Angkor Wat – the centrepiece of any visit to the temples of Angkor.
Angkor
literally means 'Capital City' or 'Holy City', and Wat refers to
'temple'. This legendary UNESCO World Heritage site's artistic beauty
and archaeological significance, puts it in the same class as the
Pyramids and Machu Picchu.
It is
said that Cambodia has four seasons:
- December – February: Cool & Dry
- March – May: Hot & Dry
- June – August: Hot & Rainy
- September – November: Cool, with Diminishing Rain
I
arrived Siem Reap on a cool morning at the end of November, just a
few days before the 18th
Angkor Wat International Half-marathon. Thinking that the weather in
Siem Reap would be the typical South East Asian weather – Hot &
Humid, I conveniently packed-up light and airy clothing. I ended up
hugging myself tight, trying to keep warm early in the morning, as I
sat in a moving open-framed tuk-tuk. Thankfully the airport is only
about 6km from the town centre. Any longer than 15 minutes in the
moving tuk-tuk would probably give me more defined triceps, abs and
quads (from tensing up my muscles keeping warm).
It still
gets pretty hot in the afternoon so your light and airy clothing are
still needed. Perhaps just a thin jacket if you're out
traveling in the early mornings or evenings in the cooler months, or
just buy a traditional Khmer silk scarf (Krama) when you're there.
Paying
our friendly tuk-tuk driver the standard rate of USD$5 for the journey from the airport, my
childhood buddy greeted me at the entrance of a cute little hotel we
would be staying in, at Alley West – a quaint and artsy alley with
relaxing cafes and little boutiques, located between Pub Street and
the Old Market area. I would say that the area is a very convenient
location where all the important things – restaurants / cafes /
pubs, souvenir stores, massage parlours, convenience stores, bike
rental shops etc are all within walking distance.
The
terrain in Siem Reap is fairly flat, which makes it great for
cycling, and running the half-marathon. We rented a bike, stopped by
the Blue Pumpkin – a famous bakery/cafe chain and off we went to
explore the temple ruins at the Angkor Achaeological Park.
We
purchased a three-day temple pass for USD$40, which had to be used
within a week and not necessarily in three consecutive days. There is
also a one-day pass which cost USD$20 and a seven-day pass at USD$60 to
be used within a month, not necessarily consecutively.
Passes
in hand, we cycled in beautiful weather to Angkor Wat.
The famous temple is often flocked to before the breaking of dawn at about 5am to capture these views:
The famous temple is often flocked to before the breaking of dawn at about 5am to capture these views:
If not,
the next best time to see the Angkor Wat is in the afternoon after
2pm when the sun moves west, shining its light on the iconic temple,
giving it optimal lighting.
There are many temple ruins located within, and out of the Angkor Achaeological Park, each varying in design, explorability, impression and condition. Out of
just the seven temple ruins that we visited, there were two which stood out and are my personal favourites - Bayon (in which the picture above was taken) and Pre Rup.
When in Bayon, it feels as though you're walking between little mountains. A bit like in a rock-jungle, except most of these giant rocks sport four beautifully carved faces. I imagine walking alone in these narrow lanes between giant rocks, getting lost in the maze of giant stone faces... That would be the perfect mystical experience in Bayon. Too bad it's filled with tourists.
Siem Reap is a bike-friendly place as the terrain is flat and most roads are tree-lined which makes it the whole cycling experience very pleasant. One thing to note though, it can be very dusty in some areas, especially in the town centre, so it's good to bring a mask!
From Bayon, we cycled to Ta Prohm, famous for its centuries old chunky tree roots growing in and all over the temple. Of course it is also famous for having Angelina Jolie grace the place filming Tomb Raider. Unfortunately, due to massive numbers of visitors, steel pillars have been erected to hold the temple ruins together. Wooden walkways have also been built in recent years to make walking easier. Well, I guess it facilitates elderly tourists and it is also for safety, but all these additions sadly do not complement the 'jungle atmosphere'.
However, there is still hope! The next day, after running the half-marathon, we headed to Beng Mealea, about 1.5 hours by tuk-tuk, east of town.
Beng Mealea is quite like Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider temple), except overrun with vegetation and lightly touristed. The best thing is that you're free to explore, at your own risk - which means you can climb anywhere you wish, or even walk on the ruined roof should you fancy. The picture below shows just what you could possibly do in Beng Mealea:
It is a wonderland; A playground for the local kids!
Entrance to Beng Mealea isn't by the regular admission ticket or temple pass and you'd need to pay a separate USD$5. There are wooden walkways built too, but still, the serenity of Beng Mealea gives you room to breathe and take-in the 'lost jungle-temple' feel.
Even our journey to Beng Mealea with a tuk-tuk via the countryside was utterly enjoyable!
The journey via the countryside was scenic and occasionally thrilling, especially when going by uneven village dirt roads which make you feel like you'd be flung out of the tuk-tuk! Fun journey it was. Make sure you bring along a mask too as it can be very dusty.
Note: The village road option may not be available in the rainy season as it may be too muddy, with occasional flooding.
Some visitors combine their trip to Beng Mealea with Koh Ker, another remote archaeological site 120km away from town. Unfortunately we didn't get the chance to include that in our trip this time. Perhaps it's worth checking out if ever you were heading to Beng Mealea.
Our journey back to town at sundown through the village was beautiful, as the light of the retiring sun shone on the paddy fields, giving it a rich golden glow. It was serene and breathtaking... Until the serenity was interrupted with the growl of our tummies.
Having had Cambodian food for most of our meals since we arrived, we decided to try out some International cuisine.
Where you see inverted umbrellas, you know it is Pub Street.
We went off the busy Pub Street to a pleasantly quiet lane, to try out the much talked about Italian Trattoria - Il Forno, to see what's all the fuss. Well, we were also craving for some good wood-fired pizzas and more carbs to replenish the energy lost running 21km in the morning.
Despite our prior reservation and being there on the dot at 8.30pm, we still had to wait. It is important to make a reservation, and here's why - the food is simply VERY GOOD! I do not say that lightly. It is the BEST Italian food I've ever had. Totally worthy of praise! I ordered their homemade Gnocchi which left me, my buddy and two other friends (who were in town for the half-marathon as well), scraping the gravy off the plate! We know it's rude to keep scraping, but screw that, the Gnocchi was TASTY!!
Who ever knew we'd find the best Italian food out of Italy.. In Siem Reap?! :)
Our plan the next day's gave a great end to our trip.
Again, we took a tuk-tuk out of town, this time 38km out to Banteay Srey, which loosely translates as 'Citadel of the women', also known as the 'Pink Temple'.
This temple is relatively small, and made out of pink sandstone with elaborate designs!
The exterior is densely covered with deep, delicate and intricate carvings such as the picture below.
Exquisite!
From Banteay Srey (The Pink Temple), we took a 12km straight road on to Kbal Spean, where we'd hike 1500m up the mountain to see the 'River of 1000 Lingas'. Lingas refer to the 'male appendages', and at the river banks and river bed, you can spot many stone carvings and sculptures of Hindu Gods. The main theme of these is about Creation, as defined by Hindu mythology.
When a friend who went to Kbal Spean before told me what Lingas were, I was expecting to see something like in Cappadocia, Turkey. Just so you do not go through the same little disappointment as I did, these Lingas are actually cute little bumps neatly arranged at the bed rock of the river which looks like this:
The square bit at the centre is a 'Yoni'- Sanskrit for 'Womb'. This place is all about Creation remember.
Well, that aside, it was a great place to have a picnic by the river banks as it is quiet. All you hear are birds chirping, rustling of the leaves and the river water flowing, with the distant sound of a waterfall.
Not to mention, the company of many friendly butterflies.
.
We were reluctant to leave, but we had to in order to catch the sunset at Pre Rup.
Pre Rup, as mentioned before, is the other personal favourite of mine, along with Bayon. This temple ruin exudes grandeur and is dramatic. Not only is it picturesque with a great view of the surrounding, it is also quite fun getting up and down the little ' temple-mountain'.
I love this picture because of the lady behind me. This shows how steep the steps are that she had to cling on to the wall. One middle-aged lady was so terrified of going down that she decided to put her ego aside and descended one bum at a time. That was really adorable!
This was what we ascended for... What a view! There was that immediate sense of SPACE as soon as you reached the top and looked out at the countryside and the sunset... Until you turn around and see this:
Despite the number of tourists on site, everyone kept their voices low as all of us knew that everyone traveled from afar to enjoy the beautiful temple and that golden hour of the sunset. Giving each other the physical space was not possible, hence we gave each other the aural space. Not only was the view great, the feeling of mutual respect amongst all tourists from the world over was quite heartwarming.
We enjoyed the remaining sunlight of the day on our tuk-tuk on the way back to our hotel, and ended the night with a traditional Cambodian platter at 'Angkor Palm', reflecting on our entire trip over mango shakes.
Siem Reap is a bike-friendly place as the terrain is flat and most roads are tree-lined which makes it the whole cycling experience very pleasant. One thing to note though, it can be very dusty in some areas, especially in the town centre, so it's good to bring a mask!
From Bayon, we cycled to Ta Prohm, famous for its centuries old chunky tree roots growing in and all over the temple. Of course it is also famous for having Angelina Jolie grace the place filming Tomb Raider. Unfortunately, due to massive numbers of visitors, steel pillars have been erected to hold the temple ruins together. Wooden walkways have also been built in recent years to make walking easier. Well, I guess it facilitates elderly tourists and it is also for safety, but all these additions sadly do not complement the 'jungle atmosphere'.
However, there is still hope! The next day, after running the half-marathon, we headed to Beng Mealea, about 1.5 hours by tuk-tuk, east of town.
Beng Mealea is quite like Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider temple), except overrun with vegetation and lightly touristed. The best thing is that you're free to explore, at your own risk - which means you can climb anywhere you wish, or even walk on the ruined roof should you fancy. The picture below shows just what you could possibly do in Beng Mealea:
It is a wonderland; A playground for the local kids!
Entrance to Beng Mealea isn't by the regular admission ticket or temple pass and you'd need to pay a separate USD$5. There are wooden walkways built too, but still, the serenity of Beng Mealea gives you room to breathe and take-in the 'lost jungle-temple' feel.
Even our journey to Beng Mealea with a tuk-tuk via the countryside was utterly enjoyable!
The journey via the countryside was scenic and occasionally thrilling, especially when going by uneven village dirt roads which make you feel like you'd be flung out of the tuk-tuk! Fun journey it was. Make sure you bring along a mask too as it can be very dusty.
Note: The village road option may not be available in the rainy season as it may be too muddy, with occasional flooding.
Some visitors combine their trip to Beng Mealea with Koh Ker, another remote archaeological site 120km away from town. Unfortunately we didn't get the chance to include that in our trip this time. Perhaps it's worth checking out if ever you were heading to Beng Mealea.
Our journey back to town at sundown through the village was beautiful, as the light of the retiring sun shone on the paddy fields, giving it a rich golden glow. It was serene and breathtaking... Until the serenity was interrupted with the growl of our tummies.
Having had Cambodian food for most of our meals since we arrived, we decided to try out some International cuisine.
Where you see inverted umbrellas, you know it is Pub Street.
We went off the busy Pub Street to a pleasantly quiet lane, to try out the much talked about Italian Trattoria - Il Forno, to see what's all the fuss. Well, we were also craving for some good wood-fired pizzas and more carbs to replenish the energy lost running 21km in the morning.
Despite our prior reservation and being there on the dot at 8.30pm, we still had to wait. It is important to make a reservation, and here's why - the food is simply VERY GOOD! I do not say that lightly. It is the BEST Italian food I've ever had. Totally worthy of praise! I ordered their homemade Gnocchi which left me, my buddy and two other friends (who were in town for the half-marathon as well), scraping the gravy off the plate! We know it's rude to keep scraping, but screw that, the Gnocchi was TASTY!!
Who ever knew we'd find the best Italian food out of Italy.. In Siem Reap?! :)
Our plan the next day's gave a great end to our trip.
Again, we took a tuk-tuk out of town, this time 38km out to Banteay Srey, which loosely translates as 'Citadel of the women', also known as the 'Pink Temple'.
This temple is relatively small, and made out of pink sandstone with elaborate designs!
The exterior is densely covered with deep, delicate and intricate carvings such as the picture below.
From Banteay Srey (The Pink Temple), we took a 12km straight road on to Kbal Spean, where we'd hike 1500m up the mountain to see the 'River of 1000 Lingas'. Lingas refer to the 'male appendages', and at the river banks and river bed, you can spot many stone carvings and sculptures of Hindu Gods. The main theme of these is about Creation, as defined by Hindu mythology.
When a friend who went to Kbal Spean before told me what Lingas were, I was expecting to see something like in Cappadocia, Turkey. Just so you do not go through the same little disappointment as I did, these Lingas are actually cute little bumps neatly arranged at the bed rock of the river which looks like this:
The square bit at the centre is a 'Yoni'- Sanskrit for 'Womb'. This place is all about Creation remember.
Well, that aside, it was a great place to have a picnic by the river banks as it is quiet. All you hear are birds chirping, rustling of the leaves and the river water flowing, with the distant sound of a waterfall.
Not to mention, the company of many friendly butterflies.
We were reluctant to leave, but we had to in order to catch the sunset at Pre Rup.
Pre Rup, as mentioned before, is the other personal favourite of mine, along with Bayon. This temple ruin exudes grandeur and is dramatic. Not only is it picturesque with a great view of the surrounding, it is also quite fun getting up and down the little ' temple-mountain'.
I love this picture because of the lady behind me. This shows how steep the steps are that she had to cling on to the wall. One middle-aged lady was so terrified of going down that she decided to put her ego aside and descended one bum at a time. That was really adorable!
This was what we ascended for... What a view! There was that immediate sense of SPACE as soon as you reached the top and looked out at the countryside and the sunset... Until you turn around and see this:
Despite the number of tourists on site, everyone kept their voices low as all of us knew that everyone traveled from afar to enjoy the beautiful temple and that golden hour of the sunset. Giving each other the physical space was not possible, hence we gave each other the aural space. Not only was the view great, the feeling of mutual respect amongst all tourists from the world over was quite heartwarming.
We enjoyed the remaining sunlight of the day on our tuk-tuk on the way back to our hotel, and ended the night with a traditional Cambodian platter at 'Angkor Palm', reflecting on our entire trip over mango shakes.
Those were good pictures taken of the temple,n a little stories of the artifact created.if i'm not wrong,this is referring to as reproductive making mankind.This historical love temple is all about mankind or just intimation. Anyway,curious boy question,however,love to see the good energy flowing around you. Coz we see the butterfly sitting on your beautiful silky arm, believe me this is not everyday happening. Like the clip,a small part of the history in this region added into my knowledge bank. Smile girl.
ReplyDelete