Cambodia Day 3: Temple Touring

Early morning in Siem Reap

This morning we had a 4:45am pick-up for sunrise at Angkor Wat.  Sunrise or mid-morning Angkor Wat Central Complex is a magnificent site.

Sunrise is best watched at the end of the 475m sandstone causeway from in front of the pools.  As the sun rose, Angkor village was coming to life, horses were grazing the fields and monks were leaving the monastery for the day.

Sunrise selfie

When the temple opened, we made our way in starting along the south side.  The walls show intricately carved with bas-relief scenes as far as you can see.

One of the long galleries

Example of the intricate carvings

From there we made our way to explore the 3^rd level and were in the first group to ascend 11m into Bakan, the principle sanctuary of Angkor Wat and the uppermost point of the world’s largest religious temple.

Cats of Angkor

1 of the 4 shrines

On descent, we explored the 2^nd level and received blessings by a monk (perfect start for my first day in my 37^th year!)

There is no escaping the heat.  At 6:15AM, it was already 28c so before the sun reached its peak, , we returned to the hotel for a swim and Khmer massage (included). 

Swim in the moat?  Or the hotel pool?

Our patio to the pool

The massage was a dry massage and not as painful as a traditional Thai one.  Thank goodness!  Last time I had a Thai massage, I was in pain for a week.

After our massages, we had our Khmer set lunch which was surprisingly good.  The problem was the heat (open restaurant).  It’s too hot to eat.

We spent our afternoon exploring more temples.  The streets of Siem Reap were much more lively.

Looks safe

Hi kids!

Ta Prohm or Tomb Raider Temple (late 12^th c)

I have a confession: I only saw Tomb Raider about 2 weeks ago!)   Ta Prohm was chosen by Ecole Francaise d’Extreme-Orient to be left in its “natural state” of discovery in the 19^th century.  We were excited to take some fun Tomb Raider photos but funny story, I got lost.  And I mean seriously lost.  As in an hour visit became 2 hours until I found my way out.  Our driver was close to panic stations and coming in after me. 

To be fair, the guide books all warn of the complexity of the temple.  I didn’t read the guidebook though.  I wandered in and was lost in the beauty of the intertwined trees when I looked up and found myself alone.  I re-entered the galleries and found myself in a different enclosure.  On top of that, Ta Prohm the East side of the temple has now been cleared for visitor entry.  So yes, I found myself at the West side entry before I realised my mistake.  As Sue was waiting for me, another family had separated and lost their way too!  Once they reunited, she took it as a sign that I would find my way out too.  After that, Vanna made us have an SOS plan.

Baphoun (11^th c)

Baphoun is known as the world’s largest puzzle.  It was the centre of EFEO restoration when civil war erupted and efforts were paused for a quarter of a century.  When conservation work was restarted in 1995, they had to put 300,000 stones back in place.  This was completed in 2011.

The elevated causeway leads to the 3^rd tiered temple mountain, now standing at 34m tall. 

Channeling my inner Lara Croft

We wanted to try the tuk-tuk hamock too

Pretty comfortable

Bayon (12^th c)

This temple and our experience here was my highlight of our trip.  The temple itself is breathtaking.  As you work your way through the inner galleries, we found a religious ceremony taking place in the pitch dark. 

Young monks are also present, giving tourist chase.  One was happy to play a game of hide & seek with my camera.  He would peek around corridors and small doorways so I could catch him in a smile.

This is truly what travel is about – experiences like this.  It’s worth every penny.

I had to do one of these!
(Please excuse the hot sweaty mess I am!)

Today’s Observations:

•          I don’t think I have ever been hotter.  We obeyed dressing guidelines for a sacred site so were in tee-shirts and long skirts/ pants.  Most of the time, the Rangers were quite strict with these guidelines.  We only found a few slide through but they did not escape locals’ harsh comments.  We stopped getting in front of the camera because we looked like hot messes.  Literally.      
•          Due to the heat and the walking our patience was wearing thin for a certain demographic of fellow sightseers (I am sure you can guess!)  They were obnoxious and loud. And smoked even though this was forbidden!  The rangers seem to have given up trying to get them to follow rules too.
•          The temples are surprising complex.  I am a bit of an ant (as in put a leaf down and I get thrown off) but man, an hour of tunneling and tunneling!
•          While I am not afraid of height, I AM unsteady of my feet on even ground so I had to take extra precautions when navigating the steep steps.  Vanna did not like watching us ascending.

Back in Siem Reap, we passed a local market

Moving our luggage by tuk-tuk

Tonight, we moved to a guesthouse found through AirBnB.  It was my first time using AirBnB; it wasn’t a true experience but that’s okay.  The guesthouse was nice with a few quirks.  It was in a great location with a fantastic patisserie (Le Pain de Coeur) a few doors down and was walking distance to Angkor Night Markets.  It rained quite heavily so we opted for an early night.

Steps count: 25,474 (19.92km)

Cambodia Day 2: It's my BIRTHDAY!

37 never felt so good.  I used to dislike my birthday but in the last 2 years, I finally feel comfortable in my own skin.  And this birthday will be one for the books.

Our flight was mid-day so we were able to have a leisurely breakfast.  And oh man, were we grateful for that because it was delicious.  Breakfast was included in our package and at the adjoining French patisserie and café. I loved the quirky terrarium centre pieces and it was all-you-can-eat so we asked for the croissants to keep coming! 

Traffic is terrible in Phnom Penh.
It took nearly an hour to go 10k!

Here’s a funny story about our flight.  We wanted a budget trip but were short on time so I researched Phnom Penh to Siem Reap by boat and bus then as a last resort looked at the one airline: Cambodia Angkor Air.  It was $9 USD ($34 USD with taxes)!  I was bit concerned on exactly what we were flying on but it was a nice plane with business class too!  I took the opportunity to nap on the 40 minute flight.

On arrival in Siem Reap, our driver met us with an A/C car and Angkor beer.  Hey, it’s my birthday!  Again, we organised to stay with our driver for the rest of our time in Siem Reap.  He was very punctual and looked after us with cold water daily and was like a protective big brother (more on this later – see Day 3 Ta Prohm).

Cheers!

On our first night, we splurged for my birthday and stayed at The Golden Temple Hotel.  And it did not disappoint (my plug for Siem Reap accommodation).  We were greeted with refreshing towels and a full snack plate while we were being checked-in.  Our room did not disappoint.  Our room opened to the pool (see Day 3).  We unpacked and quickly organised the next day – the hotel package included a khmer lunch set, take-away picnic set, and 1 hour khmer massage!  Then our driver came back, this time in a tuk-tuk to take us into the Temples of Angkor.

First stop was our temple passes.  This was in a new ticketing complex and very well organised.  The facilities were very clean and well-posted.  A photo is taken and printed on your pass.  There are multiple check-points throughout Angkor.

Road to Angkor Wat

Angkor is peaceful and so green.  The roads are dotted with small villages, stalls selling souvenirs and cold drinks. 

A wild monkey strolls along the moat inside Angkor Wat

Angkor Thom (late 12^th c)

We were let off in front of Angkor Thom (“Great City”), South Gate.  Angkor Thom was one of the largest khmer cities and was the capital until the 17^th century.  The gate is a magnificent start to temple touring.  The approach to the gate, crossing the moat, is lined by 2 rows of large figures each carrying the body of a 7-headed serpent (naga)  On the left are gods and on the right are demons (asuras).  The use of the naga balustrades lining the approach to the temple across the moat is to link the world of men to the world of the gods.  The gate itself is carved with 4 faces like Bayon.

Naga guarding Angkor Thom

Look!  I'm at Angkor Wat!

Phnom Bakheng (1186)

Disclaimer: I don’t normally just ride on elephants without doing some research first.  I did try but had a hard time finding any information.  I think this is because of the no ride activist constantly shutting down their website?  There are elephants at the base of Phnom Bakheng to ride up and down if you choose.  It was my birthday and how many people do you know that can say “I rode an elephant in Angkor Wat”?   We did have a look at the elephants and the mahouts before we went ahead with our ride.  Our mahout had nothing but his phone on him.  There was no hook and he didn’t even wear shoes!  Our elephant seemed happy and he was allowed to stop to graze the plants along with path if he liked.

At the top, we found a long line!  No wonder our driver wanted us there by 4pm for a 6pm sunset! Only 300 people are allowed on the summit at one time.  We just made it to the top for sunset. 

Our golden ticket!  Phnom Bakheng pass

Sue getting ready to ascend to the top

Other than being a popular place to watch the sunset, the temple itself was not in great condition with just the shell of the central tower remaining.  Phnom Bakheng was the State temple of the first city at Angkor, late 9^th or early 10^th century. 

Happy birthday to me!

Chanrey Tree

We had dinner at Chanrey Tree, a popular Khmer restaurant that was recommended to us by several locals.  It did not disappoint.  We rested our weary feet and cooled down over cocktails.  The sad thing was, that was just the tip of the heat we experienced today (being late afternoon by the time we arrived at the temples).  Our favourite dish was the roast chicken in honey, rice brandy, young jackfruit and lemongrass.

After dinner, the skies were clear so we walked back to the hotel stopping by the market stalls near Pub Street to score some bargains.

Back at the hotel, I was surprised by the Golden Temple Hotel staff singing me Happy Birthday and a cake!

We turned in for the night as we had an early start the next morning for sunrise.

Step count: 14,834 (11.57 km)