Angkor Wat is spectacular. The temple complex, commonly referred to collectively as Angkor Wat although that is the name of only one temple, is absolutely massive with hundreds of temples from various centuries. Angkor Wat is the most amazing, built in the 11th century and as complex a structure as Versailles. When we arrived, the sky was just starting to lighten, and a
busload of Japanese tourists had gotten out at the same walkway. Although the rain was coming down a little less ferociously at this point, it was still a constant precipitation which made visiting temples less appealing for the masses. Robin and I, however, thought this would be a great time to see all the temples without the hordes of tourists usually associated with the place. We had a guide, also, who explained the significance of the statues and friezes. The temples were originally built as shrines to Hindu gods but were slowly changed to Buddhist temples as the country converted. You can still see the interplay of the religions in the art around the complexes. Besides keeping away weak willed tourists, the rain also created waterfalls over the edges of most of the temples. It was a surreal sight. No one around but Robin, the guide and me, looking at 1000 year-old structures overgrown with moss and bursting with water. Along with the Grand Canyon at sunset, the Coliseum at night and the Pyramids in Egypt, this is one of the most awe-inspiring sights I have had the good fortune of seeing.After Angkor Wat we saw Banteay Srei, also known as the “Citadel of Women” since it was built
by women. It was a smaller temple, but all the reliefs were incredibly detailed and clear. The temple is a mud-red color, and dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. The main aisle of the temple was completely flooded, under about 6 to 12 inches of water, so we got to trudge through the watery galleries while staring up at the intricate carvings. I was very impressed. Upon leaving, our guide asked us if we were hungry, and we said no. But then the driver came over and said that the guide is just being polite, he hadn’t eaten, yet. So we sat down for breakfast. Our guide inhaled his plate of noodles, it was pretty funny. Robin and I each had a banana pancake, which was scrumptious. It was more corn-like than flour based, so after one we were done.We followed Banteay Srei with Ta Prohm, also known colloquially as the Jungle Temple or Tomb Raider Temple, since one of the Tomb Raider movies was filmed here. If Walt Disney and George Lucas got together and imagined the most fantastical, strange and foreign temple possible, you would get Ta Prohm. There were trees growing out the side of walls and
on ceilings. Roots had obstructed some walls, so you could see ghostly white faces of statues or reliefs staring at you from between the roots. The normal entrance to this site was completely underwater, and industrious Cambodians were charging people $1 for a motorcycle ride across the flooded entrance walkway. Being stubborn young guys, we marched through the knee high water, savoring the effect created by the canopy of trees overhead reflected in the temporary lake all around us. It was the perfect set up to the feast for the eyes we were about to encounter. This temple was built in 1186 and dedicated to the king’s mother. It was the most crowded of all the temples, owing to the fact that it was later in the day, around 11am, but there were a minimal amount of tourists compared to non-rainy days, our guide told us. The stone walls had turned from a dull gray into a deep, verdant green from all the wet moss and grass growing on it. Water cascaded over the sides, pooling in abscesses in the rocks lining the ground. The temple was a ghost of its former glory, with stonewalls shattered from the relentless growth of tree on or around them. But the combination of towering trees, exquisite bas-reliefs and crumbling stone facades created a sensation of utter wonder and bewilderment. This could not be real, right? This must be a Hollywood fabrication! The fact that this structure was almost 850 years old makes it all the more awesome.We finished our day at the Angkor Thom complex. Driving up to the entrance involves passing
over a bridge lined by statues on one side of demons and the other by gods. These statues are 10 to 12 feet tall and number about 30 on each side. Then you drive through a large stone gate flanked by two giant nagas, or holy multiheaded snakes. The impression created by this entrance is incredible. It was like the scene in Jurassic Park when they drive through the massive front gates, full of anticipation. The first site upon entering is the Terrace of the Leper King, a large platform which was used as the royal cremation sight. The landmark derives its name from a statue which had moss growing over it and gave the statue the appearance of a leper. The original statue is now in the national museum, but a copy continues to have moss blotching its countenance. Then the Terrace of Elephants. A terrace with various carvings of warrior elephants. Pretty cool. But my favorite part was walking around the grounds of this spaced out temple complex. There were temporary and permanent lakes dotting the landscape, blocking certain paths through the complex. Our path through was not direct, we followed large arcs through the trees and skirted the lakes, savoring the reflection of the towering stone temples in the still water. We made our way slowly. We were in no rush to finish the day. The rain continued to fall and the inevitably crush of tourists failed to materialize, allowing us free reign of the thou
sand year old playground. The final temple was the Baphuon. It was surrounded by a large moat today, created hours before by the remnants of the typhoon, and local children were enjoying jumping off the edge of the temple into the shallow water. This temple was notable for the faces carved into the towers, one on each side of the four-sided towers. All the faces were unique, with different smiles, eyes, expressions… It allowed for some funny photo opportunities. At a certain point, I just put my camera to rest, hoping that the incessant downpour would not permanently damage the machine. But there were some shots that were just too good not to capture. I removed the raincover from my bag, pulled out my camera, unwrapped it of its cheap plastic bag enclosure, and fired off five or six shots. I bought my camera in anticipation of sights like this. I cannot wait to see if they even remotely capture the feeling this place exudes.It was now about 3:30pm, and we knew that staying for sunset would be futile. The clouds had not dissipated and the sun was not going to break through this dense wall of moisture. Instead, we had lunch and had the driver take us to the airport for our flight to Hanoi. We bid farewell to our friends, thanking them for putting up with the typhoon for us. When we entered the airport, we took turns alternating watching the bags and changing in the bathroom. We were soaking wet, drenched. The bathroom attendants looked at us with a mixture of humor and horror. The Westerners look like they just climbed out of a pool, but they are going to empty the water all over my clean bathroom! We did not see our 7:45pm flight on the board, there was just a 9:21pm flight to Hanoi operated by Vietnam Airlines. Strange. So I asked the girl behind the desk, and she explained how our flight was the 9:21 flight, just delayed. I was amused that instead of showing the original flight and noting its delay, they just make it look like this was the original time. Fine, I’ll go with that. We sat in the airport for a couple of hours, but we passed the time with a new copy of The Economist (yes!) and a bottle of cabernet. That is right, our first bottle of wine on this trip was in the international terminal of the Siem Reap airport. We are kind of classy like that. Robin also used the time to get cable, internet and other random things set up for his new apartment in Dallas. Things are easy nowadays with the interweb and all.
We arrived in Hanoi late, and we checked into our hotel, the Golden Lotus, near the lake. Tomorrow we would decide if the weather was going to support our plans to go to Halong Bay or not. Hope it does!
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