An entry in the TFS Travel Journal
(written with a wailing Cambodian situr-like instrument seeping in through the window)
Boy, that 5am alarm came quickly! We met Kim in the lobby and drove to the airport where we then boarded the 6:30 flight. (only here are there two flights to the same place in the morning: 6:15 and 6:30!) We landed in 40 minutes and were met by Long, our Angkor guide who is quite short, and our driver, who is even shorter. Lots of leg room for us in the back seat! We went first to the unimpressive Angkor Village Hotel, where our room wasn’t ready, so we left our big suitcases and set off for the temples.
There’s really not much this humble narrator can say about this place and day (other than how oppresively, debilitatingly hot and humid it was!) that hasn’t already filled volumes of literature. These ruins are unquestionably one of the greatest building achievements of ancient mankind. All the more so when one realizes, especially while walking all around them, how much has been destroyed, stolen and lost. The complexes contain innumerable sandstone sculptures of Buddhas, nagas (serpents), and gods of many descriptions, some free standing (and huge), some as integral parts of the towers and walls.
Perhaps most impressive are the bas-relief carvings along the walls of many of the structures. These scenes are sometimes over 2 meters in height and hundreds of meters long. They are of astonishing detail and clarity and tell stories, history, myths, show life at that time, recount battles and even contain jokes. There are also huge numbers of carvings of she-gods, and Angkor Wat alone is said to show at least 36 different headress/hair styles among the hundreds of carvings that are there. The scope and magnitude of the different temples, and of the work within each, are almost inconceivable. For example, Angkor Wat, the world’s largest temple, took over 100,000 men more than 30 years to complete.
We spent the morning in and around the Angkor Thom complex, seeing the central Bayon temple, the Elephant Terrace and the palace of the leper king. But everywhere one looks there are towers, terraces, walkways, sculptures, and carvings of evident grandeur. After several hours around there, we went to Ta Prohm, a nearby large temple complex that has been left basically as it was discovered in the mid 1800s - still containing the trees and vegetation that has grown over the centuries, and has been removed from the other sites. It was, again, an awesome temple, but here the way the foliage and tree roots and branches had permeated the building structures was the focus. All around were roots of bizarre size and shapes, some over 3 feet in circumference and at least 40 feet long, winding all around and into the huge stone walls. They looked like dripping water, or like snakes, octopi, or myriad other creatures.
We then broke for lunch, since it was literally unbearably hot, but we went first to the newly-reopened and refurbished Grand Hotel. We looked around, liked what we saw (not surprising, as it’s part of the Raffles hotel chain) then started negotiating with Richard, the front desk manager. We finally got a reasonably acceptable rate, and we had Long rescue our bags from the other hotel. We lunched in their air-conditioned dining room (something we couldn’t have done at the other place), enjoying a caesar salad, some tasty spring rolls, and the clear winner — vermicelli noodles with shrimp, vegetables and divine Asian seasoning. We then went to our lovely room for a short nap.
Angkor Wat was the activity of the afternoon, and it was even more amazing than the morning. Some parts of all three of its levels are still intact and can be explored. We spent a few hours there, then stopped for two more chilled coconuts (they cut a hole large enough for a straw and one then enjoys one of the more refreshing drinks imagineable!) before heading 65 meters up a hill to another, smaller temple that afforded sweeping views of the countryside and some of the ruins. Interestingly, most of the temple complexes are unfinished because (and this explains some of the grandeur here) each new king started his construction anew and always had to top his predecessors. Mention must also be made of how numerous and persistant the local vendors are as one attempts to walk around the complexes. They are hawking tee-shirts, film, flutes, small crafts, and sometimes have 5-year-old children imploring you to buy their crap. There are also many of the aforementioned handicapped beggars sitting all around with their hands and hats out. Quite sad and a bit overwhelming.
It was then sundown, so we came home to shower and chill. En route we passed the myriad motorscooters, many with more than two passengers clinging on, and occasionally with whole families (parents and very young children either hanging on to the driver’s waist or cradled in some pieces of fabric attached to the handlebars) We had a drink in the hotel bar, listening to the quite good Australian female pianist/singer, and joined by Richard, our new best friend. He’s Malaysian and was brought here to open the hotel, which is basically the only 5-star property in the country. He’ll be sweltering here for about 2 more years. Dinner was a fabulous buffet of local specialties, all done just perfectly. Dessert was also a buffet, including creme brulee, chocolate mousse, coconut tart, and some little honey cake things that we’ll long be dreaming about.
We then went across the street to the semi-weekly performance of Cambodian Dance. Quite a show — 5 different dances, each about 10 minutes, with elaborate costumes and several young men and women performing, sometimes in masks. The music was Indian situr-like, along with Asian style rhythms and beats. Very entertaining, but we were schvitzing to death, so we came back to the room and recuperated.