3D2N Visiting Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

As I was brushing my teeth on the first morning we got back from Beijing, noticed my arms were kind of flaky.  A result from Beijing?  Can't be.  Hardly had a chance seeing my bare arms while I was there except for those quick showers and quicker slabbing on tons of lotions before it was all bundled up again.

Then I remembered my kissing the Buddha trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia.  I totally forgotten about it after freezing my brain out for 7 long days in China.  :p  Scorching hot sun = sun burn.  It was so hot  in Cambodia that I think no amount of SPF can block the rays off.  I was practically dipping myself in SPF47 sunblock and yet, it still burn.  But then again, I was exposing a lot of skin also la...  :p

It was a 7:30am flight.  Meaning, we have to be out out of the house latest by  5am.  Crazy right?  I seriously have enough of all these crazy hour flights.  Arrived in Siem Reap at 8:30am  (1 hour behind  us)  to a broken lock on my newly acquired luggage.  On closer inspection, it looks like somebody must have tried to get into it but ran out of time to finish up the job.  Luckily I've got it cling-wrapped.  Otherwise, I would have to kiss goodbye to my speedflash and camera lens.

When I got back from the trip, the hubby went yadda yadda yadda...."Next time, please don't keep your camera stuff in the check-in luggage.  Hand carry them.".  At the back of my head, I was thinking... "Yeah, next trip you are coming along.  You can carry them all :p".

Note to self: Get a nice camera bag for hubby for Christmas to carry my camera stuff.  Did it sound right?

Due to lack of experience in this kind of matters, I did not report the breakage at the airport thus not  being able to claim any insurance for the repair.  Anyway, I've got it sent back to the manufacturer for repair.  Might not have to pay as it is still under warranty.  See how it goes. ;)

As it was still too early for lunch, our first stop was to this 'Angkor Artisan' place (which belongs to the government) to check out their crafts.  

We learned something new that day.  The process of silk making.  From eggs to larva, larva to worm, worm to cocoon and then to bug again.  It took approximately 12 days to complete a cycle.  These are plainly explanation in my own words for the guide we had for the trip was a total useless bugger.  :p  The picture above show the 'cocooning' stage.  I thought they look kinda pretty in this circular basket... :)

Walk passed trays of empty cocoons being sun in the open.  Purpose, not sure.  Maybe to completely dry it or kill germ.  :p

They are then boiled in a big pot of hot water to soften it before any silk thread can be extracted.

Here, the silk threads are being spin thru the gigantic machine into many smaller rolls before the colouring /dyeing process.

And finally, the threads are being weaved into an intricate piece of silk fabric.  Personally, I don't really fancy Cambodian or Thai's silk.  Their texture are pretty coarse to touch.  Or probably I just don't appreciate silk.  I am a 100% cotton person.  :p

At the end of the silk tour, we are all led into a souvenir shop selling silk crafts.  The prices were rather exorbitant by Cambodian standard.  But then again, I really have no clue of the rate silks are going at.

From silk, we proceed to wood carving.

A completed masterpiece.  Very smooth and nice.

A worker explaining to us how an elephant is being shaped.

Refining the elephants with details.  Very fine.

A representative from the Angkor Artisan explaining to mom how the finished product is being carved.  Seriously, with all the traveling this year, these stuffs are pretty boring already.  They are more or less the same from Ho Chi Minh to Bali, Bali to Siem Reap, even in Bangkok (which I went few years back).  Wood/Stone carving, silvers, lacquerware and etc.  The only difference would be their handiworks.  The Balinese are more detail and intricate.  The Cambodian's/Vietnamese' have less details, less edges and more rounded pieces.

It was lunch after all those crafting tours.  We were all famished.  We had like 12 - 13 dishes to be shared among the 6 of us.  More than we can finished actually.  Their vege are really fresh.  Taste wise, hmm... not too bad. Palatable. 

After lunch, we checked into our hotel and took a good nap.  Mom & I were so tired from the early morning flight.   Later in the afternoon, it was massage time.  Never in my entire lifetime had I experience a massage like this one.  One of its' kind.  Upon arrival, we are asked to change into a set of shirt and pants provided.  Then, all the 6 of us are being herded into a room and asked to lie on the thin mattresses on the floor where the massage would take place, fully clothed and oil-less.  Lols... It was pretty comical and we started to joke and laughed in the midst of it.  Nevertheless, an experience.  :p

We also managed to check out their market in town that day after our 'unforgettable' massage session.  They have plenty of stalls selling all sort of knick knacks.  Souvenirs, tshirts, silvers, dry goods, wet markets and etc.  Picture above is a stall that sells a variety of dried fishes.  They are actually pretty gross on closer inspection.

As we were walking thru their wet market, we spotted an open section that is dedicated to 'hair salon'.  Wash, blow dry, styling, mani & pedi.  A beauty parlour.  The corner is probably just a 2x3m space.  I asked mom if she would like to style her hair... lols....

Mom left her shades back in Malaysia and decided to get herself a pair of Gucci for just USD3.  Made her get a red one instead of those conventional black ones.  Funky right!

The market are pretty much like BenThan in Ho Chi Minh or Chak Tuk Chak in Bangkok except it is very much less crowded here and the sellers are less aggressive.  :)  Haggling process are shorter too and things are generally much much cheaper as compared to Vietnam/Bali.  But they have less varieties too.

There are lots of street vendors too.  I am usually pretty adventurous when comes to local food on the carts.  But somehow, in Siem Reap, I am a little skeptical. :p

Next day is actually the reason why I was even in Siem Reap.  We visited whatever that is still remain of the 12th century archaeology.  Did get much info from our guide and decided to just do my own research when we get back.

Our tourguide is one strange fella.  In comparison to all the other tourguides we came across that day, we all agreed that we got the worst one. There's no doubt about it.  :p  He hate his government, his country, lazy to explain, impatient and zero sense of humour. :p  The weather was rather gloomy on the day we visited the Angkor.  He is the only one that carries an umbrella.  lols...  

Anyway, here is a short history of Angkor Wat I gathered from Wikipedia & Wikitravel.  Angkor Wat was built in the early 12th century by King Suryavarman II as his temple and capital city.  A world largest and best preserved temple - first Hindu, then Buddhist.  It has even become the symbol of Cambodia appearing on its national flag.

Stretching over some 400sq km (including forested area), Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of several capitals of the Khmer Empire of the 9th to the 15th centuries including the largest pre industrial city in the world.  The most famous are the Temple of Angkor and Bayon with its countless sculptural decorations.

The park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992 and at the same time also being placed on the list of World Heritage in Danger due to looting, declining water table and unsustainable tourism. 

And I, just wanna visit it, touch it and feel a piece of it which is easily more than 850 years old in history before they are all gone.  And the experience is 'trance like' if you get what I mean.

Every corridors, every columns have a history of it's own.  It must have seen so much in those 850 over years.  The labourer who first constructed it,  kings/princes/princesses whom had strolled thru it, sweet nothing whispered from young & old lovers alike, wars that had taken place in it,  major decisions that had been made between those walls, looters who had carted away a piece of the history, ignorant individual who  had vandalised it, the thousands of tourists who had marvels at it or a silly girl like me sitting there wondering what had it seen.

Carving of Apsaras can be found all over the architecture.  Apsara - a celestial nymphs, always bare-breasted and usually dancing, representing an ideal of female beauty.  Note one of the leg is missing.  Either looted or vandalised over the years.

It is not just the Apsaras, statues of Buddhas too were not spared.  Most of them have missing heads, hands, torso, feets and so on.  It's sad to see the results of greed in this situation.  I can't explain them in words.  Basically it is just sad.  

I can't help but kept imagining how it must have been once upon a time.  Angkor Wat at it's glorious most era.  Its' Khymer/Hindu architecture were magnificent.  You can find all over the temple, carvings like this one.  So intricate and detail.  And we are talking about workmanship from 850 over years ago when tools are limited.  

Behind me is one of the four pools (which has been dried out) somewhere in Angkor.  It must have been a very pretty sight once upon a time ago; greenish pond, water fountains, Khmers girls/boys in their traditional costumes, sharing a joke by the pool.  

However beautiful it is, the scenery in Angkor all look more or less the same after awhile :p  and can get pretty confusing too.  Afterall, we only have 1 day to absorb it all.  Don't have much time to actually explore every nooks and corners (though I tried my utmost best to squeeze in as much as I could).  Believe it not, I actually took more than 1000 photos in that 2 days.  At one point, my finger actually ache from all the clicking.

Another broken column.  How I pray on that day in Angkor Wat, that someday, collectors from all over the world, would return every piece of Angkor Wat and restore it to its original beauty.  Looting has been an ever-growing threat to the Angkor archaeological landscape. According to APSARA, the official Cambodian agency charged with overseeing the management of Angkor, "vandalism has multiplied at a phenomenal rate, employing local populations to carry out the actual thefts with heavily armed intermediaries transporting the loots, often in tanks or armored personnel carriers, for sale across the Cambodian border."

I need to cover up my bareback and my legs in order to be allowed up in the temple above.  So I conveniently wrapped myself up in two shawls which I bought from one of the many stalls outside the temple.  And, both the shawls are of two difference colours.  :p Fashionable eh?  Lols... whatever goes la...

The reconstructed steps (over it's original) were so steep.  Enough to make my legs turn wobbly.  I just focus on the steps and refuse to look how far more I have to climb. :p   Since it's original steps are right underneath this reconstruction ones, just imagine, how much steeper the original ones are!  It really makes me wonder how they actually climb to the top those days.

Scenery from the top.  I seriously hated all the photos taken during that trip.  The lighting somehow seem kinda off.  Subject under exposed and non-subject over exposed no matter what settings I used.  *hmmrrpphhh!*

More detailed carvings.  Note the crooked wall, a result of declining water table.  With the increased growth in tourism at Angkor, new hotels and restaurants are being built to accommodate such growth. Each new construction project drills underground to reach the water table, which has a limited storage capacity. This demand on the water table could undermine the stability of the sandy soils under the monuments at Angkor, leading to cracks, fissures and collapses (quoted from Wikipedia).

'Terrace of the Elephants'.  350m long.  Named for the carvings of elephants on its eastern face.  It was once upon a time, used by king Jayavarman VII as a platform to view the return of his victorious armies or as a giant reviewing stand for public ceremonies and served as a base for the king's grand audience hall. Whatever that is left today were just its' foundation. It used to be very elaborated.

Pictures above are taken at Angkor Thom South Gate.  There are many statues lining both sides of the road leading to the gate.  Demons/devils on the right and Gods/angels on the left.  I was told the difference between this temple and all the others are it's pillars.  Met another fellow Malaysian tourist in our group and we  hangout together throughout the short trip. ;)

This is the Bayon Temple.  It's most distinctive feature is the huge stone faces on the many towers, on all four sides, on the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak.

Here, mom saying her prayers to a Buddha statue.

Faces of Buddhas can be found wherever you turn.  End of a passage, corner of the structure, high on a minaret and so forth.  Can't be missed.

An unmistakenable Khmer's structure.  More Apsaras.

The famous 'Ta Prohm' temple where the Tomb Raider was shot.  It is one temple that is best merged with the jungle.  Abandoned and neglected for centuries after the fall of the Khmer empire in the 15th century.  It was pretty late by time we got there.  Coupled with the gloomy weather and over looming tall trees, it was impossible to get a good photo. :( 

Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found.  The photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. 

Inside Angkor Wat (and all the other smaller temples around it), you can find some locals, offering you incense (joss sticks) in exchange for a small tokens to pray to a particular Buddha statue they are manning.  They don't mean any harm.  They are just making a living out of it.  Picture above show a Cambodian lady sitting at a corner in Ta Prohm waiting for tourist to offer joss sticks while a group of tourists standing outside admiring the structure.

During that 2 short days while we were there, I can't help but kept wondering what does the Cambodians do to make a living?  Majority of them (that we saw) are so poor.  There is really nothing much in Cambodia besides tourism.  Not much other industries.    

Still in Ta Prohm.  It seems most structures in Angkor are built by stacking these big slabs of  rock together.   And this one here are covered in moss.  

 (picture googled from internet)

From Ta Prohm, we headed up Bakheng Hill for sunset!  Unfortunately for us, there were no sunset that day.  It was drizzling and the weather wasn't so nice.  Nevertheless, we still hike up the temple on top of the hill to have a bird's eye view of Angkor.  By time we hike down the hill, it was pitch black.  Luckily mom have a torchlight in her bag.  Smart eh?  Or we will probably be rolling downhill.

That evening, we enjoyed some traditional dance performance over a buffet dinner spread.  The food were so-so but the performance is ok.  Not too bad.  Their costumes were very elaborated. Their movements were so fluid.  Captivating. 

That is pretty much our 2D/2N trip to Siem Reap.  Besides learning a little on their history, cultural and lifestyles, have noted something else too.

During our super short trip there, I actually spotted not less than 5 men urinating in the public (behind trees/walls/corners). Hehehehe....  I also saw a man bathing and brushing his teeth in a river!  :p

Also learned that Cambodia is rich in many varieties of gems like sapphires, rubies and emeralds.  Their famous mines are located in Pailin and sapphires from Pailin are considered among the best sapphires in the world.  Psssstt.....*secret* I've bought some.  But, found a website later that says: "success of a purchase also depends on your knowledge in this domain, seller's honesty, your personal luck and intuition as there are no gemological institutes than can verify/produce an official certificate for the stone".

Since I have zero knowledge in this domain and I seriously have no faith in the seller's honesty, I doubt my luck and intuition will successified the stones purchased to be real.  Lols....  

I was joking with mom later that night.  Not sure if these are real or fakes.  Treasure it like some precious stones for half a lifetime, only to find out at death bed that they are just some coloured rocks.  Lols....

And here you have it, my 'Kissing the Buddha' trip to Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia.  It was nothing great but I get to see what I there to see. :)  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I visited it (except for the super hot weather of course).  

Now, the good news is, while I was in Siem Reap, I thought.... hmmm... why not I bring back a souvenir for you guys out there who have been following my blog faithfully day in day out?  And so, I did just that.  Gotten something really cute from 'Angkor Artisan'.  Just be the first to email me at gladyslcp@hotmail.com with your name and address and I'll send it out to you wherever you are! :)