Cambodia Part II: Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

The temples of Angkor, dating as far back as 800 AD, are one of the largest and most important religious sites in the world. There are over 100 temples that were originally constructed within a walled city. They began as Hindu temples, but later became Buddhist places of worship. The main temple of Angkor Wat is considered one of the most spectacular monuments ever built. It is the national symbol of Cambodia.

Apsara bas-relief

There are over 3,000 carved apsaras (heavenly nymphs) at Angkor Wat.

North entrance of Angkor Wat

The main temple of Angkor Wat is overrun with 1,000's of tourists each day. While it was incredibly beautiful, I wanted to ditch the crowds the next day. So, we started off early and had our tuk-tuk driver take us to the smaller temples at the back end of the complex.

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm is one of the temple complexes that has purposefully not been restored since the Europeans began unearthing much of Angkor Wat from the strangling of the jungle in the mid 1800's.

Roots of the silk cotton tree

Ta Prohm was the location for scenes from the movie Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie.

Buddhist nun offering blessings

Boy sketching in one of the temples

Protector along the moat

Huge sculpted faces at Bayon

Driving out of Ta Prohm we asked our driver to stop at this amazing site just for a few photos. Wow! There are over 200 towers at Bayon sculpted into serene faces. I thought they were Buddhas at first but it is thought that they are images of the Buddhist ruler Jayavarman VII portraying him as a semi-divine form.

More faces at Bayon

This is a mind-blowing complex that I would not miss.Wish we had had more time here.

Inside temple of Preah ?

The next day we asked our driver to take us further out away from the crowds. He certainly did! These pictures may be from  Preah Khan. It was relatively quiet, except for a few "guards" who tried to hawk us out of money by telling us interesting information and suggesting great photos (like the one above). They followed us, which made our visit less than comfortable.

Faceless apsara with lotus pods

Everywhere you go in Angkor, you see relics like this that "treasure hunters" have cut out to sell to antiquity dealers around the world. Thankfully, efforts are under way to prevent this from happening. So, do not buy "antiquities"!

This delightful woman was selling" rubbings" of bas-relief figures. Kaye and I wondered if they were authentic, but we decided we did not care because we liked them! A whole $10. If nothing else, we made her day and she was especially grateful.

**Note: I have since learned that they are made from plaster molds made from original bas-reliefs.  Still lovely!

A most intact bas-relief

Supposedly the stone columns on the right were made by a  lathe.

This boy followed Kaye around, then showed her his school bag and said that he needed money to go to school. Probably not true, but  she gave him100 rupees and hoped it went for food at least.

Longest sleeping Buddha in the world

I almost passed by this Buddha until I overheard a tour guide explaining it. It is difficult to make out, but the head and torso are to the left, while the legs and feet are now gone.

Baphuon

This temple was taken apart stone by stone in an effort to restore it. Today, there are still piles of marked stones and remnants of statues all throughout the complex. In fact, as we were walking on a path, Kaye pointed to a stone at her feet. It was a remnant of a carved face.

Corridor at Baphuon

Village near Preah Palilay

There is a small old temple and a new Buddhist temple at Preah Palilay. However, I was drawn to the village next door when I heard some chanting and drumming.

Some pig!

Buddhist monk giving a bathing blessing

Our three day pass to Angkor had come to an end. So, of course, we enjoyed the colorful city of Siem Reap!

Adorable local children

My former student, Valerie!!

Through the amazing Facebook world I discovered that one of my former students, Valerie from Bellingham,WA, was in Siem Reap working at an NGO to better the lives of village women and children. Through her efforts, a fair-trade art fair and performance evening took place. Of sourse, I had to go!

Young male apsara dancers

Beautiful dancers carrying on tradition

Apsara dancers in bas-relief

Our week was coming to a close. Time to head back to New Delhi. Cambodia was much more than I ever imagined, and I am so thankful to have had the chance to make the trip. The people of Cambodia are some of the gentlest and gracious people that I have met on this planet.

Cambodia: Part I- Phnom Penh

Spires on Silver Pagoda

My sister wondered why I chose to go to Cambodia. Most of my travel choices originating from New Delhi usually have to do with cost, ease of travel, historical significance and recommendations from friends who like to travel as I do. In addition, I am from the generation of the Vietnam and Cambodia wars. I have thirsted for more understanding and forgiveness from this time and place in history. Some of my wonderings have been answered...

My friend Kaye and I chose to start in Phnom Penh because it was cheaper to fly into Phnom Penh. At first I thought it would be just another big dirty city. Wrong! Phnom Penh is a developing city with street-side cafes, art shows, fair-trade folk art, museums, lovely boutique hotels (I recommend Hotel Villa Langka), easy transportation and full of friendly, gracious people. The restoration and rebuilding of ancient temples and ruins is impressive.

The Silver Pagoda at the Royal Palace

The Royal Palace is the official residence of King Sihamoni. However, some parts of this enormous compound are opened to the public during specific hours each day.The Silver Pagoda is one of the open buildings.There are over 5,000 silver tiles lining the floor. Most of the tiles are covered to protect them, but a small area at the entrance is visible. It also enshrines the Emerald Buddha. Amazingly, the Silver Pagoda was preserved by the Khmer Rouge regime, who massacred two million people between 1975-1979.

Silver Pagoda

Girl in temple door

Kaye, reluctantly, and I decided to visit one of the Killing Fields, Choeung Ek, the next day. We hired a driver to take us about 15km out of the city where over 17,000 men, women, and children were tortured and killed and buried in mass graves during Pol Pot's regime. To save on precious bullets, the victims were often beaten to death.

As we were driving through dusty villages with thatched-roofed huts that I remember seeing on television during the 70's, I couldn't help but be amazed at how resilient the Cambodian people are.

Mass grave pits

In 1980 about 9,000 people were exhumed from several of the mass graves. Their skulls are housed in the Memorial Stupa on the grounds. As we walked amongst the graves, we could still see pieces of clothing and fragments of bones that become unearthed during the monsoon season.

Memorial Stupa with over 8,000 skulls

Today visitors can walk along a peaceful designated path. An audio tour is available, which I highly recommend. No words to describe the overwhelming feeling that gripped me.


To lighten up our day a bit, I asked our driver to stop in one of the villages on the way back to the city.

Children running home for lunch

Lunch time

Monk making terracotta pots

After an afternoon of lounging by the pool at our hotel, we ventured out again to Wat Ounalom, the headquarters of Cambodian Buddhism. A wat is a monastery temple in parts of Asia.

Stupa at Wat Ounalom

A stupa holds relics (ashes, teeth, etc.) of important Buddhist monks. They are places for meditation.Notice the five-headed snake, or naga, at the entrance. In some writings, the naga is a protector.

Monk performing special blessing for Kaye and me

The Khmer Rouge attempted to exterminate Buddhism in Cambodia. Wat Ounalom was badly damaged by Pol Pot's regime but today it is thriving and home to many monks. There are 44 structures on a relatively small area, but quite lovely to roam.

Next: Wat Phnom

Inside the temple at Wat Phnom

Wat Phnom is a special place for locals to come and pray and make offerings. I especially enjoyed my time sitting and observing the activities while dozens of locals came to worship.

According to legend, Madame Penh discovered four Buddha statues in the Mekong River in the 1300's, and this wat was erected to house them.

Pay to set a bird free

But...the birds are trained to come back to the cage!

The next day we continued to visit other landmarks of interest like the National Museum, the Foreign Correspondents Club (where many journalists gathered during the war to report and share stories), and shop, shop, shop! After four days we still were enjoying Phnom Penh, quite to my surprise!

Next: Siem Reap and Angkor Wat