Trotting and Tuk-Tuking Round the Temples

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Trip Start Jun 27, 2007 Previous
Entry Trip End Mar 17, 2008 Next
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  Siem Reap, Cambodia
Monday, September 24, 2007

Monday 17th: Setting off in the wee hours it was a delight that the Air Asia catering had Vico a malty cup of goodness for that time in the morning. Flying over Cambodia was amazing, the Tonle Sap lake was enormous with so many houses in the water we hoped for them that they were stilted. Siem Reap airport new and spangley is efficient yet the board of seven to eleven officials sat opposite can seem quite scary till one of the girls cracked a big beaming smile.

Taxi ride to the guest house the airport is quite a way from the town you know, we check into Smileys which turns out to be a fantastic guest house not the cheapest but friendly and better than comfortable with the best spring rolls in Cambodia.

Standard walk around town to orientate, and we meet our first local souvenir sellers whilst having a coffee, a gaggle of giggling girls, with postcards and bracelets galore

Angkor area - Stupa

. The unusual offer to play tic-tac-toe the banter  'if you win the postcards are free, if you loose you buy my postcards, if we draw I leave you alone'. A good laugh we bought postcards on several occasions during he next week.

Tuesday 18th: Being big cheap skates wanting to get the most out of the seven day Angkor Wat (Big Multiple Cambodian Temple Attraction) pass, we opted to get our ticket after 5pm which gives you a free sunset plus your seven days. So it was at 4:30 we headed out with our Tuk-Tuk (Becak, Trickshaw, general motorbike propelled transport) driver to watch the sunset, given the prevalence of rain at the end of the Cambodian rainy season, needless to say there was no sunset, but we did decide that our Tuk-Tuk driver was sound so organised to have the same driver for the next seven days. (We're not lazy the temples are pretty far out and we wanted to do them in a crazy chronological not geographical order!!).

Wednesday 19th - Monday 24th: General Templing, Temple outline to follow. Starting with the earliest and working our way through the temples chronologically was our chosen route, despite Sna, our Tuk-Tuk, driver thinking we were crazy! (Just in case you want to know any more about the temples download the angkorguide.com)

So here it goes the temples:

Name,date, King, anything else.

Preah Ko 'The Sacred Ox', 879AD, Indravarman I , flanked on all sides by Cambodian grass cutters working to maintain the site in blistering heat

Angkor area

. The temple had well worn oxen, so worn it was more the spirit of an ox than a realist art work.

Bakong, 881AD, Indravarman I, shaped to represent Mount Meru, the 'temple mount', it had gorgeous elephant sculptures, each corner for five levels is a Practical Parade of Pachyderms on each corner. The artists sneakily decreasing them in size to make it all seem taller cheeky monkeys. 

Lolei 893AD, Yasovarman I, originally the centre of a Baray, a man made reservoir, it still stands although a little dry.

Phnom Bakheng 900AD, Yasovarman I. The name meaning 'Turning of the Body' used as part of the funerary rites, a reproduction in the style of Bakong, was the first to have towers on the central construction which represented the 'heavenly mountain'. Flanked on each side by an impressive set of stairs, no longer used, we hiked the circling trail to the top arriving just after sunrise, avoiding the elephant rides and rush of people every evening at sunset. The view was amazing, you could see for miles around, including a gorgeous, if not slightly cloudy, view of Angkor Wat peeking through the trees.

Angkor area - My Precious

Phimeanakas, meaning 'Celestial Palace', C.10-11th, Rajendravarman II. Augmented over the next century as part of the Angkor Thom city. A pretty little palace temple, a steep but short climb at the back, and you were up on to the somewhat cramped top level, but rewarded with some beautiful relief carvings.

East Mebon, 952AD Rajendravarman II. A local legend has it that the East and West Mebons were built in a competition. The West by girl and the East by a boy, although the dates of each make this unlikely, anyway as the baray around girl's Mebon remains to this day full of water, she won the competition and now it is boys that must make the marriage request rather than girls.

Pre Rup, 'Turning of the Body', 961AD, Rajendravarman II. Legend has it that this temple was once used for the funerary rites of Kings, although this has not been proved by archaeologists.

Ta Keo,  early C.11th, Jayavarman V, was uncompleted and so remains an impressive structure but lacking the elaborate stucco which adorns the other temples. Due to its unfinished nature it really was structurally impressive comprising impressive laterite, the local sandstone blocks, but slightly lacking in finesse and beauty

Angkor area - Ta Phrom

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Baphuon, mid C. 11th was reconstructed, Udayadityavarman II, the 200m sandstone causeway is the perfect introduction to what after it complete reconstruction will be as it once was one of more spectacular Angkor temples, recapturing it's name as 'golden mountain', however even after completion the golden spire will most likely remain absent as the debate about it's reality continues.

West Mebon, mid to late C.11th, Udayadityavarman II, in the middle of the still full baray (see earlier story East Mebon) the boat ride into the unknown as the baray is huge and the temple is out of sight, was just too costly.

Angkor Wat, meaning 'Temple City', early C. 12th, Suryavarman II, the mother of all temples or perhaps father given the male orientated monarchy. This really is impressive perhaps not the most pretty but certainly the most grand. Dedicated to Vishnu the temple structure is orientated to the west, orientated to the setting sun and as such associated by many with funerary rites and burials. Beautiful reliefs run around the wall of the third enclosure, depicting scenes from the Cambodian version of the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Cambodian history

Angkor area

. The detailing and style is exquisite, perhaps the highlights for those in a rush being the Apsaras flying above the 'Churning of the Ocean Milk', in which Vishnu became turtle to save the temple mount from toppling (which would bring about the end of the world) by moving it upon his back, whilst the demons and gods pull the naga wrapped around it to obtain immortality. The demons losing due to the distraction of the beautiful Apsaras. Also of note are the beautiful elephants and horses buffed to a shine by many naughty fingers in the battle scenes. Plus we liked the platform specifically made for elephant mounting.

Preah Khan, meaning 'Sacred Sword',C. 12th, Jayavarman VII. Well the name says it all this really is all about the sword and given it was built by a man well... no I'm sure it wasn't about that but the temple features multiple figures holding a double-edged two handed sword. Also within this temple there is a surprisingly Greek looking structure, almost like an English folly it resembled a two leveled temple.

Preah Neak Pean, meaning 'Entwined Serpents', C. 12th, Jayavarman VII. A shame that the water no longer flowed this temple would have stood in a central pool surrounded on four sides with carved fountains, a elephant, lion, human and horse

Angkor area

. The horse appearing again in a reconstructed statue probably now hugely out of place as it would have been underwater in the central pool. The best bit was the huge double naga surrounding the middle mount. We are now naga lovers plus garudas too as they are angry looking but cheeky too.

Ta Som, 'The Ancestor Som' ,C. 12th, Jayavarman VII, entered from the wrong direction! We were surprised by the large causeway at the back, gorgeous bigger than it looks and it's worth looking around on the ground as some of the blocks have some well persevered carvings.

Ta Prohm, 'The Brahma Ancestor',  C. 12th, Jayavarman VII. Tomb Raider baby!! OK so although now unfortunately renowned for being that bit out of Tomb Raider you can easily see why it was snapped up by a location scout. As you walk in through the throngs of people a couple in questionable reconstructions of Lara Crofts outfit although all subtly different so that if questioned I'm sure it's just a coincidence, the atmosphere is instantaneous. Having been left to the ravages of time and nature this is how the whole of Angkor would be if not cleared to National Trust standards by the numerous gardeners, however it is possibly a little preened taking out the less attractive trees and shrubs. The effect is magical and the photo opportunities scream out to many making smooth progression around impossible

Ap-sarah "heavenly being"?

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Bayon, part of the Angkor Thom 'Large City' complex C. 12th, Jayavarman VII. Yes the one that's got all the faces, the one in moody art photos on sale around the world, and plastered on the chest of almost every tourist t-shirt in Cambodia. From a distance it looks like a mound of rubble, but as you near the faces move slowly into focus and then impressive shadow. It is clear what all the fuss is about.

Preah Palilay, C. 12th, Jayavarman VII, small self contained and tucked out the back.

Preah Pithu, ,C. 12th, Jayavarman VII a collection of five temples an impressive view from the elephant and leper kings terraces.

Kleangs, 'The Store Rooms',C. 12th, Jayavarman VII, uncertain of their use these continue the impressive line up visible from the terraces.

Prasat Suor Prat, 'The Tightrope Walkers', C. 12th, Jayavarman VII, myth places these as the location for tightrope walker demonstrations, or perhaps where disputes between parties were settled men being placed at the top of each and the victor or the one who did no wrong, being the one not to undergo some malady

Angkor area - Extreme Close Up

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All of the Kleangs, Preah Pithu and Prasat Suor Prat are all beautifully decorated and well worth the short trek from the terraces.

(Not seen in chronological order - bonus at the end!)

Tep Pranam,meaning 'The Adoring God' ,C. 15th Buddhist, still a centre of Buddhist spiritualism, it is now the location of a Buddhist Nunnery, perhaps imagined by us, as when we recalled it to our tuk-tuk driver Sna he thought the existence of it and also Buddhist Nuns highly unlikely.

Banteay Srei, 'The Women's Citadel', 967AD, constructed by a religious teacher to Rajendravarman II and Jayavarman V. Beautiful in its pink sandstone, the intricate carvings remain thought to be carved only by women due to there refined nature, the carvings and women!! Surrounded by a still full moat the waterlilies contrast well in the morning light with the surrounding stone.
 
Banteay Kdei 'Citadel of Chambers', C

Angkor area - Bayon

. 12-13th, Jayavarman VII, almost missed it was a last minute out of order addition and boy are we glad. A maze of connecting rooms it was similar to Pre Rup in style, again gorgeous carvings popping up on fallen pieces of masonry.

Kravan, 921AD, Harshavarman I, out of style with the other temples this is a small linear collection of five brick towers, the middle tower decorated with Vishnu, particularly his reclaiming of the world from a demon. Achieved by him appearing in dwarf form and striking a deal that he would be allowed the distance he could cover in three steps. The deal struck became enormous and covered the whole universe in the strides.

Sna, us and sevenish days:

On our second trip out with Sna, we spent a lovely day looking around the temples and then went to his village, Sra Srang, to watch the sun set over the Royal bathing pool (a gorgeous big reservoir). We met some of Sna's peers, a gaggle of girls from his village, hell-bent on giving him a hard time, and selling us stuff. Sna's small stature being the favourite cause for grief! However, the drive home was not so lovely, still a couple of km from home, the weather decided to let us know what 'rainy season' really means

Angkor area

. Within seconds the road was under a foot of water, and the bike pulling the tuk-tuk could not cope. Ever the professional, Sna came round to reassure us that this doesn't usually happen and then like any good workman, went on to blame his tools. In less than standard tourist behaviour, Bill jumped out to offer a hand, and pushed the tuk-tuk while Sna attempted to jump start the bike (Sarah meanwhile remained snug in the tuk-tuk and acted all regal like! But tried to be a bit of a help by acting as a communications channel between front and back). After pushing it a fair distance, the bike finally sprang back into life, but not before we were scared out of ours by a sequence of gun shots - thank goodness we were motoring again!

After the crazy night in the storm, and our crazy non-tourist ways, Sna seemed to have warmed to us, and our lunches together became jolly affairs. For instance, while Sarah went to the loo, Sna proceeded to tell Bill how to chat up Cambodian beauties by saying 'Hello pretty girl' in a flirtatious manner. Although Sna was a little worried about Sarah's reaction upon return!

Sna also took us to his house to meet his adoptive family and their gorgeous pigs!

One of the highlights (get it?!) was going up in the static helium balloon for beautiful vistas of the surrounding countryside and temples. Sna overcoming his fear of heights and all of us having a good time looking at the gorgeous views.

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