April 24-27: Siem Reap / Angkor Wat, Cambodia

None of us slept great, anticipating the 3:30 a.m. alarm, but we managed to get ourselves up and to the lobby to meet our airport taxi at 4:00. Our flight took off at 6:15 from Phuket and by 9:00 we’d arrived in Cambodia and purchased our visas (a surprisingly simple process).

Sometimes I spend a lot of time (hours, really) trying to figure out the best way to see a place we’re going, especially if we only have limited time. I’ve learned how to create place-specific Google maps with pins for things I think we should see (different color pins for optional places!).

I have a handful of trusty, go-to web sites and/or blogs that I check for sample itineraries. I read lots of reviews, filtering out the obvious sour grapes (i.e., this reviewer’s reasons for giving a $40/night hotel in Cambodia a 4/10 rating: “the flooring is just polish cement” and “breakfast included in the package is just a la carte that you have to order and not buffet”).

I’d say 75% of the time, we get to said, researched place and do something totally different – an MO I’m learning to embrace. Our visit to Siem Reap to see the Angkor Wat complex was no exception. Because of the heat, my plan was to get an early start in the morning, sightsee for a few hours, return to the hotel to cool down, have lunch, swim; and then go out later in the afternoon for a couple more hours. We could do that for two days and cover a lot of ground without dying of heat (I thought).

My plan was dead-on-arrival – our arrival – at the Siem Reap airport, when we were picked up by Paul, the super-friendly and endearing manager of The Night Hotel. By the time we arrived at the hotel, Paul was our buddy. So, when he suggested a full-day tour for the following day, with a tuk-tuk driver and guide he recommended, we said “Great!” – no hesitation, no questions asked.

One benefit of our early flight was arriving at our hotel in time for a late breakfast while the gracious staff readied our room.

We were happy to learn that US dollars were widely used and/or accepted (making the exchange of $1 to 4,057 riels somewhat easier), but since we only had Thai bahts, Jeff took a tuk-tuk into town to find an ATM. He also managed to get a pretty good $3 haircut and a taste of the Pub Street area.

Just before sunset, Jeff and I walked to the popular and very festive Pub Street area and its restaurants, bars, massage parlors, fish pedicure joints, and shops selling just about everything. We walked across the river and through the myriad Night Market stalls full of both local products and brand-name knock-offs (Nike, Underarmour, RayBan, etc.). Figuring we should probably stop at a pub on Pub Street before returning to the hotel, we chose not the cutest one, but the one with barstools in close proximity to fans. Our surly, European bartender and his indecorous choice of music (Playlist: Songs with F-bomb Lyrics) seemed better suited for another vocation, but the beer was cold and the air was circulating, so we were happy.

I’d like to insert some pictures here of that night, but we lost them due to a phone malfunction, which luckily we were able to have someone in town fix for us. 

Back at the hotel, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and befriended two more hotel employees who laughed heartily at Jeff, though I suspect the nuances of his humor may have been lost on them (puns are difficult in a foreign language!).

At 8:30 the following morning, after a good night’s sleep and a delicious complimentary breakfast, we met up with Mr. Lee, our talented tuk-tuk driver, and Mr. Mony, our knowledgable tour guide. As soon as we set out and Mr. Mony started talking about his life growing up in Cambodia, we knew we would be learning not just about the temple complex, but about more recent Cambodian history and how long years of war affected individuals and families.

Here is a brief summary of Mr. Mony’s history, to give you an idea: One of nine children, Mr. Mony grew up in the countryside outside north of Angkor Wat. During the Vietnam War, after US bombs killed three of his siblings, Mr. Mony and his family moved to Siem Reap, thinking they would be safer. With Pol Pot in power, however, this proved to be the wrong choice. Mr. Mony’s father and grandfather, both intellectuals (and therefore assumed to be part of the opposition) were taken away by Pol Pot, never to return. His mother died shortly after his father was taken, presumably from grief, but the rest of his siblings stayed alive and still live in the same area, close to one another. Mr. Mony followed in his father’s footsteps and taught school for several years. He married and decided to change careers, training to become a nurse. He proved to be a very good nurse – so good, in fact, that the military took notice and forced him into service. For ten years he was away from home most of the time, caring for wounded soldiers and delivering the dead for cremation. He missed the birth of his first daughter, despite requesting time off from his commanding officer. When he finally went home for good, his younger daughter was so wary of him – a stranger to her – that she insisted on sleeping next to her mother to protect her. So, you can see what I mean about one person’s story being emblematic of an entire nation’s.

Our first stop was Angkor Thom  or “Great City” and the beautiful temple at its center, Bayon. Both were built in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII, who, along with King Suryavarman (who built Angkor Wat) were the two most influential Khmer kings.

The giant stone faces and the intricate bas reliefs depicting the Khmer (pictured with long ears signifying long life) at war with the Cham (who look Chinese) people and everyday life of the Khmer were fascinating. Not to mention, the precision with which these structures were built.

It was great to have Mr. Mony along to interpret many of them for us. For example this one:

A short and beautiful walk from the Bayon is the temple Baphuon, built by King Udayadityavarman II in the 11th century as a state temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva

Phimeanakas is a three tired Hindu state temple originally built during the reign of Rajendravarman, sometime between 941 and 968 A.D.

By 10:00, it was 100 and we thought we might expire (rhymes with perspire!), despite Mr. Lee frequently producing bottled water from the  ice chest strapped on the tuk-tuk. Even Mr. Mony said it was an exceptionally hot day. The wind in our faces and some cold water on the tuk-tuk ride to Ta Prohm was just what we needed.

Ta Prohm was probably our favorite place, just because of the way the fig, banyan and kapok trees have engulfed portions of the structures. I did not see Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, but apparently there are some scenes filmed here.

  

I wouldn’t say we’d grown accustomed to the heat by noon, but we weren’t feeling our mortality. After an air-conditioned lunch and some cold, caffeinated drinks, we felt rejuvenated and ready to take on Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat or “temple city” was built circa 1113- 1150 and was once the capital of the Khmer Empire. With a population estimated to have been over 1 million, it was easily the largest city in the world until the Industrial Revolution and at 500 acres, it is one of the largest religious monuments ever constructed. 

Originally built by Suryavarman II as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu, it was converted into a Buddhist temple in the 14th century. The central tower is surrounded by four smaller towers and a series of enclosure walls, recreating the image of Mount Meru, a legendary place in Hindu mythology that is said to lie beyond the Himalayas and be the home of the gods. Creating a 3-mile perimeter around Angkor Wat is a 650-foot-wide, 13-feet deep moat, which helped stabilize the temple’s foundation, preventing groundwater from rising too high or falling too low. (summarized from livescience.com) 

By 4:00 p.m., we’d walked around Angkor Wat for more than two hours and as much as we loved Mr. Mony, we were physically and mentally spent, no longer comprehending his retelling of the elaborate, fanciful stories portrayed on the temple walls. You might say we’d reached maximum wattage.

It was a good thing that our tour was soon over and we were on our way back to the extravagance of our air-conditioning and room service.

Having seen so much on our first day, we decided to book a shorter tour for day two (again deferring to Paul’s recommendation). This allowed us time in the morning to get passport pictures for our Vietnam visas and get Mick a long-awaited haircut.

At 2:00 we were back in Mr. Lee’s trusty tuk-tuk headed for Banteay Srei, this time without a guide. The temperature was maybe a smidge lower, but the sky was full of very dark clouds. About 20 minutes into our ride, a few drops fell. Mr. Lee kindly stopped and asked if we’d like him to drop the clear tarps to enclose us and keep us from getting wet. We enthusiastically said, “No, no, we’re fine – it’ll feel good!” Ten minutes later, Mr. Mony pulled over again, this time to change into his rain gear. Still we said we were OK (he put the front flaps down anyway).

Five minutes later, the sky-nozzle opened and we were stopped again, scrambling to help Mr. Lee get the flaps down and zippered around us. The next 15 minutes or so were like nothing we’ve ever experienced. Never have I see so much water fall at one time. Mr. Lee could not continue driving, so we pulled over and just watched it come down. When it slowed a bit, we started off again. Along the way, we did see a scooter with two people wipe out going around a corner, but thankfully they both got up.

When we arrived at Banteay Serai, the rain had slowed to a drip and we were enjoy the walk to and around the wet, but beautiful temple  – me wearing the pants I bought on the way in because supposedly my skirt was too short and Mick carrying the small brass Buddha we bargained into the purchase.

Banteay Srei was built in the 10th century by two local dignitaries, Yajnavaraha, a trusted guru to king Rajendravarman II, and his brother. Originally called Tribhuvanamaheśvara (great lord of the threefold world), the temple was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Its modern name, Bantãy Srĕi (citadel of the women, or citadel of beauty) may be related to its intricate bas-relief carvings and the small size of the buildings.

The distance from town (30 minutes past the Angkor temples, about an hour out of Siem Reap) and the rain made for few visitors, which may be why I liked it so much.

On the journey back, we stopped at the Land Mine Museum, which provided a simple, but comprehensive overview of the land mines and unexploded ordnance left in Cambodia (and elsewhere in the world) after war. (Mick is writing more about this in a separate post.)

As with Mr. Mony’s stories the day before, we were struck by the ongoing effects of war on the people of Cambodia and how much damage was inflicted by the United States. Eye-opening in multiple ways.

We enjoyed our last tuk-tuk ride in Cambodia from the museum back to the hotel, taking in some typical scenes along the way.

Random Philosophisizing:

The temples were indeed awe-inspiring, but I think what surprised me the most about the little I saw of Cambodia (Siem Reap) was how poor, how “third world” it was. Discussing this with Jeff, we agreed that our more-or-less unfazed attitude has evolved over the course of this trip, a sort of gradual desensitization. Which makes me sad, in a way, but I think it also allows for a shift in focus from the primitive, often deplorable, living conditions to the people, the culture, and the places of natural or man-made beauty.

FYI:  “Third World” is a phrase frequently used to describe a developing nation. Despite its current usage, the phrase “Third World” arose during the Cold War to identify countries whose views did not align with NATO and capitalism or the Soviet Union and communism. The First World described countries whose views aligned with NATO and capitalism, and the Second World referred to countries that supported communism and the Soviet Union. Third World countries are largely characterized as poor and underdeveloped. In these countries, low levels of education, poor infrastructure, improper sanitation and poor access to health care mean living conditions are seen as inferior to those in the world’s more developed nations (something I learned from investopedia.com).

When you see the complexity of the Angkor Wat complex and its temples and how advanced the Khmer society was centuries ago, the modern-day society seems degenerate (as in deteriorated, not corrupted). And yet, despite what we’d call deplorable living conditions and being ravaged by war and genocide, smiles are the norm. It’s this quality that makes visiting a developing country a valuable, memorable experience. I’m leaving Cambodia with a feeling I’ve had in many places we’ve been lucky enough to visit – that there is much to learn from those with little to lose.