooded it looked like Venice. The tuk-tuk was sending up all kinds of spray and at one point it was coming through the tuk-tuk floor. Meal was good: chicken with ginger and the local beer: Angkor. The water had receded by the time we headed back although our tuk-tuk driver made up for that convenience by getting lost.

every corner revealed another wonder of nature entwined with Khmer art

Another 8 AM start and we headed to the most northern temple about 30km north of Siem Reap called Banteay Srei, known colloquially as the pink temple.

Banteay Srei is an exquisite miniature; a fairy palace in the heart of an immense and mysterious forest; the very thing that Grimm decided to imagine, and that every child's heart has yearned after, but which maturer years has sadly proved too lovely to be true. And here it is, in the Cambodian forests at Banteay Srei, carved not out of the stuff that dreams are made of, but of solid sandstone [ H.W. Ponder]

The route to the temple was interesting in itself as we meandered through Cambodian villages passing by on either side and the Khmer going about their daily routines. The temple itself was more of a red colour than pink. We headed down the causeway. There were partial ruins to the left and to the right. The actual temple itself is surrounded by a wall and then a (dry) moat. It's unlike any other temple at Angkor and is closer to Indian designs. The use of pink sandstone is also unique. The temple layout had two tiny libraries and a central sanctuary. We wandered round the temples and the moat three or four times - avoiding the hordes of Korean tourists but also because it was so enjoyable. We drove back the same way then took a little detour to Banteay Samre. It was a little out of the way and very deserted. The Lonely Planet even recommends caution in case you get robbed. We were set upon as we arrived, but again, it was by children. Remembering our experience from the previous day we kept saying 'No thanks' even when they tried to sucker us with a 'Maybe?'. We managed to pass them on to a group coming out of the temple. Banteay Samre was completely deserted and so we had a free explore. Nothing particularly stood out but it was still a pleasant little temple. Samre refers to a group of mountain people but virtually nothing is know about them. We headed out and met an American couple being pestered by the children and the lady was telling them in true American style that they should be in school. Ironic given they spoke better English than she did. The children in Cambodia only do half a day at school because they are needed to go and help earn money for their families but they do get their schooling free so they all go. They did get us in the end - we bought a bottle of water each and made doubly sure it was from the right kid!! No tears this time. Next up was the East Mebon which is a sister temple of Preah Kup. The temple is a square with three levels with the five towers of Mount Meru but the unique feature is the eight elephants - one on each corner of the first and second levels. Most are in really good condition too. We walked out the back and found a sweet little baby asleep on the back steps. No sign of mum though (probably selling postcards round the front). Preah Rup was very similar and didn't have anything particularly special to it. Next stop was Ta Som, which was a small and fairly quite little temple but had a really cool feature: the eastern entrance has a ficus tree growing over it and the roots create an extended entrance. It seems like something out of a Disney theme park. Neak Pean was next up and another unique little temple. It had a long entrance path lined with street vendors. The temple itself is a small (tiny!) sanctuary in a (dry) square pool with four smaller square pools. We sat in the shade by this place for a while because it was so picturesque. Yet another Jayavarman VII temple and was for pilgrims to take water spiritually and physically. We stopped at one temple that wasn't even in the guide book so it must have been newly discovered. It was called Banteay Prei. Can't tell you anything about it, except that it was in fairly poor condition and had lots of props holding parts up, particularly in the doorways. Kind of felt like we had helped discover it!! Our last stop in Angkor Wat was the Royal Palace, Phimeanakas and Bauphon. These are all behind the Terrace of the Elephants in Angkor Thom. The Phimeanakas is a small temple in the Royal Palace grounds where the king worshipped. It was a very steep climb up (probably the steepest and that's saying something) particularly the final set. We were very hot and sweaty when we got to the top but the view was well worth it. We then headed to the Baphuon which was in the process of being renovated. We could walk round the sides but not into the temple. It was interesting to see them at work having to individual carve each stone and place it by hand into the correct place. We headed back into Siem Reap for lunch then headed to the land mine museum. Its run by a Khmer called Aki Ra, who was trained by the Khmer Rouge to lay mines and fight, whilst aged only ten. He was captured by the Vietnamese and fought for them. Since peace was declared he has worked with the UN helping to defuse land mines and helping landmine victims. The museum has an absolute ton of landmines of all shapes and sizes and lots of good information and newspaper cuttings from around the globe about the museum and landmines in general. There were several of Aki Ra's adopted orphans around and they seemed very happy. Several volunteers too. The whole museum was very interesting albeit tiny. From there we went to see the models of Angkor Wat. The model maker was a delightful old Khmer man who spoke no English but did speak French so Dave did all the talking and translated for me. The models were fantastically detailed of Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei. We got several good pictures including one with the model maker in it. We then picked up our bus tickets, exchanged some money and headed back after saying goodbye and thanks to Kwan who had been excellent. He told us a lot about Cambodia and the Khmer people. Interestingly Angkor Wat is actually owned by a Vietnamese company and very little of the money actually gets back to the Khmer people. The Koreans are also particularly bad at not spending their money in the right way as they stay at Korean owned hotels and employ Korean guides. Overall the Angkor Wat experience was every bit as good as I hoped. It is a truly magnificent site.