Kennett’s Siem Reap, Day #2
And we’re off folks. Here is our first full day together in Siem Reap every. Here is Kennett’s Siem Reap, Day #2. First of all it’s off to the ticket office. If you are here for more than one day make sure you buy a three-day temple pass as it is the same price as a two-day. Just in case there are a few more you want to meander round. If you have any kids under the age of 12, make sure you take their passport to the ticket office with you, as that will save you $20 USD. Kids under 12 are free folks.
We grab a tuk-tuk for the day, truly the best way to see this beautiful country, but also to queue jump, and wiggle in spaces that traditional tour buses cannot. Also you are masters of your own destiny. You say where you want to go, not be shipped to the usual pre-determined ‘shop-stop’ where you have to look at silk, gems and other stuff that you never wanted to see in the first place. Get a tuk-tuk folks and have great fun whilst whizzing though the countryside. It is simply the must do way of getting round, and you really do get to see so so much more.
Here we are all good to go. Mary, Jude and Amy in the back clearly looking like fun is about to begin, and the boys in the back acting a little cooler, but clearly up for the surprises in store. Our first time to see Angkor Wat. Something that has been on my bucket list for years, but sadly neither Mary or I ever managed to drag ourselves up from Phnom Penh to there after we had done the Tabitha Charity House Building. But now we have – weeeee!!!
What is it about tuk tuks and kids? Off we go to Angkor Wat for the first time for us all.
When the boys are just chilling!
I just love this sign…
As you walk in you see this sign, which I love. “From who?” is the question on my lips?
Be prepared for crowds though, big crowds. And being hassled left right and centre – buy a book, buy a hat, take a guide etc. – until you get truly inside the temple itself. Calming and cooling in there, to a degree (still very crowded).
Here’s my gang walking over the main bridge to the main entrance. The balustrades you can see on either side you can see are actually representations of the Hydra, or Naga, the 7 headed sea-serpent.
Daddy-Pedia time.
You first arrive and drive around the ‘moat’ that surrounds Angkor Wat. It is 190m across. Yes 190m across. And is man-made with hand-held tools. The feat is just incredible when you stand and see the scale of this. The surrounding wall is 3.6 Km long. A project that took 300,000+ people over 30 years to complete, some 800 years ago. Like the Pyramids and Stone-Henge, the rocks used in construction were shipped from quarries some 60km away by oxen cart, then raft, then elephant and then human grunt.
It literally means Temple City, and is reputed to be the largest religious monument in the world. Originally built by the Khmer King, Suryavarman II, covering 126 hectares. Can you believe it. It started life with Hundu faith following Vishnu, hence the mountain like shape (yep Hindu = mountain shaped temples, and Buddhism = single level temples). Towards the end of the 12th Century it converted to Buddhism. There is lots of chat re it’s West facing orientation – apparently they reckon that is because he built it as a state capital and eventual mausoleum, with the Hund faith leaning towards to the West, it symbolising death for them.
You seriously cannot help but be absolutely blown-way by this place. I’ll share a few pictures now to share with you what I mean, hopefully. Picture paints a… but believe me, you need to stand next to this place and see it in person. Breath-taking may be a vast under-statement.
We have arrived, and WOW, you can’t help but get your arty head on with this place. It’s breath-taking!
These columns are everywhere – they are all varied in design, creating almost cloister like walk-ways with broken light guiding the way.
The ladies of the Hindu temple represented in carvings on the walls. Apparently you can admire over 65 different hairstyles. Just incredible how well this has survived buried in jungle for 800 years.
You seriously cannot help but stop and look at these reliefs. I am 48 and she looks bloody younger than me, and she is over 800 years old.
7 layers, always in Hindu. You have to have a mid-point for balance. All temples are built as mountains for Hindu belief as Vishnu is close to heaven (I think).
We’re now through the main gate exactly where the King would have walked, and we enter the main expanse of the temple area. The non-stone constructions within the complex were made of wood and, of course, have rotten and eroded away since so where you think there is open space would have been houses and communes. This place is just immense!
Even yours truly is in a picture today. Behind me is the main temple complex. It looks miles away, well actually it is kilometres away. The scale of this place is just unbelievable – you think you are at the main ‘bit’ and then still have to walk another 20 minutes or so to the mid point of the complex. It’s crazy to try to contemplate how they did this all those years ago.
Half-way from the main entrance gate to the main temple are these ‘half-way’ houses, which were in fact libraries, then two massive pools before the central temple itself.
Here is my Amy outside one of the libraries. To her left (in the picture) is one of the pools and then the main temple, seemingly still Km’s walk away.
Another view of just one of the libraries. You just cannot help but stand and stare.
Here is my Mary, from one side of the walk way to the other. Library No.2 behind her. Nice pose babes. Wondering if the King and his wife and kids would have walked up here with their version of a buggy and an umbrella? Hey, you never know!
Long shot through the library now to the main temple off in the hazy distance. Imagine 800 years ago, with no iPads or any technology, looking at that as you sat and worked, prayed, researched. Makes you think!
I spotted these holes, and had 30 seconds with a UK speaking guide waiting for his paying punters to catch up. I thought these were some form of post hole. But no, let me explain more below…
All over all the temples you see the stones with these holes. It make you think and wonder, well it sure did me. What on earth are these for. Quite random. All over in fact. The answer was given to me. At the quarry these holes were bored in to the blocks, so that wooden rods could be inserted so that the workers could haul, manoeuvre and even carry the blocks in to position. It’s a device to allow precision of placement.
OK we are well on our way now to the main temple. Let me have a quick peak back at the entrance we crossed in to after the 190m moat. You can see that clearly in the middle of the shot. Look at the distance. Look at the people. You never know perhaps this is what it looked like way back then but with much more splendour?
Yes yes yes. I can hear the cries. This was traveller Kennett in touch with the history. For one moment, no people. Just let me have that moment!
You walk, you stop, you see. You truly cannot stop taking photo after photo. This is 800 years old, and is just one tiny piece of this monolith. But look at the intense detail. How can you not just wonder how they did this 800 years ago. It is just insane to try to imagine!
This is everywhere too. Columns of the written language then, sandskrit. It is everywhere, and perfectly preserved, almost graffiti-like.
We visited the National Museum and there were some verbal translations of the Sanskrit that you could listen too. One stand out for me was a dispute between two neighbouring “Lords” arguing over land-rights. The King is this piece of Sanskrit I was looking at, decreed that they should have their hands and lips cut off to resolve the dispute.
Upon entering the main template you hit this mid-point. Literally the middle of the temple, but NOT the middle of Angkor Wat. Upon the floor is a flagstone, where apparently there would have been a statue of Vishnu or later Buddha. Look at the precision of stone-work, folks not a single slap of cement here!
Yes, at the end of the day we are tourists – so we do what tourists do!
Now to the central temple/tomb/mausoleum. You can’t help but gasp, take a breath. Scale for you, is my gang stood at the bottom step. Yes this is BIG!
You have seen enough to be amazed – so let me do some ‘noir’ for my photography memoirs. What this does not show is the steepness of the incline – penance to walk to God?
Boy it was hot this day, but that clear blue sky and piercing sun gives you some amazing shots of this iconic place.
My Amy loves this one – I keep asking how many hairstyles she can see. Loads here sweetheart. Female dignitaries galore on this relief.
“OK you two, copy the ladies behind you!” said I. So they did!
Just enjoy it. Go here and take you own. I had Arthur C Clarke moments taking this photo. Remember his show? Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious World. This place sure does symbolise that!
Second tower now, and more innate carving on the steps. Why? Who knows. But still steep as buggery to get up, and maybe not come down whole!
The next few snaps are where I tried to find our own space in this place. Some quiet time to reflect what you are seeing, experiencing. Sadly the crowds really don’t allow that. But every now and then…
“Mine, it’s all mine I tell you, mine!” and exhale!
OK, and Ollie’s too. Look at the scale of this place. One tiny bit of the entire complex. Luckily we grabbed this all to ourselves. Maybe the dangling off the edge helped?
Chillax Ollie, chillax, and reflect and absorb!
Now to the back of the main temple and the reliefs that reflect certain key battles. Can you picture the length of this from the photo? It is cut in two – those facing right and those facing left – the battle between good and evil. It is IMMENSE!
There is still paint on the carvings after 800 years of exposure to the elements and the jungle. How?
Lion drawn chariots, supported by cavalry, bows and arrows a firing. Such detail on such immense scale. I was blown away by this, just blown away!
And to give you scale, here are some ‘humans’ standing next to this to show the extent of this. 30 years to build, yep I can kind of get that now! “Jude no touching monkey!”
Not arty, but on purpose in Noir for this. You just need to see the detail. This is one small square footage of hectares of carving, that is all as detailed. How?
Occasionally you stumble across a painted and buffed piece of the carvings. Seriously just look at this. Not saying this is like off the production line, but 800 years on I tell you that is looking pretty damned defined to me.
They’re having a right two and eight here. Again the vibrance of the colour is incredible 800 years later, but imagine for a second what it was 800 years ago. Makes you think!
Sorry I can’t stop with these photos. Just take a peak at this horse drawn chariot scene and the expressions of the soldiers. I would seriously shit myself if I was facing left and these guys were coming at me facing right!
Nearly there, nearly there. I mentioned before our mate Hydra or Naga and the water serpent surrounding the temple complex. Well here I am taking this picture at the half-way point. Yep that is one long fucking snake. You cannot contemplate it until you see this place face to face.
Sort of the postcard shot I suppose. From the left hand pool facing the main temple. By the way some advice – cheap drinks to my left as I take this photo – look for the light blue awnings. Take a seat, take a rest, grab a cheap Angkor Beer and reflect!
We left the temples exhausted, walked-out, sweaty, and needing sustenance. Let’s call on a mate’s recommendation – thank you Mark Forsyth and mate, and head to Chanrey Tree in the city centre for a late lunch – a cracker – see more on Islifearecipe.net soon. Yeah we really enjoyed this dining experience.
Weee back to the hotel! Read below!
Newbies to this but. We had 5 days and 4 nights. Get that 3 day pass for the temples. Spread out your exploring time. You really can get quickly templed out. Hence recommending to get your own tuk-tuk. Do it at your leisure not the tour guide. Break it up. Have a half day temple exploring and half a day exploring something else or just relaxing. As we did day #2. Back to the hotel and let the kids go bananas in the pool. Daddy clearly was enjoying happy hour and those peanuts. Just relax and contemplate what you have seen and what you will see tomorrow. This stuff has been there 800 years ++ it ain’t going anywhere, believe me!
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Old Market, Siem Reap. Let’s wash that temple feeling out with some shopping and some food. Here’s the real world Siem Reap today, let’s get in to it!
Oh yeah and we need to eat, so lets scoot to Pub Street for dinner @ Viva Mexico before a tuk-tuk home for an early night. More temple time tomorrow!
