Temples - Day 2

My alarm rang at 3:30 and I was on the bus at 4:05.  This better be worth it was all I could say.  

Angkor is an umbrella term for a 400 square  kilometre (150 square mile) area that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of 72 ancient temples built during the Khmer Empire between the 9th and 15th centuries.  It was a Hindu area until the 12th century when King Jayavarman VII declared that it was okay to worship whichever religion one liked so the whole area switched to Buddhism.  Angkor Wat was built in the 12th century as a Hindu temple.  The highest tower is 65 meters so all buildings in Siem Reap must be lower than this.  

We arrived at Angkor Wat in the dark and found a place at the viewing fence. The sunrise-

We weren’t the only ones there-

Originally there were 9 towers but only 5 remain-

At one time there would have been over 100,000 worshippers.  It took 150,000 people and 6000 elephants 30 years to build and was originally painted red inside and gold on the outside.  The royal family worshipped here.

We started on the third floor. Thank goodness they’ve made a proper staircase-

The original staircase and outside wall-

There are many towers and rooms on the third floor-

The carvings of the mystical dancers called aspara show over 100 different hairstyles and some even have stretch marks-

We went down to the second floor where there are hundreds of feet of bas-relief carvings of Hindu legends such as the Churning of the Sea of Milk-

immediately followed by the bas- relief Heaven and Hell which shows various forms of torture-

Sculptures destroyed by the Khmer Rouge-

We exited by the east gate-

The moat that surrounds Angkor Wat is 3.1 miles by 2.2 miles-

Our next visit was at Ta Phrom which is also called the Tomb Raider Temple.  It too was built by King Jayavarman VII for his mother.  The temple is covered over by roots of huge parasitic trees, either the silk-cotton tree or the thitpok tree-

Laura Croft Tomb Raider, a shit film accord to the Aussies I was travelling with and Indiana Jones were shot here.  

The central tower-

contained 10,000 rubies and 600 kg of gold (which has yet to be found).  These are the largest gem holding holes of all-

More towers and carvings-

and even a dinosaur carving-

That is my biggest question about these temples. A lot of restoration has been done and so what is original and what is fake, what is the truth and what is interpreted?  Are there written records from this time period?  I guess you just have to go with it and listen to your tour guide and take it for what it is. I am certainly glad that I visited the museum before these two days. I believe that what is in the museum is all original and thank goodness they took those pieces away from the outdoor sites in order to protect them.

King Jayavarman VII was a trillionaire who was very generous and responsible for all of these temples.  He put women first and believed men and women were equal in a time when that was not the norm.  He built 108 hospitals, many highways and 121 guesthouses along the highways where people could stay for free.

After a breakfast stop, we walked by Ta Proon, an 11th century temple-

 

Elephants were crucial to the building of the temples so they are very revered.  Many are shown in bas relief on the outside walls-

Bayon was our last visit-

King Jayavarman VII also built this temple, this one for himself and it is his tomb.  It took 10 years to build, was built from recycled stone and is 43 meters high.  It was originally covered in gold.

There are 54 towers-

and each one has four heads carved on it.  There are varying ideas about who they are - some say they are Brahma-a Hindu god, Buddha and the king himself while other reports say all four are of Buddha.

I say they are amazing!

More scenes of daily life and mythical characters-

We saw a few monkeys.  I hate them because they carry disease and will steal right out of your hands.  I watched this guy open this bottle and take a drink.  One thing for sure, they are not stupid-

My Bulgarian friends-

On our way back to Siem Reap at noon, Chaay, our guide stopped to get us sticky rice cooked in sugar cane with a hint of black bean paste.  It was quite good-

Back in Siem Reap, I had fish amok for lupper, this time served in a stick of bamboo. I liked it better than the chicken amok I had yesterday-

It was very hot so I had a snooze, then went walking and found the depot from where I will take a van to Battambang on Monday.  I always like to know where I’m going in case the place has moved or disappeared.

Nearby is Pub Street-

No thanks-

I walked down a few small alleys and talked with a shop keeper who said she has been in business for 18 years and things are good.  That’s so hard to believe when shop after shop sells the same things.  Chaay was saying that since Covid, the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans have practically disappeared.  They used to be the bulk of tourists but for now it’s Europeans, Australians and North Americans.  It was nice not to be surrounded by the crazy pushy Chinese!  I did see a group at a temple. The women always dress colourfully-

Tomorrow I am going on another tour to see homes on stilts beside the lake of Tonlé Sap.  

Even though the last two days were long and hot, I enjoyed seeing the beauty and wonder of Angkor Wat.