Monday, October 13, 2014

Flipping through the pages of my history textbook in Cambodia: Day TWO

21st September,2014
Siem Reap

Awake by 5:30 and uncontrolled excitement! The taxi driver was punctual and we set off to buy our tickets to enter Angkor archaeological park ; lack of pre-planning made us spend 20$ again for a one day pass instead of which a three-day pass of 30$ would have saved us 10$ each. Nonetheless, the view was far more valuable than any amount of $$.

Sitting on the library steps and waiting for Mr.Sun to show up, how crowd was building up! Watching the number of people coming in, I was reminded of what the guide told us the day before that I didn't think was plausible at that time but believed with no doubt now; he said an average of 3 million pictures of the Angkor were taken in a day.  Most of us crowded by the lotus pond which is clearly the most scenic to view the three domes of the temple.
6:15 and he rose, made his presence felt to the mere humans who reacted by going camera crazy. The indescribable beauty left ALL of us in a collective meditative trance. Divine, the sunrise was divine. The reflection of  sun rising above temple domes in the humble pond was no doubt the best view I've witnessed so far. The humble pond betrayed the enormous pride it was capable of; for its untold responsibility was immense. I bow my head down to you King Suryavarman II and the exquisite craftsmen who built this place, respect and appreciate the thought and intellect behind the architecture of this place. Many centuries after we continue to pay respect to this captivating structure,so intelligently built to augment the beauty of nature.





Today was a special day, little did we know of this when we planned our trip and it turned out to be our bonus! Today, the 21st of September was two days away from the Equinox and more specifically when the sun shines directly on the equator and the sun rises due east. The exquisiteness with respect to the temple was that the sun rose directly over the central temple dome, a rarity that happens only twice a year.
I hope the picture does little justice to how celestial it really felt.



Feeling grateful to have witnessed this morning, we headed back to the hostel for a quick breakfast.

 BANTEAY SREI :
This 10th century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva lies north east of Angkor Thom and took us a journey time of half an hour. The stark difference between Banteay Srei and the temples we went to yesterday is this temple is largely made of red sandstone. Much of it looks like its been ravaged by pilfering and vandalism, but the carvings that remain are elegant. The apsaras, the motifs and the depiction of Lord Shiva. An interesting carving I noticed was that of the fight between Vali and Sugreeva. This temple,for a change was not built by a monarch but by the spiritual leader to King Jayavarman V.  The lotus pond added to the charm with the pink blossomed lotuses.
The smaller temple complex makes a vivd statement with the intricate carvings and pinkish sandstone.






 BENG MEALEA:
  Tucked away to the east of the Angkor , this temple was my favorite visit. The entrance to this broken down temple complex has huge blocks of stone lying in a pile and a broken down naga .This temple is privately owned and an entry ticket of 5$ has to be purchased. This mostly unrestored out-of this world place was built in the 12th century and remains enchanting in shambles. A maze of wooden planks and walkways constructed make it easier to explore around. The generous trees support the existing structures, giving them shape and beauty.I was exploring the temple awestruck and in silence. The emotion was that of romance between the trees and stones, intertwined in love. The inseparable two formed scenic beauty that takes you far away from reality, back in time to a different century. Surreal! I'd strongly urge fellow travelers to include this temple in their itinerary.








BAKONG AND PREAH KO :
   These two smaller temples were devoid of tourists. Bakong is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva  built like a mountain, the structure ascending vertically. The four levels guarded by Rakshas, Nagas, Garudas. Some restoration was going on with wooden scaffolding on one of the towers on the ground which I believe would be one of the libraries.
Preah Ko, was similar to Bakong and one thing I instantly noticed as a Hindu- the Nandi statue. Pleasantly surprised to spot the Nandi Statue (Sacred bull of Lord Shiva).



This was the last of our temple visits in Cambodia.
After the enriching journey in history, we were sadly drawn to the present.

Back in the central town, we wondered what we could do for the evening. After weighing our choices ,we decided to watch "Phare, The Cambodian Circus" and amble about Pub street later that night.

  PHARE, A Cambodian Circus :
This unique entertainment has a great cause behind it. They had a social mission and that of promoting Cambodian modern art and provide sustainable employment to Cambodian youth. The performers for the night did an amazing job! A refreshing and new performance. The performance was Sokrias (the eclipse) ,with a blend of dance, song, acrobatics and interesting storyline, it was thoroughly enjoyable! One of the best I've watched. Hats off to the performers, the high energy, the charming expressions, the dedication. Absolutely worth the money!
Please explore more http://www.pharecambodiancircus.org/circus/ .
Squeeze it in your itinerary when you are in Siem Reap, you won't be disappointed.



We ambled by Pub Street and the night market. Bought small bayon,apsara souvenir and the famous "elephant" print pants.

*Do consider including the other farther off temples in your itineraries, including Koh Ker(the incan temple), Preah Vihear,  Kbal Spean(The valley of a 1000 lingas), the waterfall at Phnom Kulen (the mountain from where the stones used to build the Angkor Vat were sourced).
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 The "one dollar, my lady" ringing in my ear as I board the flight for KL.Thank you Cambodia for a unique vacation!





Flipping through the pages of my history textbook in Cambodia: Day ONE

Siem Reap province is located in the northwest of the Kingdom of Cambodia. It translates literally to "Defeat of Siam"; Siam refers to Thailand.
 It boasts of the Angkor Wat ,the largest religious structure in the world and attracts about 3 million tourists a year, one of the most visited places in South East Asia.
Here's my account of the visit to Siem Reap.

20th September,2014
Siem Reap

Stepping into the humid sticky heat of Siem Reap on a Saturday morning, our vacation began. The airport is small and you can't get lost even if you try. The Visa On Arrival (VOA) counter was to our left as soon as we walked into the airport. The process was simple and fast involving filling up  of the visa application,one passport size photo and visa fees of 20$. Once submitted, a page is attached to your passport with a validity of 1 month. Took a 5$ tuk-tuk ride to the hostel we were staying at, Jasmine Family Hostel. The room wasn't cleaned out yet,so we left our bags at the reception albeit the passport and important things. Over a quick breakfast ,we drew circles on the map of the Angkor planning the day ahead.





        We had emailed Sam Pho(http://www.angkordriver-sam.com/), a tour guide about our arrival and possible itineraries before coming to Angkor. Very impressed with his promptness in replies and detailed suggested itinerary ,we decided to go ahead with him. Greeted by Mr. Pol and tuk-tuk driver Mr.Hoy at 10:30am, we began our temple visits!
 

ANGKOR WAT :
   You must posses a temple pass to visit the temples in the Angkor Archeaological Park. You can purchase the passes for a day,three days or seven days. We bought the one day pass that cost 20$. The passes are checked for at the entrance of every major temple, so make sure to keep them somewhere safe.My romancing with the breeze and tall trees that lined the road was cut short by the sight of a huge lake, the broad man-made moat around the mighty Angkor Wat. The reflection of the Angkor outer wall on the rather clean moat water was stunning. Stone lions with missing tails (because the plunderers stole the iron rod used in the tail) and Nagas(mythological Snake) flank the causeway across the moat.   Angkor literally means "city" and wat means "temple". King Suryavarman II and is men  took over 37 years to complete the temple structure as we see it today and work started on it in the 11th century. Angkor was the capital then and temple is dedicated to Hindu God, Lord Vishnu. We saw the three beautiful domes of the main temple as we entered in through the outer gate. There is a long causeway connecting the outer enclosure to the main temple. One doesn't realize the vastness of area until you enter past the outer gate. HUGE! 400 sq km and well maintained.  Manicured gardens and lush green on either side. Libraries are pressent on either side, one for the women and other for the men or one for higher sect of people and the other for the lower sect (Hindus had a prevalent caste system). A lotus pond on the left, in the garden gives the best photographic opportunity to capture the reflection of the main temple. The temple is stunning, every meticulous carving, the planned architecture, the stories on the walls. One wide wall has the entire epic "Mahabharatha" carved on it precisely. Another wide wall with epic "Ramayana". Another with churning of the cosmic ocean where Lord Vishnu is in the Koorma Avatar (Tortoise holding the mountain on his back to prevent it from dissolving while the churning happens). One with King Suryavarman II ,the monarch himself and the life in those times. The heart of the temple is the central tower with steep stairs leading to an idol of Lord Buddha ,although I read the history that says an idol of Lord Vishnu was here.  The temple was converted into a Buddhist one (and still remains so) in the 14th century by the Kings ruling at that time.
The temple lives up to the hype and more than that. Unbelievable architecture and precision and to think of the timeline when it was built.





View from the library


The King Suryavarman II

                                                         


One of the libraries


The Buddhist influence.
     

The library for the Brahmins.




After a tiring 90 minutes around the Angkor Wat and it's many towers, we headed to Ta Prohm in the tuk-tuk. Hoy was kind enough to provide us with chilled water and a wet tissue. We passed by  Bantaey Kdei on the way to Ta Prohm and glanced at it. Bantaey Kdei was built by Jayavarman VII  dedicated to his teacher. The route also showed us Srah Srang reservoir, or a "royal bathing pool", vast! Quite a swimming the king wanted!

TA PROHM:
       We exited Angkor Thom through the "Victory gate"  to reach the famous "Tomb Raider" temple. Was originally called "RajaVihara", came to be known as Ta Prohm, and now as the Tomb Raider temple. Was constructed by Jayavarman VII and is dedicated to his mother. The beauty of this temple lies in its relationship with nature. The big silk-cotton trees grown on the ruins and beautifully so. The big towering trees look like they own the ruins. Not much remains of this structure and a few scenic pictures, we headed out to get some lunch.


The famous tree structure that holds uncanny resemblance to that of a buttock!


                                                               Spot the dinosaur!                                                        

We stopped for lunch at a place a little off Ta Prohm and in an attempt to try local cuisine, we ordered for the vegetarian version of "Amok" along with some rice and a soup , if my memory recalls correctly "Khmer soup". DELICIOUS!

TERRACE OF THE LEPER KING AND TERRACE OF ELEPHANTS:
     We then explored the terrace of the leper king and the terrace of the elephants. Both the terraces are alongside each other. Opposite the terrace are two broken down structures and a field where the King would be entertained. The terrace was a podium for the King Jayavarman VII to view his victorious army returning. The terrace of the Leper King is called thus because of the statue of the king, the original is kept safe at the National Museum at Phnom Penh, and the one here is the copy. The statue with no fists and a shorter structure. Some historians also believed that Jayavarman VII was a leper,although there is no evidence supporting it.
     The bas-reliefs are mostly elephants and apsaras. But most of all,the one I was impressed by was that of an angry guard.
The Angry Guard



BAYON TEMPLE:
    Our next stop was Bayon Temple. By far the temple I enjoyed most because of the symmetrical carved smiling Buddha faces.It is believed that King Jayavarman VII built this temple for himself and to signify the 54 provinces he ruled. It is geographically placed at the center of Angkor city but built many years after Angkor Wat. The four faces in each signify different traits including those of sympathy and compassion. The uniqueness yet perfect symmetric of the faces intrigued me,impressive.The boddisattva looks at peace. The stories of a common man's life at Angkor crafted on the walls were interesting and not far from life as we know it today.
    We took the quintessential picture of the nose touching that of a smiling buddha face! the cheap camera trick with hilarious outcome.

With a choice of watching sunset at the hill Phnom Bakheng and the other temple of Preah Khan, we chose the latter. Watching the sunset from Bakheng Hill is mostly on every tourist's itinerary,we saved it for the following day.






We exited Angkor Thom through the North gate.

PREAH KHAN:
    The king Jayavarman VII dedicated this temple to his father. This temple I noticed had many shiv lingams and also structures with buddha in hermit pose.One of the walls had Lord Vishnu in the sleeping pose as well. The temple is spread over a wide area and most of it in ruins. Nonetheless, this temple had lesser crowd and a huge relief to be able to explore it in peace.
Having some time to spare before heading back, we relaxed our tired legs on top of the building next to the library with a view of the ruins. I sat there in that peace contemplating on how life would have been during Jayavarman's reign. The King and his royal family lived a grand life.



The headless guards.


For some strange reason,they only cut off the heads.

Hermit Pose


We exited the walled city through the south gate, with demons gods on one side and devas on the other, holding the naga or the snake and churning the cosmic ocean(Hindu Mythology). Of all the gates we went by today,the South gate is the best preserved.

South gate with the devas and asuras on either side.



The guide told us about Koulen Restaurant which has Apsara dance shows every night and a buffet dinner of local cuisine. We decided to try it out. The buffet was extensive but the vegetarian that I am, my options were limited. The places were booked,but we managed to get decent seats where we could view the dance. The talented pretty ladies swayed gracefully to the music, there is a striking similarity to Bharathanatyam, although the movements in the dance are subtle and slow.

The tuk tuk ride of 15$ along with the guide fees 35$ seemed well worth it. Back at the hostel, we checked with Sam Pho on our itinerary for the following day ; Watch Sunrise over the Angkor, Bantaey Srei, Beng Melea, Bakong, Preah Ko and spend the night at Pub Street. He suggested we hire a taxi as these temples are farther off from Angkor Thom.

Retired for the night anticipating a great view of sunrise in the morning.