Amazing Angkor

Like Borneo, Cambodia wasn't on our original itinerary.  However, Magge became enamored with the idea of visiting when a couple we met in Ecuador told us that the country had very cheap spa treatments.  We weren't sure we could work it into the schedule until we had to cancel our time in Thailand due to its domestic issues.  So now we're here in Cambodia, a country I knew very little about a year ago.  After two days exploring Angkor,  we can say that it's the most impressive man-made attraction we have seen so far on this trip.

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer empire for 500 years from the 9th to the 15th century (with one brief interruption).  Seemingly often ignored, or at least underappreciated, by the western world, it was the largest preindustrial city in the world, with an urban sprawl of over 1,000 square kilometers and a population of approximately one million at its peak, a time when Paris and London barely had 50,000 inhabitants.  Today, it's an amazing concentration of temples, one of Cambodia's two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the country's largest tourist attraction.

Our first day, we tackled the flagship temple of Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious structure, and the walled city of Angkor Thom.  For the low price of US$38, we were able to hire a private driver and guide for the whole day.  We left our hotel at 5:00am to catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat, and kept going to 2:00pm when the heat and early wake-up call finally caught up to us.  Here's most of what we saw:

Angkor Wat - This is where we spent most of our time, and rightly so, as it is gigantic.  The outer wall is 1,000m by 800m, and is surrounded by a moat nearly 200m wide.  The central temple structure is 187m by 215m, and the walls in this gallery are covered with intricate bas relief, most of which tell the Hindu epic Ramayana (the Khmer empire flip flopped between Hinduism and Buddhism, and while Angkor Wat is now used as a Buddhist temple, it was built by a Hindu king and retains its Hindu features).  The size of this place is astounding, but when you add to the fact that nearly every square inch is covered in fine carvings, we were just blown away.  We spent time on all three levels, including the top one that was just recently reopened to tourists after going through some restoration work.

Angkor Wat at sunrise

Walking into one of the libraries in the courtyard

This entire wall to the right is covered in bas relief

Details:

At the eastern entrance

At the third level

Bayon - the second most famous temple in Angkor is located in the walled city of Angkor Thom and is often cleverly called the Face Temple by tourists.  There are thirty-seven standing towers in the temple, and most of them have a face carved into each of their four sides.  There's debate as to whether the faces represent Buddha, Jayavarman VII (the king who built the temple) or someone else.  Regardless, it's an eerie feeling being looked down on by so many smiling faces.  Like Angkor Wat, the walls at Bayon are covered in carvings, although these mostly depict scenes from daily life rather than Hindu epics, which is probably explained by the fact that this was originally built as the Khmer's first Buddhist temple.  Later, when the kingdom reverted to Hinduism, many of the Buddhist images were destroyed or crudely redesigned into Hindu images.

Gate into Angkor Thom, with the car adding a nice touch

The entrance to Bayon

How many faces can you count in this picture (besides ours)?

Phimeanakas - It's the tallest scalable temple in Angkor Thom.  I don't have much else to say, because the sun was absolutely beating us down at this point and we needed some lunch.

The Elephant Terrace - A 300m long, 2.5m tall terrace that features carved elephants.  Still need some lunch.

Ta Prohm - Got some lunch and feeling better.  Those who have seen the movie Tomb Raider may recognize these pictures.  As I have a policy of trying to avoid movies starring Angelina Jolie, I have not seen it.  Ta Prohm is a temple that has been partially retaken by the jungle, with lots of tree-in-temple photo opportunities that tourists, including us, can't resist.

Back at the hotel with Borey, our excellent guide

Yesterday, we struck out with just our driver and no guide to visit the Roluos Group, a series of temples built in the 9th century before the capital of the empire was moved to Angkor, and a few more temples in the Angkor area.

 Preah Ko

Bakong (in the last picture you can see me standing just below the highest door)

Just outside of Bakong, a man had set up a series of miniature Angkor temples that his grandfather had built.  They were incredibly detailed, and Magge and I couldn't believe that something like this would be left to the side of a road instead of in a museum.

Mini Angkor Wat

Our tuk-tuk driver

After seeing the Roluos Group, we had some lunch and then saw another five ruins.  The most interesting were Neak Pean, a temple that was once surrounded by water pools fed by spouts embedded in carved animal heads, and Ta Som and Preah Khan, two more temples that have been invaded by trees.

Magge at Pre Rup

Neak Pean, with its water spouts that are no longer functional

Ta Som

 Preah Khan

While Angkor is an incredible experience, it's not perfect.  Probably the biggest drawback for most visitors is the ubiquitous presence of vendors.  At every temple, the second your tuk-tuk pulls up, you are surrounded by at least four vendors, usually children, asking you to buy postcards, drinks, trinkets, guidebooks and more.  I think they all go to the same sales school, because they all have the same pitch and rebuttals.  We have the same conversation at every stop:

10 year old girl: "Do you want a cold drink? Two waters for a dollar."
Me: "No thank you, I already have some drinks."
10 year old girl: "Maybe when you come back?"
Me: "Maybe."
10 year old girl: "Ok, if you want a drink when you come back, only buy from me. I asked you first. My name is Diane, and I'm at stall five. Don't buy from anyone else, ok?"
Me: "Ok."
10 year girl: "I'll remember you, so don't buy from anyone else. What's your name?"
Me: "Jeff."
10 year girl: "Chop? Ok, Chop, don't buy from anyone else. I'll remember you, Chop."

After their country has recently gone through a thirty year civil war where millions died and much of their infrastructure was destroyed, I can understand their zeal in trying to make money. It can be frustrating shaking off the same sales spiel over and over again, and sad since most of the sales people are children, but Magge and I just try to remain patient and smile at the kids. Before getting here, we had read a tip that by trying to engage the children in conversation would get them to drop their hard sell, but I think it does the exact opposite because they think they've reeled you in.

Once in a while, you'll come across a kid who gets a little more creative. One girl told me she really liked my hat, and that the orange was a very nice color. Appealing to my Vol fanhood almost got me. Another girl, who was probably around seven or eight years old, came up to me and counted one through ten in at least seven languages, followed by a challenge in tic tac toe. She wins, I have to buy her postcards. I win and she gives them to me. I couldn't say no. She beat me. Not my proudest moment.

With a face like that, could I have not bought postcards even if I had won?

Inside the ruins of Preah Khan, we met a young boy named Pie (at least that's how I think it's spelled; it's pronounced Pee-yay).  He began to show us around, and I knew it was because he was going to ask for some money.  However, he was actually a pretty good guide so we couldn't say no.  He had us crawl through small passageways to show some statues we wouldn't have seen otherwise.  It was obvious that he had paid close attention to tour guides, as he even would caution me, "mind your head," when going through an entrance.  I gave him a small tip and told him to keep learning.

 Pie, our Preah Khan tour guide

After just a few days here, we're wondering why we hadn't always planned to come to Cambodia.  The ruins here are simply amazing, and for the most part you can explore them however you like.  The people, despite the "one dollar, one dollar" annoyances, are very friendly.  The food is very underrated as Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodia's neighbors to the west and east, grab most of the headlines.  We're both excited to spend another two weeks here.  And to think that coming here was spurred by the prospect of a $5 massage.