It usually takes me a while to start each blog entry because a) I'm a ridiculous perfectionist and b) there is often tons to tell you! That last sentence has already been deleted about 5 times before I chose this opening. I really thought Siem Reap was mostly going to be all about the Temples of Angkor- but there was so much more. While I try to gather my thoughts on the last few days, let me tell you about our experience with the most famous temple of all- Angkor Wat...
We chose (well, I suggested, Patrick reluctantly agreed) to see Angkor Wat at sunrise, meaning an ungodly wake-up call of 4.30a.m. Here's a tip, folks- don't head out on a temple sightseeing day with only 3 hours sleep. For some reason, vodka red-bulls had been our choice the night before...though our sleep was disturbed, luckily we were still buzzing when we woke up! Ang, our 22-year-old tuk-tuk driver, picked us up and sped away in the dark, as I clutched an orange juice carton and cinnamon roll for dear life. We arrived in no time, thanks to Ang's competitive streak against other tuk-tuk drivers, and followed the legions of people heading into the pitch black Angkor Wat grounds. I barely remembered to bring my brain with me that morning, let alone a flashlight, so we just followed anybody who had one, hoping they were going the right way. Even historic Angkor Wat is not free from scams: many guys thrusting incense sticks into your hands as they force you to pray and bow down to a Vishnu statue, where there happens to be a pile of 'generous donations'. Anyway, we soon heard a low grumble and hundreds of camera flashes; we were in the right spot. So we sat, settled and waited for the big moment...At first, we all looked into darkness, but soon enough a faded outline of Angkor Wat began to form...then with indigo behind it, then purple, and eventually a baby pink; the latter the perfect complement to the fuchsia pink crocuses below.
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| Capturing Patrick mid-OJ-gulp at Angkor Wat |
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The early start had been worth it, I thought, as I downed my OJ. After gazing at this majestic sight, along with the paparazzi swarm, we headed inside the wat itself, to have a closer look at the architecture. It was just as impressive as it was from a distance, but I was to see other temples that, artistically, would impress me more...
Don't worry, I'm not going to go into detail about every single wat we visited over the last 3 days- believe me, I'd be here for weeks-but I do want to mention a few of my favourites. One of the more unusual Angkor sacred sites was Kbal Spean, ancient stone carvings in a riverbed deep into the forest. Though the beauty of these god-depictions was reason enough to head there, the 2km hike through Cambodian forest was also much needed exercise for Patrick and I! Another highlight- the Elephant Terrace, and the Temple of the Leper King. The former was a 300m long terrace, elephants and mahouts carved onto the facing wall. Spectators and royal subjects used to stand on this terrace and watch shows, many with performing elephants, in the huge square below. As you stand and look out from the terrace top, one can easily picture this happening. Speaking of vivid pictures, venturing into the Leper King Temple's once-hidden passage was a real treat. Beautifully preserved carvings of underworld kings and their princesses line the 7m high walls; it is difficult to believe these had been created over 1000 years ago! It was fun zipping along the lanes, looking out for menacing 'nagas' (mythical serpent-type creatures) that looked real enough to jump out at you!
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| Elephant Terrace |
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| Underground passages at the Leper King Temple |
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| Kbal Spean |
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| Preah Khan. |
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| Preah Khan. |
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| Preah Khan- I didn't mention this one, but it was featured in 'Tomb Raider'. It has been taken over by the forest- tree roots climbing around the ruins. |
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| More Preah Khan. |
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| Cambodian forest on the way to Kbal Spean. |
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| Kbal Spean. |
There are so many lovely ones to talk about; the Khmer architecture is effortlessly intricate, beautifully overwhelming. But our favourite temples were the ones where you could close your eyes and peacefully imagine yourself back in that glorious Khmer empire- not the ones where you closed your eyes and all you heard was a frantic tourist yabber.
The whole experience extended to more than just temple sightseeing. Other highlights...
The hundreds of hawkers that shout as soon as your tuk-tuk parks up. 'LADY! SIR! WANT SOMETHING TO DRINK? COLD WATER? SCARF? PAINTING? ONLY $5! MAYBE YOU COME BACK?. Unbelievably desperate!
The music bands outside every temple, comprised of land-mine victims. We visited a land-mine museum, founded by Aki Ra, a former Cambodian child soldier, both for the Khmer Rouge, and once he was captured, the Vietnamese. He had such an interesting story in his own right; here are just a few. Once, when he was on the Vietnamese side, he looked down his gun scope and saw his uncle on the Khmer Rouge side. It was clear his uncle had not seen him, as he continued to shoot. Ari Ra had to shoot as well, but deliberately missed; a suspicious move, considering his usual accuracy. Today, he and his uncle laugh together about the whole thing. Another story- child soldiers from both the Khmer Rouge and Vietnam would collect food for their side. Occupying the same territories, they would inevitably meet, and would play together. As Aki Ra so succinctly put it: 'The next day we would kill each other'. These experiences made Aki Ra want to help his country, so he became a 'de-miner': a person who tracks down landmines and deactivates them. There are millions of landmines left in Cambodia after the Vietnam War, that still maim people on a daily basis. Aki Ra's museum did an amazing job of getting this message across, and deserves a lot of support. An incredible man; for those who have read 'Three Cups of Tea', a true 'Greg Mortenson' type. I can't possibly tell you everything I learnt there; here's a website if you want to find out more about it.:
Cambodian Landmine Museum
One of the best things about the last three days? Traveling with Ang, and learning about his home life...as well as dancing along to the tuuuuuuuuuuunes, both Western and Cambodian, on his orange boom-box. Blasting out 'Boom Boom Pow' by the Black Eyes Peas whilst approaching an ancient temple was slightly surreal... We'd get to know Ang a lot beter by the time we left for Siem Reap...see the next blog entry for more!
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