April 17-19 Seim Reap Cambodia & Angkor Wat

We arrived in Seim Reap around noon.  We checked into our hotel for a wonderful surprise.  This trip is a celebration of our 40 years of wedded bliss.  Our anniversary was in January, but apparently the hotel was going to help us celebrate.

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After checking in we were off in a tuk-tuk to a Buddhist monastery for a blessing.  Tuk-Tuks are very plentiful in most rural towns and cities throughout Asia and South America.  It is a name that applies to small, low powered vehicles, that make a tuk-tuk sound, hence the name.  In Peru they were tri-wheeled scooters with seats for two and a driver.  Here in Seim Reap it refers to a carriage pulled by a motorbike. 

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The monastery was a relatively new facility as well. With a new temple and new construction for living quarters underway.  We were led to a monk who said a prayer while we sat with our legs under us.  For me that was very uncomfortable, and I had to change to sitting cross legged.  The monk said some prayers and then we, in turn, sat before him while he took a red yarn and passed it over our hand and then tied it on our wrists.  The blessing is for good luck and safe travels. So far so good.

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The new temple that was part of the compound was very colorful.  Interesting was that there were inscriptions all around it that indicated how much people donated for each piece of its construction.  A donation of $500 got you a column, $250 a small picture, etc. I guess this is a universal custom in houses of worship all over the world.

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In Cambodia, our guide informed us, people do not shake hands, instead they greet each other by placing their hands together in front of their bodies. Palms do not touch, rather the hands form the shape of the lotus flower. The height they place their hands depends on the person they are greeting, that is; if they are the same age, there finger tips would be at the height of their chin.  If it is someone older, then their lips, parents-their nose, a priest-their eyes and their forehead for the king.

April 18 Sunrise at Angkor Wat

We rose at 4:00 so that we could get to the temple site for sunrise.  Sunrise was to be at 5:50 AM but you must get there early for a good spot for pictures.

Angkor Wat is the largest religious building in the world.  It was one of the key places I wanted to see on our trip.  Built by the Khmer King Suryavarman in the early 12^th century, Angkor Wat was originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, it was transformed into a Buddhist temple toward the end of the 12^th century.  The temple, built primarily of sandstone, has four towers surrounding a central main tower.  These are meant to symbolize the peaks of Mount Meru, which according to Hindu mythology is the dwelling place of the Gods.  The walls surrounding the temple form galleries which are covered with bas-relief carvings of various religious and historical figures.  The stairs on each side of the towers are now closed to tourists.  Instead they have constructed wooden staircases that are less steep and wider for tourists to enter the towers and explore.

After touring the temple, we returned to our hotel for breakfast and then to the airport for a helicopter ride over the area to view the Angkor Wat and the many other temples in the area.  This was somewhat of a surprise to me as I did not realize how many temples and how diverse the architecture of each was.  Some of those we saw from the air we did visit, along with others.  Some we could not go to because of time and ongoing restoration efforts.  You can see from the pictures the green structures that cover parts of each temple.  This is where work is going on to stabilize walls and or reconstruct parts of the temple. From the air you can see the symmetry of the design of the temples.

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After landing our next stop was Angkor Thom.  Angkor Thom, which literally means “Great City” was the last capital city of the Khmer empire.  Within its walls are several monuments and temples from earlier eras.  The first of these we visited was the Bayon.

There were many other temples and sites within Angkor Thom that had fascinating interest. One of these was Baphuon, a Hindu temple dedicated to the God Shiva.

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A characteristic of the Hindu temple is the tower.  They are steep and climbing the stairs to the top certainly challenged my fear of heights.

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 A constant theme on many of the walls of these temples was the Garuda, a half bird half man.

And of course, the Elephant played a large part in the aesthetic, being both a work and revered animal.

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The last temple we visited is called the “Tomb Raider” temple.  This is where they filled Angelina Jolie in the movie.  Did not see Angelina anywhere.  Too bad.  But you could see where the trees were growing out of the walls, undermining the structure, creating challenges for preservation

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April 19^th, more temples and a visit to a village.

We first visited two more temples.  One of which is referred to as the “practice temple” built by the king who built Angkor Wat as a memorial to his father (Ben & Elyse take note), this temple was a precursor and tested many of the engineering and design concepts for the larger edifice.

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After our temple visits, we headed to a small village about an hour away. We noticed along the way people selling a yellow liquid in old whisky bottles.  This is not whisky.  Instead the locals fill this with gasoline and sell it to people for the motorbikes.

We reached the small village to meet a family where our tour operator had made a donation in our name to put in a well pump for clean water. We found this is a need for many of the houses in these villages.

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Then is was back to our hotel to prepare to depart for India.