Angkor

Our arrival in Siem Reap confirms our impression of a wild west atmosphere in Cambodian towns. Tuk tuk (moto) drivers crowd around us as we emerge from the bus. A quiet young man named Koy takes us to the Bequest Hotel (US $13) near the town market. A good choice. I am not feeling well in the morning and stay in bed. Richard rents a bicycle and tours Siem Reap.

Koy collects us at our hotel each of the following 3 days for a delightful half hour tuk tuk ride out of town toward the ruins of Angkor. The road is forested on either side, then the vista opens to the south side of Angkor Wat with its surrounding wall and moat. The countryside is green and seems endless. The archeological sites, dating from the 9th to the 13th century, are spread over thousands of acres. From Angkor, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, a succession of Khmer kings ruled an empire that encompassed much of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos as well as present day Cambodia.

Passing Angkor Wat we cross a bridge spanning a moat and pass through a tall but narrow stone gate into the ancient city of Angkor Thom. We spend almost 2 hours at the Buddhist temple Bayon with more than 50 towers still standing, most topped with 4 giant carved stone faces.

After lunch Koy takes us out the east gate of Angkor Thom along a road to the Buddhist temple Ta Phrom. To reach the temple we walk along a wide pathway through the forest. About halfway we come upon a small musical group composed of landmine victims playing for donations. Ta Phrom is one of the temples which has been left as it was found, other than enough clearing to enable visitors to walk through. Giant roots of fig, banyan and kapok trees-hundreds of years old- have weaved their way through the stone walls.

Another day we visit Preah Kahn which also has not be reconstructed. It was originally a Buddhist monastery and school. Hundreds of images of Buddha were removed or defaced in the later transformation of Preah Kahn into a Hindu temple. We spot a photographic opportunity when looking out though each and every thick walled window or door. These unrestored sites are our favorites. We can imagine ourselves as 19th century explorers hacking through the jungle with our machetes, stumbling upon the crumbling walls and fallen stones.

We spend one entire morning at the famous Angkor Wat along with a large number of other tourists, many disgorged from hugh tour buses. Angkor Wat, built as a Hindu temple, is an enormous complex covering 500 acres. We walk around the lower level temple walls looking at the hundreds of bas-reliefs and carvings. Then we make our way through the galleries and chambers to the central pyramid with its 5 soaring towers. Looking up at the steep (70 degree angle) and narrow steps I decide to sit on a ledge and watch Richard and a few other intrepid souls tackle the stairs. Some are clearly terrified on the descent. Richard reports that the climb is worthwhile and there is a great view from the top.

I have only described a few of the temples we have seen at this amazing archeological site. And we certainly did not see it all. At present we have no pictures because our camera and memory card were later stolen when we were in Thailand. Try http://worldviewimages.com/ for some photos. Also, for anyone interested in travel in SE Asia a very nice young couple have a website http://journeys-within.com/ for their tour company and bed and breakfast in Siem Reap.