After a two-hour flight by Air Asia we arrived at Siem Reap Airport at 7.50am. We were received by our guide Jed from B2B Cambodia (b2btravelers.com) who whisked the eight of us to our Hotel Angkor Home. After checking in we had breakfast by the pool .
After breakfast we proceeded to the first place of interest - Angkor Wat, the most famous Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu and later became a Buddhist monument. The temple is surrounded by a moat and the whole complex covers 81 hectares. It is a 12th century masterpiece which took 30 years to build and is a prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. It's five towers symbolise the five peaks of the mythical Mount Meru, the enclosed walls represent the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat represents the ocean beyond.
Our next destination after lunch was Angkor Thom,the ancient capital of Khmer and we made our way through the South Gate.Leading to the gate was a bridge spanning over a moat,with huge statues of demons on one side and deities on another, representing the wars between the two in the myth "Churning of the Sea of Milk". At the end of the bridge stood a gate with a narrow passage and at the top ,a statue with four faces facing the four directions.
We drove along the road with jungle on both sides and monkeys begging food from tourists ,until we reached the Bayon Temple,the central temple of Angkor Thom. It was built circa 1190 AD by King Jayavarnam VII as a Buddhist temple with elements of Hindu cosmology. It is surrounded by 2 long walls bearing an extra-ordinary collection of bas-relief scenes of legendary and historical events.It has 54 towers and each tower is decorated with four smiling faces believed to be either that of Avalokitesvara or a representation of the King himself.
Another short drive took us to the Elephant Terrace which was built by King Jayavarnam VII as a giant reviewing stand for public ceremonies. The two and a half metre high and 300-metre long platform has beautiful carvings of elephants and "garuda", the mythical bird-man along its walls.Opposite the terrace across the road stood 12 towers. There are several theories to the purpose of the towers but according to Cambodian legend, the towers served as anchoring places for ropes used in acrobatic performances.
After a long tiring day we were treated to a complimentary foot massage at a spa ,where we were lulled into stupor with the rain pouring outside.
Day 2 -27 June 2012
A one hour drive took us to Banteay Srei temple, regarded as the jewel in the crown of classical Khmer art. Also known as the Lady Citadel or Citadel of Beauty it's a 10th century temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. It's made of red sandstone and has beautiful and intricate carvings of many devatas (goddesses).A celebrated art theft in 1923 when Andre Malraux stole 4 devatas, led to the temple being referred to as Mona Lisa.
At 11.30 we left the temple .Along the way we stopped at a village and witnessed the locals simmering palm juice in big urns to make sugar. We then proceeded to Banteay Samre ,built in the third quarter of the 12th century.It consists of a central temple with four wings preceded by a hall and two libraries.
After lunch we visited Ta Prohm,built as a Buddhist monastery and university and dedicated to the King's mother. It's one of the most visited temple, especially since it was made famous by the movie Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie. It had an air of mystery about it, with huge roots of silk-cotton tree looking like giant octopus tentacles gripping the temples. Some of the roots reminded me of the movie Elephant Man as they looked like giant and hideous cancerous growth.
Our next stop was Preah Khan meaning Holy Sword, derived from the original name "Holy City of Victory" and dedicated to the King's father. The temple was at the end of a long driveway and has long corridors that run in a cross formation with a stupa in the centre.
Day 3 - 28 June 2012
We left the hotel at 9.00am for a visit to the floating village of Chong Khneas located 10km south of Siem Reap. We arrived at the jetty to the hustling and bustling of tourist boarding wooden boats. Likewise we boarded our boat which soon made its way along the river.After I was seated comfortably on the boat,suddenly a pair of small hands started massaging my back. Apparently this enterprising small boy had boarded the boat with us and was trying to make some money giving us a massage for USD 1.00.
Along the river there were settlements of boat houses complete with schools,a clinic, a church,shops and a water filtering station. The people lived off the river and lake,making their livelihood from fishing, net and rope making etc. They may be poor but they seemed happy,enjoying an idyllic life,napping on hammocks in between their jobs. Soon we reached Tonle Sap,the "Great Lake" of Cambodia and one of the biggest freshwater lakes in Asia. The lake, with its muddy waters, is said to be triple its size during the wet season and its flow changes direction twice a year.We stopped at a floating shop and saw a fish farm and a crocodile farm, before making our way back to Siem Reap for lunch.
In the afternoon we visited the Cultural Village. We were taken on a guided tour of the wax museum which depicted the various tribes of Cambodia. From there we went to The Millionaire's House which is a wooden house on stilts, and witnessed a typical Cambodian wedding. Later we visited various traditional houses of different ethnic groups and at each of them there was a display of a song and dance performance. Our last stop was the Miniature Gardens depicting miniatures of famous buildings of Cambodia.
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