Siem Reap, Cambodia 

I had the best day! I left Platinum Haven Boutique Hotel-

around 8 am to go exploring before it got too hot.  Along the way is one of the many bridges crossing the Siem Reap River-

I stopped for a baguette with paté and an iced coffee.  It was so good but how can it not be when they use condensed milk?  They brought a cup full of spring onions that were very mild and I filled my sandwich with them-

I stopped at Preah Ang Chek-

and Preah Ang Chorm Shrine which are on the grounds of the Royal Residence.  They burn incense as offerings. Three sticks are used as a sign of respect-

One can buy birds to release for spiritual merit-

Other offerings include the lotus flower-

and candles-

There are paintings on the inner wall-

 with Buddha-

The garden area is very nice with many warrior statues-

I carried on to the Angkor Wat Museum.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to go in, but decided I may as well because I am not coming back. I am so glad I did because it was awesome.  I rented an audio guide that was very helpful.  

I can’t imagine what it would be like to be an archeologist and come across some of these statues buried in dirt.  They all come from the Angkor Wat area and are made of either bronze, sandstone, or wood depending on which material was available. They date from the 10th to 19th centuries.  The detail in the carvings is unbelievable.

There are many dieties in Hindu mythology.  Hinduism and Buddhism both originated in India but they have different beliefs and practices. Hinduism does not have a single founder whereas Buddhism was founded in the sixth century by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.  Both religions believe in reincarnation and that a person’s actions determine their next life.  They also both agree in karma but Buddhism’s final goal is to achieve Nirvana or union with the universe.  Hinduism is based on sacred texts known as the Vedas and others where as Buddhism is based on the teachings of Buddha.  There is a lot oh mythology in Hinduism. The museum was full of many buddhist and Hindu sculptures all mixed together. The workmanship of the carvings was unbelievable.

A reclining Buddha means Buddha is entering Nirvana. He lies on his right side with his head facing north, uses his right arm as support and his left arm lies along his torso-

There were a lot of Buddhas to see but there really isn’t a lot of difference in the poses-

Calling the earth to witness-

There were a lot of examples of Buddha sheltered by naga which is a being half cobra half human-

but only one Buddhapada, Buddha’s footprint-

Some sculptures are made of wood-

and others of sandstone such as healing Buddha who has hair in the shape of a lotus flower and in his hands he holds healing medicine. His tunic is skin tight and looks transparent-

The Buddhist triad is Buddha in the middle and on the right is the god of compassion and on his left the goddess of wisdom-

In the hallway is a place to pray with numerous petitions  you can use to ask for help –

Harihara is a combination of Hari - Vishnu and Hara - Shiva, Hindu gods-

The head of a female divinity made of sandstone from the early 7th century-

In the Hindu religion there are 3 main dieties:  Vishnu- the god of preservation, Brahma the god of creation and Shiva the god of destruction who also has a third eye. 

 

Brahma has 4 faces and 4 arms-

Ganesha is the son of Shiva and has the body of a man with an elephant’s head-

There were so many beautiful heads-

Narasimha is the man lion, the fourth incarnation of Vishnu.  He appeared as the man lion to kill a demon-

There are 17 rows of carvings on each of the four faces of this boundary piece equalling 1020 Vishnus-

Peaks of pediments are the triangular part at the top of the front of a building that supports the roof and is often decorated-

Lintels are a horizontal support across the top of a door-

Colonettes support lintels-

Four armed Lokesvara-

The torso of Vishnu-

Standing Buddha made of wood-

Asura the demon-

Deva, one of the many Hindu gods-

Buddhist boundary stones designate the sacred area in a Buddhist temple-

Harita is Mom and child-

Hevajra has 8 heads and 20 arms-

The turtle is a symbol of longevity and strength –

Elephants are the most prevalent animals on the temples-

A lion’s head-

A stele written in Sanskrit and ancient Khmer-

Apsaras were celestial nymphs who performed for the gods in heaven-

That was a lot to take in!  The museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation and presentation of Angkorian artefacts and to provide information and education about art and culture of Khmer civilization with collections mainly dated from Khmer Empire’s Angkor period circa 9th to 14th century. Most of the artefacts were discovered in and around the Angkor archeological sites where I am going tomorrow.

After the museum, I got a tuk tuk to PubStreet-

where I visited with Grant from Vancouver who  worked as a chef on cruise ships for 30 years and with a man from Edmonton who now lives in Mesa and works for PayPal.  I found a bar that charged $.50 for draft beer.  Cambodia money is the riel but they mostly use the US dollar.  Thankfully, they also take credit cards without an added percentage.

Pub street is about three blocks of restaurants and bars that really gets hopping at night. The Red Piano was made famous by Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider-

I had a chicken Caesar salad for lupper-

but could have had beetles-

or stewed pig’s head-

or some meat and egg concoction-

Later I had a pedicure-

It was very hot so I really enjoyed the later afternoon in my air-conditioned room. Tomorrow I will be picked up at 8:20 and spend most of the day at Angkor Wat.  It’s going to be awesome!