October 14, 2012

Siem Reap, Cambodia Oct. 11-12, 2012


Siem Reap, Cambodia

On a slow turbo prop aircraft it was a two-hour flight from Luang Prabang, Loas to Siem Reap, Cambodia.  Looking out of the window on arrival it looked like the entire country was underwater.  We thought it looked like the Okavango Delta in Botswana but it was just the standing water left over from the rainy season in Cambodia. 

We are here to see the amazing temples.  Barb expected to see Angkor Wat, which by itself would be amazing and worth coming to Siem Reap for, but we were  pleasantly surprised to find so many different temples everywhere you look.  We drove or walked from temple to temple.  Here are some photos of life along the way.

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Harvesting something along with a pig

Bikes are the mode of transportation for the school kids.  Motorbikes for the adults.

Tending cows

Monkey on the side of the road.

School's out.

Motorbike pulling a trailer with a freeloader.


Motorbike freight.

Their version of an outdoor mall.  Let's go shopping.

Motorbike coconut delivery.

Motorbike construction vehicle.  There are no red flags, so you better watch how close you drive to them.

A concert outside the temple.

Homes along the way.  Most are built on stilts to keep animals and water out.





Young boys.
Full so called taxi


We landed at 2 pm and by 3:30 we were looking across the moat at the fairy tale looking towers of Angkor Wat.

ANGKOR WAT TEMPLE COMPLEX.

Angkor Wat was built in 37 years in the 12th century.  It is made out of sandstone and has intricate carvings everywhere.  It took 70,000 workers and 40,000 elephants to build Angkor Wat.
The entrance into Angkor Wat

Barb and Scott with our guide.

Angkor Wat
Barb near entrance

In front of moat around complex

There is a moat around the temples.  The temple complex is contained in about 1 square kilometer.
The moat surrounding Agkor Wat is four kilometers long.
Amazing site.
Some wall carvings tell stories of great battles.  The Generals ride elephants into battle.  The officers ride horses and the soldiers are on foot.


Battles being fought

Battles on boats

Carvings all the way down a long corridor
Amazing craftsmanship.
Everything tells a story

Elephant chariot.

3D
Beautiful “celestial nymphs” are carved into the stone everywhere.  Angkor Wat was built to honor the Hindu God Brahman, the Creator.  The beauty shown in the carving of women reminds us of the carvings in the temples in India.

Celestial Nymphs


Dancing nymphs.



There is a room where 1000 Buddhas were once stored.  As a result of the fog of war beginning with the Vietnam War and ending when the North Vietnamese armies helped rid Cambodia of the Khmer Rouge killers that had plagued the country with 25 years of civil war, many of the priceless statutes of Buddha and other valuable sculptures were hacked out of the temple and stolen to neighboring countries or sold on the black market around the world.  Our guide told us that Cambodia is attempting to track down some of these relics and is asking for their return.  Many of the statutes and carvings have been defaced.  The heads of many statutes are missing.

Taller than Scott Buddha.


Reclining Buddha

Meditating Buddha


In the Palace of 1000 Buddhas




Adorned Buddha temple


Catching the reflection



Stone carved hallways
Soldiers


The scale is incredible

You can climb on most of these Temples



These stairs are steep



Performers in their native costume







Carving everywhere.


View from on top.

Every alcove has a little temple.

Walking to the top.  Heaven is always on the third level.

Over a doorway.  Is this a high school cheerleader pyramid?







The library





The bath area



Sunset








The next morning we arose at 4:50 am and were inside the gates of Angkor Wat at 5:30 am to witness the beauty of the sunrise behind the temples.



It was a little cloudy, but the reflection was great.


The reflection looks better than the actual buildings.




Barb getting a little crazy and just taking a photo of the reflection.

Water lilies only open between 6 and 10 am.  Then it is too hot for them.


The sun finally peeked through.
Different cameras give different lighting


Morning excursion.

TA PROHM

Ta Prohm was our favorite temple site.  It is still overgrown with trees and appears as it might have when Europeans first stumbled onto the temples.  There seems to be secret passageways and interesting architectural elements everywhere you look.  You could get lost in this temple.  It would be a fun place to play hide and seek with Alysa, Roni, Cade, Claire, and Aislyn.

It looks like a halloween movie set, but this is the real thing!

Moss growing and tree roots coming through roofs.


Inscriptions around  Ta Prohm indicate to archeologists that this temple was used as a Monastery for the King.  It was built beginning in 1186. 


Great for Hide and Seek.

Beautiful carvings.


Looks like the tree in Princess Bride where Miracle Max lives

Amazing roots!

Ta Prohm was used in the movie TOMB RAIDER.  Angelina Jolie picked a Jasmine flower at this temple and fell through the earth.

Barb at the entrance

Spooky.
Many of the hallways are blocked by stones that have been knocked down by giant tree roots. 


The tree roots are cool.



Bigger than my two meter man.





Is this a giant snake or a tree root?  It is very much alive.

This tree root is unbelievable!!!
There are thousands of blocks strewn about covered with lichen and moss.  Some have numbers.  The sunlight filtering through the trees and illuminating the temple gives an “other worldly” character to this temple site.

It's a giant building block puzzle.



There was a temple alter where Barb made a donation and received a blessing for health, happiness and success.  It’s good karma to get the blessings.  After each blessing a holy string gets tied around our wrists.  My wrist is starting to look like the frayed end of an old carpet but I like it.  It makes me feel good.
Scott keeps adding to his blessings
There is a crew attempting to reassemble the temple.  If you come in a few years this temple might look quite different.  Hopefully it will be magnificently restored to its original glory.

We've never seen  a crew like this.





Scott with our guide


Amazing shapes and colors are mixed with antiquity
This corner of the temple makes you wonder if you are in a sci-fi movie.













Buying flutes from local kids

BANTEAY SREI

This is a temple dedicated to Shiva, the Destroyer or Warrior God.  The carving around this temple is delicate and our guide said that some think it must have been carved by women with small fingers.  Banteay Srei means “Citadel of the Women” and is said to date to about 970 A.D.

This temple was 35 kilometers away from Siem Reap and it was fun to see the farmers and people working in the countryside. 

Along the countryside.
Walking through the crops.



Motorbike transport.




The entrance

The carving above the door is very intricate






This is Shiva and his mate on his bull.








The ancient people were a lot smaller than we are.




Watch your head!




















Stairs, stairs and more stairs
PRE RUP

Pre Rup means, “turning the body” and this temple may be the spot where Kings and royalty were cremated. 

This is where they lay the body and leave it for a few days, then turn the body



Yes, we climbed to the top.
More Blessings











This is the back of a lion carved in sandstone.











There is incense burning in this temple sending prayers in the smoke.




Lunch at a local Cambodian diner.  It was good. We invited our guide and driver to join us.

Our guide and driver

ANGKOR THOM

We walked past the stone soldiers guarding the Victory Gate into Angkor Thom.  Angkor Thom is 3 square kilometers.
Stone soldiers guarding the gate




ELEPHANT TERRACE

We saw the Elephant Terrace where the King and royalty would review the return of the victorious armies.











PIMEANA KAS SKY PALACE TEMPLE

This temple was the abode of the Serpent Lady that required that the King sleep with her every night or else harm would come to his kingdom.  I followed Barb up three steep stories of stones to the top of the temple but I did not get to sleep with her there.









Another temple on top






Looking back out to the elephant terrace.


BYPOUN TEMPLE

To see this temple we again had to climb to the top.  I stopped counting after 200 steep stairs.  I think I was starting to hallucinate from the moist heat.  My clothes were completely soaked with jungle perspiration by this time.


These stairs could be dangerous!

Sorry.  No Climbing.

Be careful

Barb once again is crazy!

Queen of the temple.

Don't trip on your skirt!

Safely down.  The umbrella is to provide shade.  It feels like it is 40 degrees C (104 F) in the shade.

It all looks like the secret garden!









BAYON TEMPLE

Bayon temple has 54 towers and 216 faces that are thought to be a resemblance to the King of Cambodia that built the temple.  Our guide thought they were faces of Buddha but these temples were built when the Hindu religion was in full sway.  It seems more likely that the King at that time had his own face memorialized.  His face is now on the paper money of Cambodia.  It is a smiling happy face and his temple is at the geographic center of Angkor Thom.

Entrance















More dancing nymphs

Scott is soaking wet.









The face behind us is the model for the face on Cambodian paper money.









The Angkor Residences owned by Orient Express was our resting spot.  We got a couple of massages after temple walking and sweating our clothes to the point of wringing wet.  It was hot with about 99% humidity.

Bedroom with the mosquito netting above the bed.

Bathroom




Lobby

Interesting palm tree

They had a floor show at dinner.  The girls are only half the size of Scott.

Dinner Show.








































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