Twenty minutes and twenty dollars later, the immigration office stapled the visa into my passport and I was ready to go. I gotta admit, the full-page Cambodian visa looks pretty awesome. Perhaps, I should choose my next travel destination based on which country will leave the largest and most impressive marking in my passport. Our main objective for visiting Cambodia was to see the world-famous Angkor Wat complex, which is located outside the city of Siem Reap. However, being that the tickets to Phnom Penh were half the price, we opted to first fly to the capital city and then take a mini-bus to Siem Reap first thing in the morning.
What a mistake this turned out to be... Since this trip coincided with Lunar New Year, all the mini buses were sold out and it seemed like the only other option was to spend a ton of money and hire a private cab to take us there. It was a really stressful experience. Fortunately, we met a group of 6 Canadians (who coincidentally also teach English in Korea) and decided to split a van with them the next day. That evening, we walked around a bit and got Mexican/Khmer food for dinner, which was surprisingly delicious and comforting. Admittedly we didn't see much of Phnom Penh, but what I did see was quite dirty and underdeveloped. It was, by far, the least pleasant city that I visited during my travels.
The next day, we woke up at the crack of dawn and embarked upon a 5 hour journey to Siem Reap. That, too, was an unpleasant experience. It was unbearably hot and the unpaved, dirt roads made for a super bumpy ride. I was so relieved when we finally arrived in downtown Siem Reap. From there we took a tuk-tuk to our hostel, Siem Reap Rooms Guesthouse, which is worth noting for its incredible hospitality and great facilities. The hostel owner, Melissa greeted us with cold glasses of iced tea and helped us plan our sightseeing itinerary for Angkor Wat. Since we arrived in the early afternoon, she suggested that we choose one temple to catch at sunset, the most beautiful time of day, and save the rest for the following day. With that advice, we took a nap and awoke just in time for our tuk-tuk driver to take us to Pre Rup.
Built as the state temple for Khmer king Rajendravarman, Pre Rup is a temple mountain comprised of brick, laterite, and sandstone. Its name, meaning "turn the body," reflects the common belief that funeral services were conducted here, with the ashes of the body being ritually rotated as the service progressed. It is clear to see why tourists flock to this temple during sunrise and sunset hours. As the sun moves parallel to the horizon, it glows with a beautiful, uncanny shade of amber. After a stressful day, it was so relaxing to just sit there and watch the beauty of nature in action.
After the sun went down, we walked around downtown Siem Reap, which is a quaint city with tons of restaurants, stores, and night markets. Everything in the city is within walking distance, so it's fun to just take a stroll after dinner to digest. Open until very late, the night markets are particularly worth checking out. Vendors there sell everything from handcrafted goods to original artwork to souvenirs. In addition, there are massage places everywhere you turn. For a mere 2 dollars, one can get a half-hour foot or back massage. Being that I am very ticklish, I "splurged" and opted for a 3 dollar manicure instead.
The next morning, we hired a tuk-tuk driver for the day. For a flat rate of 25 dollars, he drove us to all the touristy sites and patiently waited in the parking lot for us to return, before heading to the next location. Talk about great service. First stop of the day was Banteay Srei, a 10th Century temple located 37 kilometers north of the actual Angkor archeological park. Loosely translating to "citadel of the women," the name of this temple likely refers the walls which are densely covered with some of the most beautiful, delicate carvings of any Angkorian temple. While Banteay Srei was a bit out of the way, it was well worth the extra effort to see these wonderfully preserved ruins.
Near Banteay Srei, there was a little village where locals played music and sold various goods. We steered away from the tacky souvenirs, but stopped to buy a fresh coconut from a young girl and her grandmother. All I could think was - wow, this girl should be in school right now. Nonetheless, the coconut was refreshing and not too sweet.
Then we got back in our tuk-tuk and headed to Ta Prohm, also known as the Tomb Raider temple, since it served as a filming location for the movie. Built in the Bayon style in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, it was originally founded as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. This sprawling monastic complex is very unique, in that there are massive fig and silk-cotton trees growing out of the towers and ruins. Only partially cleared of jungle overgrowth, Ta Prohm is unlike any temple that I've ever seen before.
Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in largely the same condition it was found and hasn't gone under extensive restoration. As you walk through the dark corridors and shaded grounds, a sense of mystique fills the air. It really does feel like you're lost in a jungle and stumbled across some ancient ruins. As you can see, I had a great time posing with all the coiling and shadowy trees.
Next, we stopped by Ta Keo, a temple mountain that was the first of its kind to be built entirely out of sandstone. Known in its time as the "mountain with golden peaks," this temple was erected as the state temple of Jayavarman V, son of Rajendravarman, who had built Pre Rup. Ta Keo resembles Pre Rup in terms of architectural style, artistry, and overall feel. Like Pre Rup, it is a five-tier pyramid with steep, overlapping steps. It took some effort to climb to the top, but once we got there, the view was quite lovely.
After that, we headed to Angkor Thom, the 3x2 kilometer walled and moated royal city, located in the center of the Angkor archeological complex. After Jayavarman VII recaptured the Angkorian capital from the Cham invaders in 1181, he began a massive building campaign across the empire, constructing Angkor Thom as his new capital city. He began with existing structures like Baphuon and Phimeanakas and built a grand enclosed city around them, later adding an outer wall, moat, and other temples.
Baphuon is a three-tiered temple mountain that was built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II and dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. In the late 15th century, Baphuon was converted to a Buddhist temple. Unfortunately, by the 20th century, large portions of this temple had collapsed and restoration efforts proved to be problematic. In April 2011, after 51 years, archeologists finally finished the restoration of the temple and it was once again opened up for visitor access. I'm glad we got a chance to check it out.
Next, we walked over to Bayon, the well-known and richly decorated temple located at the heart of Angkor Thom. It was built in the late 12th century or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist, King Jayavarman VII. If you can only see 2 temples in Cambodia, Bayon and Angkor Wat should be the ones. Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and huge stone faces on towers that jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak. There are 37 standing towers and 216 gigantic faces in total!
The giant stone faces of Bayon have become one of the most recognizable images connected to the Angkor complex. Who the faces represent is still a matter of debate. Some believe that they may be Loksvara, Mahayana Buddhism's compassionate Bodhisattva, or perhaps a combination of Buddha and Jayavarman VII, himself. Regardless of which answer is correct, I was captivated by magnificence and incredible detail of these carvings. Bayon has been described as "the most striking expression of the baroque style" of Khmer architecture, as contrasted with the classical style of Angkor Wat - the final destination on our tour.
Without further ado, we finally arrived at Angkor Wat, the temple complex built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation - first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. As a massive three-tiered pyramid crowned by five lotus-like towers, Angkor Wat is visually, architecturally and artistically breathtaking in every way.
Everything about Angkor Wat is impressive. The temple, itself, is 1 square kilometer in total and consists of three levels surmounted by a central tower. In addition, it is surrounded by a moat and an exterior wall measuring 1300 meters x 1500 meters. The walls of the temple are covered inside and out with bas-reliefs and aspara carvings.
Once we got to the central tower, we waited on a long line and passed a clothing check to climb to the very top. Being that highest level of Angkor Wat holds an incredible amount of religious significance, the dress code of visitors is strictly monitored. Shoulders must be covered and bottoms must be knee-length or longer - no exceptions. I was wearing what I thought was a modest dress but just to be safe, I pulled it wayyyy down to ensure that it covered my knee caps. There was no way that I was going to miss out on this opportunity. While it was very crowded, the view from the top was spectacular and well worth the wait.
Despite the enormous size of Angkor Wat, there's a sense of harmony and balance that pervades the temple complex. So much so that its design has been compared to the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. But neither the Colosseum in Rome nor the Acropolis in Athens has friendly monkeys running around, posing for pictures. I'm so glad that I got the chance to visit this incredible historical site.
After a long day of sightseeing, I was exhausted and my feet were aching. Fortunately, downtown Siem Reap has a ton of massage places, including special fish massage joints. Now what does this entail, you ask? Fish massages refer to large tanks, where visitors dip their feet into the water and have their dead skin eaten by the hundreds of little guppies that reside there. My feet are ridiculously ticklish but we had to give it a try. For a whopping 2 dollar fee, we got 20 minutes in the fish tank and received a free beverage of our choice: soda, beer, or wine. I was squealing the whole time and causing quite a scene. But I gotta say, it really worked and by the end of the session, my feet were as soft as a baby's bottom.
Seeing Angkor Wat was certainly on my bucket list and I'm really lucky that I got to cross it off while spending the year living and working in Korea. I apologize that this post was so long, but I'm really trying to convince my readers to travel to this region of the world. Angkor Wat, in particular, is one destination that everyone ought to see in their lifetime. Stay tuned for my next post about Hong Kong, the last stop on my epic journey in Southeast Asia.
So cool!
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