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by Chris White
Cambodia. To think that this country was so remote, so inaccessible,
so recently. Just six years ago, the US Peace Corps, who were planning
to launch projects here, pulled out for fear of political instability
and it seemed that the only people I’d met who had been there were
of the hardcore variety, thrill-seeking renegades. My images of
the country had been formed mostly from movies, “The Killing Fields”
and “Tomb Raider.” So it came as a surprise to learn that one can
fly directly from Bangkok to Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor Wat,
in one hour. The same time as to fly to Phuket. Internet research
turned up a number of quite luxurious-looking hotels. Suddenly the
idea of visiting seemed a lot more feasible.
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Don’t get me wrong. I like adventure. I enjoy adrenaline rushes.
I’m sure there’s still a lot of wildness to explore in Cambodia.
But when push comes to shove, I don’t enjoy long bus rides or airplanes
scavenged from World War II, held together with duct tape. I prefer
AC to fan rooms; a private bathroom and toilet to one shared by
everyone and his mother. A swimming pool is a necessity for me if
the beach is not available. My old, ignorant images of Cambodia
didn’t conjure up any of these amenities. I expected little more
than mats on the floor, brick pillows and legions of mosquitoes,
in a land where I wouldn’t be able to set foot outside for fear
of losing it to a land mine.
We were met at the airport by a driver from our hotel, a pleasant
young man who spoke good English. Siem Reap is booming and hotels
and resorts are being built all along the roadsides as quick as
rabbits populating a new warren. Already, there are a number of
luxury hotels such as the Sofitel and the Grand D’Angkor, but accommodations
at every price range are available.
We checked in, met the boutique’s delightful staff and took a few
minutes to admire the woodwork, the gardens and the long, elegant
swimming pool, where an Angkor-style lion, a fountain of water gushing
from his open mouth, stood guard. Then we headed to the restaurant
for our first taste of Cambodian cuisine. I found the flavours both
piquant and refreshing, with hints of Thai, Indian and Vietnamese
spice. After lunch, we arranged for a guide and a car and set off
for the temples.
Already, I found myself regretting the singular purpose of our
trip, - we were here to see the great ruins of Angkor Wat, - for
the pleasantness of the people awakened a desire to explore further
afield. When planning the itinerary, I’d agonized over whether to
stay for three days/two nights or four days/three nights, before
settling on the former. I figured that, grand as the ruins may be,
this would be sufficient. However, now that I was here, the travel
bug was buzzing and I needed to get out to the markets and the villages,
to go visit the fishing communities built upon the surface of Tonle
Sap Lake. Glancing through a tourist brochure informed me that Siem
Reap is far more than just temples and history.
One can tour the countryside, ride elephants, visit the mine museum,
learn about traditional crafts and more. While the ruins are the
focal point of the region, it seems that there’s nearly as much
to do and see here as there is around Chiang Mai.
Money is relatively easy here, all our transactions were conducted
in US dollars and there are exchange services were readily available.
Visas are $20 on arrival, with a $5 surcharge if you forgot to bring
extra passport photos. Temple passes are $20 for one day, $40 for
three and $60 for a full week. Although our actual time in the ruins
was not quite two days, we purchased three-day passes. In addition,
we hired our guide and driver for $25/day and $15/day respectively.
All told, it wasn’t a cheap vacation, rather similar to going skiing
for a weekend and taking a couple of lessons, but one must spend
for ease and comfort. Other travellers would be fine on their own,
wandering with guide books, using inexpensive taxis to get around.
We were just as glad to have everything taken care of for us.
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Before I began preparing for this trip, I had believed that the
ruins were one massive site called Angkor Wat. In fact, our guide
informed us, there are hundreds of sites. The Angkorian era began
in 802 AD, with the king/god ceremony of Jayavarman II at Phnom
Kulen. The first major monument at Angkor, the new capital of the
Khmer kingdom, was Phnom Bakheng, completed in 893. Angkor Wat itself
was built in the reign of King Suryavarman II, in 1150, at the zenith
of the Khmer Empire, being both the political and religious capital,
which was, at that time, Hindu. According to some sources, including
our guide, Angkor Wat was the king’s funerary temple. Sunset represented
death, which explains why this was the only West-facing site in
the Khmer empire. Because of this orientation, it is a popular sunrise
destination, for the spectacular view of the dawn sky as its backdrop.
In 1177, the Cham kingdom took over Angkor and ruled for four years,
until Jayavarman VII re-established Khmer sovereignty in 1181. It
was then that the building began in earnest. Most of the “must-see”
temples were built during his forty-year reign, including his capital
city, Angkor Thom and Bayon, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei and Preah Khan.
It is his face, the god/king, which features so prominently in these
“Bayon-style” sites.
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As we entered the temples, I felt as though we were stepping directly
into a lost world. In fact, these sites had been lost at one point
for hundreds of years until a French explorer, Henri Mouhot, who
had read accounts of missionaries and Portuguese merchants, “rediscovered”
them in the jungles in 1860. Some of the temples, such as Angkor
Wat and Bayon, have been cleared of trees, while others, like the
awesome Ta Phrom, remain entwined in the roots of massive fig and
silk-cotton trees. In these jungle temples, one really gets the
sense of what it must have been like to discover the ruins for the
first time.
All the major temples are brimming with images of gods and the
Buddha and bas reliefs carved into sandstone depicting the Ramayana
and ancient Khmer life, especially their many battles and wars.
Evidence of religious embitterment is clear. the Buddhist images
of the Bayon style were later defaced, carved into Hindu phalluses
called “Linga.” When the Buddhists regained control, they destroyed
all the Linga, but one can still clearly see the outlines of both
the Buddha and the Linga in the stone. The paradox of these awesome
sites is that such tranquil temples rose up amid so many years of
war. Even the recent wars in Cambodia have had major impact on the
ruins, as bullet-holes in the sandstone abound. The centuries-old
practice of defacing religious icons sadly also continues, by real-life
tomb raiders who have stolen practically all the remaining Buddha
heads, even ripping off huge sections of the intricately carved
bas reliefs for sale to irresponsible collectors.
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Of the fact that Angkor Wat is an architectural wonder of the world,
there can be no doubt. The temples are simply awesome. I could easily
have spent a week, or even a month, exploring the ruins, getting
out into the countryside, immersing myself into the laid-back charms
of the region. Either way, for a short side-trip such as ours, or
for a full excursion, Siem Reap is a wonderful area to visit and
you’ll rest better in the knowledge that you have experienced Angkor
Wat in this lifetime. It is so easy to get here and to take in these
phenomenal sites that it really should be an essential destination
for anyone visiting South-East Asia.
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