Siem Reap - Bayon Temple Part 1

After Angkor Wat, we headed to the next temple which was nearby. I love ridding the tuk-tuk around the park. I mean, look at the view above! It's just so stunning! So surreal. To have a ruin just right there in the middle of the road. The fact the road is so wide, and so much greeneries around it. I used to looked at old photos from my aunt, and some of the scenes in old Penang looks just like these!

Above is what the front seat of our tuk tuk looked like. Our driver Chork also carried an ice cooler back behind and would hand us ice cold water every time we came back to the tuk tuk. Awesome service! Interestingly his English is not very good, so sometimes we use Google Translator to communicate with each other. He is actually from Phnom Penh but prefers Siem Reap better. He said he hopes to bring his wife and kids to Siem Reap in three years time! Good job Chork! Maybe I'll go back in three years time to check up on you! 

Crossing some of the water features, along the road there are these beautiful stone statue that looks like they are carrying something. It's similar to what we saw in front of the American School. I have yet to find out what these signify.....I'm such a lousy tourist! I just really want to enjoy the sights and feel what I feel when I am in a certain place instead of focusing too much on it's history. 

Next temple we went to? Bayon Temple, the temple of faces!

Above is the entrance where Chork dropped us off. Stunning isn't it? It's almost like walking into a painting, or even, another dimension! It looked like a rather small temple, so I told Chork to fetch us in one hour. Ends up, we got kinda lost inside the maze of the corridors! Around 45mins, I was rather panicking at how lost we were. Luckily we found the spot where we started shortly, and made our way out! Stressful!

The reason we got so lost was once you ventured inside, it is just a mazed of stone corridors, and each one would lead to smaller compound with more face tower. It was rather mysterious and beautiful. And I am again so glad the sky was just so blue!

The faces on the tower were supposed to be unique, and some looked like they were smiling. They looked rather kind, demure, and calm. They are not the faces of Buddha. As most towers have four faces, they are actually the hindu God Brahma. 

But to be frank, all I saw was scenes of Tomb Raiders! Hahahaha. Let me have my moments!

But to be honest, again, who build all these beautiful temples. So much love and effort was put into them. All I felt in Angkor Wat was a dedication that is so strong. And it was something I couldn't share or feel, yet I am curious and in awe by what people would do for their Gods or their Kings. It was something hard for me to understand, but it doesn't stopped me from admiring the beautiful art that came out from these devotion. 

I do wander why there are so many towers though. A temple of a thousand faces? It sure was confusing after venturing into those tunnels inside. Apart from the building and faces, it also holds one of the most detailed sandstone carvings on it's front wall. I will share that in my next post. 

There were some Buddha statues scattered here and there, but I don't recognise the statue above with the white cloth. Perhaps it was a local God? There aren't any description or explanation on site. I guess this is where a local guide might have helped, but I'm too stingy to pay for one! I rather come back and google more about it. Since I came back, I've been watching a lot of Khmer Empire videos on YouTube, more on their history instead of their culture and religion though.

Not part of the temple, but just across from it, we saw this cool Buddha status sitting underneath a shed in the forest. I thought that was sooooo coool! It screams serenity to me, excuse the oxymoron in that statement, lol. It is religion that is blended into nature that I like, maybe not religion per say, but the concept of something spiritual blending with nature. For isn't spirituality natural? 

Siem Reap - Angkor Wat Part 2

 

Here are some souvenir shots of me in Angkor Wat. I can't go all the way there and not take some photos of myself, right? Above, me in front of the reflection pool of water after exploring the whole of Angkor Wat within 2 hours. It was a tiring walk! But this was only the first temple we've visited! By the end of the day, my legs were pretty wobbly! 

Above, me on my way into Angkor Wat. Blue skies and everything nice! Blue skies make me so happy!

Inside Angkor Wat with all it's beautiful stone building and sandstone carving. I am so glad I came during non-peak period! To have photos without a crowd of people behind me is awesome! Plus the fact that we started our private tour at 8am when all the other tour starts around 9am helps too! Always be early! Except for China. You can't beat the crowd in China! Lol.

Me and my favourite dancers carving. I just think these carvings are so beautiful. It really celebrates the beauty of the female form. And I love how delicate and detailed it is, with all the jewelries and head set etc. It show case a very elegant culture, even if it may no longer exist today. It just makes me wander more what life was like during those times, in this beautiful place call Angkor.

There were people dressing up in traditional costume taking photos here too. I think most were Cambodian themselves instead of foreigners as they seem to come with their families, and they performed prayers and brought food along like a family outing. Interesting thing to note, you can't really go up to the Angkor Wat temple if you are not properly dressed, e.g. covering your shoulders and knees etc. The Cambodian traditional costume for the ladies actually leave one shoulder exposed. So when the guard stopped a lady, all she did was used the scarf-like cloth to cover her shoulder to get in, and once in, she just uncover it..... Lol. I find that rather amusing. 

Above is either a wedding photo shot, or maybe a celebrity photo shot. I can't really tell. I am thinking it's a magazine shot cause there were too many photographers there. Love the setting and the clothing!

Inside the temple, you can imagine the amount of maintenance required to maintain a ruin. Above are the hardworking people repairing or cleaning the structure. Note, no safely nets or gears attached! Just a hard case helmet, and that's it. They just climb up bamboo sticks or so and proceed to work as per normal! Amazing skills! I've seen Myanmar workers in Penang decorating the Kek Lok See Temple during Chinese New Year period, they were pretty amazing to watch too!

Maintenance were also needed to help the reservoir stay clean. Here are three guys in a boat working outside in the morning heat. The setting just made them looked like they are just crossing the river in some village, lol. But they are actually maintaining the pool of water outside Angkor Wat. It is super clean here.

While running around inside the temple, there are huge windows looking out. So of course I took some nice silhouette photos! Above and below, two of my favourite silhouette shots. 

Siem Reap - Angkor Wat Part 1

After getting our 1-day pass ticket, we were off to Angkor Wat! I was so excited! Remembering just 2 months back in Bangkok where I took a photo of the model of Angkor to inspire myself to come here. Finally, I was gonna see the real thing!

The tuk-tuk driver dropped us at the entrance, and I told him to come pick us up 2 hours later. Even if I finished earlier, I don't think I would mind just spending more time here. To be frank, I didn't know what to expect. My research hasn't been exactly that extensive! So from the main entrance, I started walking towards the main attraction. Above is actually taken on our way back. As you can see, Angkor is quite far from the entrance, and it was quite a walk to get there, in the morning sun!

I read that Angkor Wat was designed with some reservoir around it. So walking through the bodies of water, was kinda like a cleansing ritual towards the sacred temple, right? It was a beautiful day. No rain in sight!

After walking for almost quite a long time, I was beginning to wander if 2hours was even enough since I haven't even reach the temple! But in front of me, slowly but surely, Angkor Wat started to appear. I always thiguht that Angkor Wat was made up of three towers. Now I know there are actually five...

The path towards the temple were filled with stone guardians from another world, standing gallantly at each crossway. It was like entering into another era, another world. Something you only see on movies. But this time, it was real. At  least, it used to be real. To think that long time back, this was the center of the Khmer Empire. Something I hardly know about. 

Even before reaching the main temple, you can see minor structures along the way. I didn't detour to check them out. But what a beautiful day it was, to capture the greens and the blues of nature. I was quite overjoyed at the sight.

Here is a view from after reaching the actual entrance of Angkor Wat. Look how far we had to walk! I was also wandering, is the way back the same? Cause I would have to make my way back to meet our driver later!

Moving into the temple, I really did not know what to expect. I though it would be an open space, a temple like building for worship like the usual Thai or Chinese temples. But what I found at the perimeter, were corridors and corridors of stone pathway. It was like I was walking into a pyramid. I've never been into a pyramid before, but I guess this would be how it felt like from all the movies I've watched!

Passing through the perimeter structure, inside the walls, there are further temples in the middle. I took so many photos that day, but I can't upload them all here. But every turn, every wall, every corner, where beautiful sand stone carving. I will do a dedicated post of those carving after each temple I visit. For they were so detailed, so beautiful and grand that I felt that whoever worked on this place, must have loved it very much, either the empire, or the gods, or both. I did find some materials on youtube that state that Angkor Wat was built by slaves. But looking at all these artisan carving, I find it rather hard to believe.

Above are court dancers carving into the sandstone of the walls. I find them so delicate and feminine. 

There were also stoned stature along the corridors. Mainly Buddhist or Hindu in nature. Most were without head. I also wander why that is. My husband said that they were probably stolen long ago by thieves.... I like that the corridors were quite empty. It was the rainy season when we visited, and one hour earlier than most Klook tours would have started. I like the feeling of having the place all to ourselves to explore. 

Right at the end of the temple, were the dreaded small and steep stairs of Angkor Wat that had given me much doubt on whether to ever visit this place. I am not good with stairs as I tend to get dizzy. But as long as there are hand rails, I was ok to climb it. My fear of stairs have somewhat subsided after climbing a ridiculously steep rock steps in the Kunisaki Peninsular last year in search of Buddha carving on rocks. After that tripped, any manmade stairs doesn't really scare me as much anymore. I'll post about that one day of my Kyushu trip in 2023.

Here is the beautiful view from the very top of Angkor Wat. You can see the areas surrounding the temple. You can see the straight roads leading towards the north south east west. It was a very organised structure!

There are some statue of Buddha you can pay your respect to at the top. I like that it wasn't anything fancy. 

Above is one of my favourite Buddha Statue, mainly due to the single lotus flower placed slightly off center of it. After working on this blog collection, I think I roughly know why I like Siem Reap so much. It was the simplicity, and the nature. Just like the temples I see in Japan, they were always simple, made of stone or wood, and always surrounded by nature, water and plants. It was similar here, and I think that was what I was drawn to.  It was an interesting reflection, cause it was rare that I would like a place so instantly. I usually take some time to warm up to a foreign place. 

As we were making our way back, we found the pond where most photos of Angkor Wat was taken with the reflection on the water. There are many photographers that offers to take a photo of you for 1USD. If you just see where they stand, you can just go there and take a similar photo on your phone for free :P

I love the colours of the photo above. 

And the lack of colours of the photo below. 

Siem Reap - Second Day Breakfast at the Hotel

 

Apologies for the brief 20days break from posting. I had guest over at my place, and I also spent some time travelling to Beijing. These days I have more trips than time to post them! So many backlogs! But I'm back now! For a while at least. So let's continue with my Angkor Wat Adventure! 

Did you know that French once ruled Cambodia? Yeah, I did not. I know very little about Cambodia except that it was famous for Angkor Wat, and also Pol Pot. But the selection of books in the hotel kinda gave away that most people who visited here were French. 

I can't read much French, but I can roughly make out a little about this Le Club Des 5 book content from Enid Blyton! Lol. My brother has the whole collection when I was a kid!

It was a quiet morning in the hotel. I was rather anxious about how to visit Angkor Wat at this point. I didn't know how to get there, where to buy the tickets etc. I just know that I wanted to get there on this very day. I had taken down the whatsapp QR code of the tuk tuk driver that drove us to our hotel the day before, so I texted him to see if he was interested to bring me and husband around for a one day arrangement. Luckily, he said yes. Else I really wouldn't know what I'd do. I'd probably find another way, but I was really relief that he said yes. So on that morning, he was to pick us up at 8am, and breakfast was supposed to start at 7am. Plenty of time! So we made our way to the cafe to enjoy our breakfast. It was a rather nice quiet hotel. I like it cause it has a sleepy cat there, and also a friendly dog outside. I don't often warm up to dogs, but I did like the big puppy that followed us around yesterday evening. 

The breakfast didn't start at 7am. 7am was just the time the staff arrived to start opening up the cafe! After ordering, the food didn't reach us till around 730am! We ordered 3 sets of breakfast for the 2 of us. My friend don't do breakfast, and I see no point in wasting a perfectly paid breakfast set! So we ordered all 3 sets on both days we stayed there.

It was quite a substantial set. The omelette was just so so, but the other two set was quite nice. But it was quite a rush, and I had to eat the remaining of my baguette on the tuk tuk cause the drive also came at 730am!

I love travelling by tuk tuk. Is one of those slow joy of travelling. I love the roads of Siem Reap that is so green, and the wind in my face as we drove along. I told the driver that we needed to get tickets first, and lucky for me, he knew where to take us, cause I sure didn't! Apart from the ticket purchasing, I have told him all the temples I would like to visit, and he had quoted me 30USD. It was a bit on the high side, but I was quite desperate to see Angkor Wat on that day itself before the weather forecasted rain in the upcoming days! Anyway, it was still cheaper than booking a tour with a guide!

Interestingly, the tickets to Angkor Wat Archeological Park can be purchased at the Angkor Wat Panorama Museum. Now who would have guess that! Luckily there wasn't much queue to get an individual one-day pass to visit the park. Before landing here, I always though that Angkor Wat was a single location to visit. After landing here and reading up before the trip, I realised that I wasn't going to be able to cover every single thing in the park! So I've listed the following for my driver to bring us to: Angkor Wat (2h), Bayon Temple (1h), Preah Khan (1h), Ta Prohm (1h), Banteay Srei (1h), and Phnom Bakheng (1h). The "h" stands for "hour", and yes, you need at least 2 solid hours to see the whole of Angkor Wat alone! Factor in also maybe an hour for lunch. I also understand that my driver cost 30USD because Banteay Srei was a lot further off from the other temples. Lucky for me, it was a good arrangement, cause the long ride there actually gave us time to rest in between all the other temples!

Here's my 1-day pass ticket. You have to show it everywhere you go for entrance to the temples. I like it that it has my face on it :) Makes a great souvenir! And yes, it cost 37USD for a 1-day pass. There are also 3-days and 7-days pass you can get. And to be honest, for the amount of stuff we saw on that day, I don't think 37USD was expensive compared to the historical treasure we saw. Just note that before you come, please do your research and know where you want to go. It is a very huge park! For example,  Banteay Srei was a good 30mins by tuk tuk away! Do you really want to save money and walk or cycle there in the heat and dusty road? 

Let the adventure begins!