What's a wat? What?

The only reason I came to Cambodia was to come to Angkor Wat, a line in my bucket list.  Although I hate anything that involves mass tourism its one if the thungs I want to see and there is no other way around it.

My day starts with a quickly swallowed breakfast and being collected by the driver who bought me from the airport (Sarat).  Smiling, happy and a good driver. Off we set through some stunningly green but unbelievably flat countryside.  I notice coconut palms, banana trees and of course rice paddys as far as the eye can see.  Tropical I suppose Cambodia is but I didnt expect the same tropical as we see in the islands.  Just beautiful, peaceful and fresh looking.

                                         

Along the way we pass dozens of stalls selling biscuits, nuts, shawls and other bits and pieces.  There are so many if them selling the same thing I wonder how they make a living.  I suppose the markup on what they do sell is enough to make a difference somehow.

All that changes when we arrive at the ticket box.  Queues of people.  As each ticket bears a photo of the ticket holder its not possible for tickets to be prepurchased by tour operators so the queues are pretty scary.  But the line moves quite fast.  Ticket obtained and I'm away.  

                                                  

 We drive quite a way further and eventually arrive at the most famous Angkor Wat.  As Mr Wiki tells us:

Angkor Wat (Khmer: ) is a Hindu, then subsequently Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world.  It is now a UNESCO world heritage site.

Lonely Planet has this to say 

"TEMPLES OF ANGKOR

Where to begin with Angkor? There is no greater concentration of architectural riches anywhere on earth. Choose from the world’s largest religious building, Angkor Wat; one of the world’s weirdest, the Bayon; or the riotous jungle of Ta Prohm. All are global icons and have helped put Cambodia on the map as the temple capital of Asia. Today, the temples are a point of pilgrimage for all Khmers, and no traveller to the region will want to miss their extravagant beauty.

Beyond the big three are dozens more temples, each of which would be the star were it located anywhere else in the region. Banteay Srei, the art gallery of Angkor; Preah Khan, the ultimate fusion temple uniting Buddhism and Hinduism; or Beng Mealea, the Titanic of temples suf- focating under the jungle. The most vex- ing part of a visit to Angkor is working out what to see, as there are simply so many spectacular sites.   ..........    Angkor is one of the most impressive ancient sites on earth, with the epic propor- tions of the Great Wall of China, the detail and intricacy of the Taj Mahal and the sym- bolism and symmetry of the Egyptian pyra- mids all rolled into one. "

More here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat.

Walking in is awesome, not quite like the Treasury at Petra, but nevertheless pretty amazing.  Walking along the boardwalk its immense size becomes more obvious for not only does it stretch sideways but even as you walk towards it you can see that it has quite bit of depth as well.  Once I get inside my jaw drops.  It is huge.  Corridors in all directions all intricately carved, doorways, buddahs and monks everywhere. The standing buddah was probably the most impressive but I wanderedd round and round up and down and only covered a small part.  2 hours well spent, but a god deal of that time was people watching or relaxing and trying not to stress with the hoardes of pushing rude coach tour travellers.  

Lonely Planets says on Angkor Wat "The traveller’s first glimpse of Angkor Wat, the ultimate expression of Khmer genius, is simply staggering and is matched by only a few select spots on earth such as Machu Picchu or Petra.

Angkor is, quite literally, heaven on earth. Angkor is the earthly representation of Mt Meru, the Mt Olympus of the Hindu faith and the abode of ancient gods. Angkor is the perfect fusion of creative ambition and spiritual devotion. The Cambodian ‘god- kings’ of old each strove to better their an- cestors in size, scale and symmetry, culmi- nating in the world’s largest religious build- ing, Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat is the heart and soul of Cambodia. It is the Khmers’ national sym- bol, the epicentre of their civilisation and a source of fierce national pride. Unlike the other Angkor monuments, it was never abandoned to the elements and has been in virtually continuous use since it was built." 

                                               

The thing that intrigued me the most were the monks, young kids, I guess much like th ones I am goign to teach.  Smiling and playing like kids do, resplendent in their orange robes.  One rather older monk made me smile.  Here he was in his robes, shoeless, slicked hair (well gelled) and a huge hulking camera slung over his bare shoulder.  Contrasts everywhere.

                                      

                                      

                                       

The stifling heat got to me so I headed back to where Sarat waited and we headed off to the next temple.  I had chosen not to do any of the usual circuits which take in about 10 temples in one day.  There were three more that I specifially wanted to see and we headed off through the beautiful countryside with the cool,wind blowing through my hair, cooling me like an aircon unit.  It was heavenly. 

We arrive at Bayon, the one we see often in the ads, with the big heads.  Stunningly beautiful and although far smaller than Angkor Wat I thought much nicer.  It felt more human.

Mr Wiki says "The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak. The temple is known also for two impressive sets of bas-reliefs, which present an unusual combination of mythological, historical, and mundane scenes. The current main conservatory body, the Japanese Government Team for the Safeguarding of Angkor (the JSA) has described the temple as "the most striking expression of the baroque style" of Khmer architecture, as contrasted with the classical style of Angkor Wat."

                                

                                          

Londly Planet tells me "Right at the heart of Angkor Thom is the Bayon, the mesmerising if slightly mind- bending state temple of Jayavarman VII. It epitomises the creative genius and inflated ego of Cambodia’s legendary king. Its 54 gothic towers are famously decorated with 216 enormous, coldly smiling faces of Av- alokiteshvara that bear more than a pass- ing resemblance to the great king himself. These huge visages glare down from every angle, exuding power and control with a hint of humanity – precisely the blend re- quired to hold sway over such a vast em- pire, ensuring that disparate and far-flung populations yielded to the monarch’s mag- nanimous will.

The Bayon is decorated with 1.2km of ex- traordinary bas-reliefs incorporating more than 11,000 figures. The famous carvings on the outer wall of the first level vividly depict everyday life in 12th-century Cambodia."

 More here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayon

TaProhm was the next one I wanted to see and this was my favorite of the day.   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta_Prohm. 

                                    

At this temple they are doing some major restoration work but at the same time are faced with challenges as huge trees are growing through many of the temples.  The trees provide a living element to the otherwise inanimate temples and I really liked that.  Here I met a cute young couple who were trying to take self phots.  I offer to help and they give me a tiny camera about 4cm square with no viewer which they tell me has a fish eye lens so I have to position it way low and shoot towards them. Fascinating.  They reciprocate with my plain old lumix.

                                         

This temple experience was quite different to the other two. While they are carefully restoring items they are also making efforts to,preserve what is there and have erected boardwalks and railings around some items as a means of protection.  Items of interest also have information boards close by making it a much better experience for people like me that are visiting without a guide.  I really enjoyed it.  

This is the temple that featured in the movie Tomb Raider.

Lonely Planet says "The ultimate Indiana Jones fantasy, Ta Prohm is cloaked in dappled shadow, its crumbling towers and walls locked in the slow muscular embrace of vast tree-root systems. If Angkor Wat, the Bayon and other temples are testimony to the genius of the ancient Khmers, Ta Prohm reminds us equally of the awesome fecundity and power of the jungle. There is a poetic cycle to this venerable ruin, with humanity first conquering nature to rapidly create, and nature once again conquering humanity to slowly destroy.

Built from 1186 and originally known as Rajavihara (Monastery of the King), Ta Prohm was a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII. Ta Prohm is a temple of towers, enclosed courtyards and narrow corridors. Ancient trees tower overhead, their leaves filtering the sunlight and casting a greenish pall over the whole scene. It is the closest most of us will get to experiencing the excitement of the explor- ers of old." 

Time for food and Sarat takes me to tourist bus stop restaurant.  Not what I was hoping but thats OK. He goes off to where the drivers eat and I am shown to a seat next to a large fan which is pushing out a fine mist.  No complaints here.

A small bowl of nuts is bought to me with the menu.  Why do I want a meal when I have the most divine peanuts I have ever eaten in front of me.  Roasted with oil, lemon grass, curry leaves, slices of galric and salt.  I wanted to lick the bowl.  But soon my chicken with lemon grass arrives and momentarily I forget the peanuts.  Delish with a great bite to it.  Before I leave and go and rejoin Sarat I buy a bag of the nuts, quite a small bag for $2.50.  Considering my lunch a coke and. Abottle,of water comes to $7.50 the nuts were quite expensive, but I will savour them.

Our last temple of the day is one that has been recomended to me by a number of people.  Quite a long way away but an opportunity on the way to cool down in the breeze and take in the scenery.  I love it.   The scenery again is rather beautiful, very green and lush, basic housing interspersed with some gorgeous villas.  The one thing that struck me was the redness and fineness of the earth.  The soil was the colour of the soil in the outback and as fine as sand.  Beautiful.

We arrive at Bantea Srei and I set off.  Again this temple is well maintained and a lovely experience.  Lots of information on display and even a mini museum and heaps of shops and lovely cafe type places.  The temple itself is rather small and some off limits but what struck me here were the colours used in the carvings,  much of it still visible.  The stone (and the sand/soil) has a pink hue to it and it looks as though it glows showing off the intricate carvings beautifully.  Again, because this was so much smaller I enjoyed it more.

                                                         

                                            

It was quite beautiful.  The grounds aroud. The temple had been beautifully maintained with little walkways off to the sides.  They have regular "platforms of viewing" which give a glimpse of the countryside.  All around Anghor Wat much of the area is protected to ensure that any other work, which may still be buried, is not interfered with but also to provide a better experience for the tourist by providing a view of the countyrside.  Its beautifully done.

Lonely Plant says "Considered by many to be the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art, Banteay Srei is cut from stone of a pinkish hue and includes some of the finest stone carving anywhere on earth. Begun in AD 967, it is one of the few temples around Angkor not to be com- missioned by a king, but by a Brahman, perhaps a tutor to Jayavarman V.

Banteay Srei means ‘Citadel of the Wom- en’ and it is said that it must have been built  by women, as the elaborate carvings are too fine for the hand of a man.

Banteay Srei, 21km northeast of the Bay- on and about 32km from Siem Reap, can be visited along with Kbal Spean and the Cam- bodia Landmine Museum (p198). Transport out to here will cost a little more than the prices quoted for the central temples of Angkor. "

Temples done.  I am not unhappy that I am not doing more of them and am happy with what I have seen.  I would have liked to do the sunset trip but am so hot that my aircon beckons.  Thinking back it would have been great to so a sunrise at Angkor Wat but too late.

After my rest I wander as far as the hotel restaurant for dinner.  I sit to study the menu and am. Ought a bowl,of peanuts.  Not as good as lunch time ones but pretty damn good all the same.  Roasted with salt and sugar. Mmmmmmm.  I order lamb rack.  I get pork cutlets, but am I complaining. No way,they were  delicious.  With my bottle of water they cost $2.75.  How can I go wrong.

After a short walk around town I retire to my boudoir.  Tomorrow I change rooms, so I get to pack up again.  O yay.