SIMPLY (t)RAVELLING

Amazing Angkor

 

Day 3 : Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap

It was 4.00am. We were sort of early birds these days. Angkor was on the plan, and it was imperative that we made our virgin pilgrimage to the sacred site during the sunrise hence had to wake up at an unearthly hour of the morning.  Still groggy, we dragged our feet out from the guesthouse to a dark and desolate town, and found Sweet faithfully waiting for us.

In the chill of the early morning, Sweet’s tuk tuk zoomed past the quiet streets and from time to time overtaken by other tuktuks heading for the same direction.  The queue was already building up when we arrived at the ticket counters, where we secured our entrance passes with our puffy faces out of lack of sleep stamped on it.

From the ticket counter we were then taken to Angkor west gate and trudged behind other tourists across the ancient moat to the temple ground. It was pitch black and the floor uneven; and walking would have been difficult if not for our flashlight and the bright blue LED lights emanated from others’ cell phones. We headed to the favorite photography spot in front the lake, but my hope for good sunrise photo of Angkor dashed upon seeing the crowd. The grey, bleak and cloudless sky was not helping either. Luckily we managed to get a spot with uninterrupted view of the temple, and tried to make the best of it.

 

We waited patiently for the light of day, and as the sun appeared I quickly hit the shutter for my first Angkor shot. While waiting for the long exposure to end, suddenly a woman and her friend came hastily from my behind and squeezed her way in front of me, knocking my tripod and several others out of balance. Without apologizing, she sat in front of me drooling at the stupendous sight with the ‘oohhs’ and ‘aahhs’ while her big head blocking our view, which added to my temper. I care naught  for the over romanticized traveller versus tourist definition - to me it was only a play of word at what you do instead of who you are, but I can’t really stand a stupid and rude one.  Annoyed and frustrated, I lifted my camera and took the shot handheld for fear losing the moment. Well this was my poor attempt at the capturing of the sunrise at that. However on the high note now I’ve more reasons to revisit Angkor, haven’t I?

 

Another version of the majestic temple with its corn cob like towers silhouetted against the vivid sky. It was indeed a splendid sight, and my inept skills at photos and words fall short in describing them.

 

The gibbous moon above Angkor, with tourists grazed the pastures down below.

 

A monk, enjoying the serene morning. 

 

A man found sleeping at one of the temple opening, with Angkor as its background.

 

We left the lake at the break of dawn, and made our moves to the main complex. The crowd were still there engulfing the breathtaking view of Angkor, hence we got the inside all for ourselves.  

 

 The symmetrical corridor of Angkor, which reminded me of David Bowie’s Labyrinth.

 

One of the pillars inside Angkor central hall, with unfinished engravings. Built by King Suryavarman II circa 12th century as his state temple and capital city; it took 30 years of hard work and some hundred thousand slave labors to eventually built Angkor Wat to its current state of grandeur, only to be abandoned shortly after the king’s death.

 

We traipsed along the quiet and dark corridors, marvelling at the architecture and the intricate bas-reliefs while tracing the steps of the ancient kings and royalties. I pinched myself hard, still can’t believe that I’ve finally made it here. I was so awestruck with the whole experience, and was lost for words. The epiphany of being inside such splendid megastructure befitting a king was too much to comprehend.

 

Angkor Wat was actually built in dedication to the Hindu Lord, Vishnu and later gradually changed to Buddhist in parallel with the adaptation of the country’s new faith. Similar to what we’d seen in Ayutthaya, the Buddhas inside Angkor are all headless, hacked and stolen by tomb raiders and thieves to be sold at the antiquities and collectors around the world.

   

It was hard to leave Angkor, and yet we’ve a lot more to discover. We lingered for a while, exploring every nook and cranny, touching and feeling how it was like during its heydays. We set off as people started throng in; with all the noise and rackets it was difficult to appreciate all the beauty and life it once had.

 

Next is Angkor Thom,  another temple city established by Suryavarman II successor, the Jayavarman IV, 27 years after the death of the former king. Surrounded by 10km square brick gate, Angkor Thom complex comprises of several temples and palaces including the famous Bayon.

 

 The many faces of Bayon, said to be resembling the face of the King Jayavarman IV himself.

 

 The Khmer guard, in front of his ancestral figure.

 

Smiling Bayon, in monochrome.

 

 A girl clad in the Apsara dancer costume getting ready for the photoshoot.

 

 Another girl in Apsara dancer’s costume.

 

Leaving Bayon and his many expressions, we walked to the next temple under the shades of the trees and spotted these kids at play while their mothers (in green uniforms) doing the cleaning.

 

The next temple in vicinity is the Baphuon. Located across a lake preceded by a long walkway, the structure is basically looks Mayan to me with a flight of stairs. This whole temple affair was too overwhelming (read: tiring) so we decided to hang on the outside and took this lovely kid’s photo instead.

 

 Tourists taking a breather under the tree in front of the Terrace of the Elephants.

 

We walked side by side along the long wall engraved with elephants carvings, some already fading and crumbling, until we arrived at the Terrace of the Leper King. At 10am the day was getting hot, and we were all sweaty and thirsty from all the climbing and walking hence decided to give it a pass.  Furthermore, there was not much review about the place and it is mostly skipped. But somehow we did it anyway, and are glad of it. On the inside of what looks like a dull, moth-eaten facade was full with rows of dramatic bas-reliefs of Apsara dancers and compositions depicting the royal lifes.

 

 Apsara dancers at the Terrace of The Leper King.

 

There are many versions on how the place got it’s nickname. Historians believe that King Jayavarman IV suffers from leprosy himself, due to the many hospitals he built during his reign. Others suggest that the Khmer architecture was indeed furnerary and serves as tomb for the kings, thus relates to the god of death Yama, whose a leper. What ever it is, walking along these ancient sculptures covered with all the cobwebs really give me the aura of Lady Croft. Although it only last for a few minutes. Hehe.

 

 Local workers cycling through Angkor Thom South gate.

Terrace of the Leper Kings ended our short discovery of Angkor Thom, and we headed to another temple in our Angkor mini circuit. We passed by few citadels such as the Ta Keo and Phimeanakas, but too tired to explore so we just taking photos of the overall structures. The next location was Ta Phrom, and the temple was located a few hundred meters away inside a forest.  Here we were being inspected for our tickets, and it is best to keep them safe until you finish your tour. 

 

Kids playing at Ta Phrom.

 

Ta Phrom. Similar to the Bayon, it was built by King Jayavarman IV, however after the fall of Khmer empire the structure was left uninhibited. After centuries of abandonment, the forest started to embrace the crumbling temple; until it was discovered in the early 20th century. Now it was one of the popular and most visited site at Angkor, thanks to the filming of the game adaptation movie Tomb Raider.

 

 A local woman taking a rest at the rubbles and ruins of Ta Phrom.

 

Shrouded by hundred-year-old giant trees, with their massive roots cuddling the mossy stone roofs and the walls bequeath the temple with the romantic and surreal charms. Ta Phrom is hauntingly beautiful.

   

Restoration worker at rest at Ta Phrom.

 

 Walls decorated with ornamental carvings and statues at Banteay Kdei.

 

It was nearing 2.00pm when we finished with Ta Phrom, and headed back to Siem Reap. On the way Sweet asked us whether we want to stop at Banteay Kdei, another temple in the large circuit which coincidentally on our route. Unfortunately we were too exhausted and the 34 degree heat was giving me headache, so we decided not to. Stretching over 400 square km, Angkor Archeological Park is really huge and a half day tour is definitely inadequate. There’s a lot more to see and photograph, but my short stay in the land of Khmer made that impossible. Looking back as Sweet’s tuk tuk took us away from all the brilliance, I made a self-promise to come back for more. Someday.