Tuesday November 17, 2009
Siem Reap, Cambodia Day 4
Hot, Humid and a Downpour!
Wow! What a day! It started early cuz both of us got up early (like 5AM) so I worked on my diary while Sandra worked out. Had an OK breakfast (it was a buffet breakfast catered to foreigners) where again I was the only non-white person. Very weird. As a matter of fact, I think Sandra and I were the only North Americans!
Anyhow, 830am came up quickly where we met our guide Heoman to our first destination, the great Angkor Wat, the largest religious institution in the world. I thought I’d be disappointed as Angkor Thom was so majestic but WRONG!! It was a glorious experience.
Angkor Wat which means “Ancient City” was built about 100 years before Angkor Thom and is a Hindu temple with a bit of Buddhist influence. It was the biggest city in Asia at that time and with the most sophisticated culture. And it was breathtaking. Historians believe it was built to worship the Hindu god Vishnu (protector of the worlds) by King No.2 (Suryavarman II).
We entered from the East because our fabulous guide Heoman knew how to avoid the crowds. Most people enter from the West, which is the main entrance and is the direction of death. It is thought that if you walk counterclockwise through the temple you go back in time to the birth of the world. But some historians think it was built simply as a temple and a mausoleum for King II. Either way, it is magnificent and wonderful. I cannot imagine people building this city in the 12th century. It supposedly took 500,000 people and god knows how many years to build it.
We entered from the East Gate which was not crowded at all.
The whole complex is surrounded with a 190meter wide moat that makes the moat around the Imperial Palace in Japan look puny. I mean, how did they build a perfectly rectangular moat in those days? The central temple consists of three stories where the top story represents Mt. Meru – the heavens, and the moat represents the oceans. The seven-headed snake (naga) that is the bridge to the complex becomes the rainbow bridge for men to take so that they can reach the heavens. The staircases are steep and difficult to climb as it is difficult to reach heaven. (Fortunately they installed a staircase for us tourists so we don’t fall and kill ourselves while exploring the complex). And all the stone bricks are basically stacked on top of one another without cement or anything else! (thank God there are no earthquakes..)
Pictures don’t do it justice, you really have to see it. One of my favorite concierges from my apartment Kawaii-san went to Angkor Wat over 20 years ago and was told to focus on the beauty than taking photos. It truly is a magical place that one must see. I now understand why it is one of the 7 wonders of the world.
Photos of Angkor Wat
First view of one of the 5 towers
Our first view of the complex and all 5 towers
The incredible detail carvings found everywhere in Angkor Wat
The monks of Angkor Wat
More photos of the complex.
The main tower and stairway to heaven.
The building blocks of Angkor Wat
The novice monks of Angkor Wat
Last view of Angkor Wat
We then got back to our hotel for a rest. Sandra took a course in hospitality and one of the most important things a very good travel guide can do is to not pack a lot in one day. Well, we got the perfect travel guide. It was very hot for us so it worked out perfectly that we had about a 2.5 hr break before our next endeavor. BUT instead of resting like the locals, we went SHOPPING!! We picked up spices that were unique to Khmer cooking like curry powder and palm sugar at the local market and at a fancy market, which donates a lot of the proceeds to the needy. However, I was really bothered about not getting a stone mortar and pestle and was actually quite bummed I did not buy it last night. The spice lady at the market was so nice that I asked her about getting one and she escorted us through the old market to a kitchen stall who produced a gorgeous stone mortar and pestle just like the one I saw last nite. It is made of local Cambodian stone. To make a long story short, we bargained a bit, and I ended up buying one that was newer for only 8USD! The problem is that is weighs about 20 pounds!! And I have to carry it through Laos and Thailand. But I really wanted it and it is unique to Cambodia so it was a gift to me to remember the wonderful people and cuisine of Cambodia.
Our favorite spice shop
Main street Siem Reap
Before we knew it, it was 2:30pm and time to meet Hemoan for our next activity which was to go to Ta Prohm which is a Buddhist temple being devoured by the jungle. It is a Buddhist temple King 7 made to honor his mother. The drive to the temple was gorgeous.. Very relaxing and calming as we were surrounded by rice paddies, ponds and the jungle. When we arrived we were greeted by the high-pitched singing of the cicadas, which added to the ambience. It is very difficult for me to put in words the experience because I have never seen trees devour a building before. The trees called Sprung trees grew on top of and around the temple sometimes choking the temple with its strong roots. The skies also started opening up where all of a sudden we were in a down pour that added to the magical experience. There were many tourists but because we had Hemoan, he knew how to avoid them and we were able to enjoy the visit thoroughly.
Ta Prohm
Our next stop was to enjoy the sunset against Angkor Wat but because the weather gods had other ideas, we decided to post pone it until tomorrow. We went back to our hotel, relaxed a bit and then decided to head across the street to “pub street” to find a Happy Hour place. But as we were just about to venture outside – a downpour. I mean buckets of water with the streets flooding. We decided to brave it and go for happy hour. We ended up in the French Café kitty corner from our hotel that had electricity because of a very loud generator. We had spring rolls and wine while the rain came down. But when it decided to stop, we went to a Khmer restaurant catering to tourists where we had wine, beer, Khmer chicken curry, stir fried morning glory ( a delicious veggie) and rice for only 15 USD including tip.
Storm clouds moving in.
Rain!
Although it was only about 8pm, it was time to go back to our hotel, have a glass a wine from the bottle we bought at the grocery store and call it a nite.
What a wonderful day! I finally saw the Angkor Wat and as a bonus saw a temple slowing being devoured by trees. The rain added a unique ambiance to the whole day as after all we are in tropical southeast Asia. Before going to bed (at 9pm btw) we discussed how lucky we are to travel and meet such wonderful people. We love Cambodia and cannot wait where Hemoan will take us tomorrow.
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