This will probably be my final blog of the trip. I have spent three days in Siem Reap, the closest town to the Angkor ruins. On Tuesday I travel overland to Bangkok and after a night there I fly home overnight on Wednesday.
Siem Reap is full interesting contrasts; it is the richest town in Cambodia and is full of western, Japanese type facilities, but Siem Reap province is the poorest in the country. I feel that overall Siem Reap is good for the locals as the facilities provide so many jobs. You can still see them farming in the ancient ways, ploughing rice paddies with water buffalo, but they also provide the staff for security (no guns in sight!), tourist services, souvenir & handicraft manufacture & selling, conservation etc. Conservation in the long term; by providing the labour for the site restorations - on-going projects from many different foreign countries; and in the short term, we kept on coming on people (mostly girls) dressed in smart green uniforms litter picking or sweeping up stray leaves - it is one of the cleanest sites I have been to in the world.
I have really enjoyed this holiday, inadvertently I planned it in the right order - the facilities in Siem Reap are excellent at the end of the holiday but wouldn't have been appreciated at the start. One of the highlights has been the food! Breakfast apart, when every day bacon and eggs were available!but also a plate of local fruit, I have only eaten eastern food - mainly local dishes but also Indonesian, Japanese and Indian. Chinese food has always been my favourite but Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam have introduced me to new aspects of my favourite type of food - I think my favourite now (by a short head) would be Vietnamese.
One final tale. One of my sandals was falling to bits in three places. I asked my tuk tuk driver (who spoke little English) if he could take me to a shoe repairer. I had been looking out for one since the second day of the holiday when I tripped and started the damage, however I had never even seen one in passing. After an abortive visit to a posh shoe shop - he thought I wanted a new pair - I discovered why. His next stop was at a the roadside where a guy was mending the fuel cap of a motor bike, he obviously also repaired tyres. My first thought was that the driver had misunderstood again, but no. Once the fuel cap was repaired he produces a reel of thick thread and hand sews the shoes through the sole - three repairs - cost $1!
Finally, what you all been waiting for now that I have finished with the rambling - the sites of the Angkor Empire. Most people have only heard of Angkor Wat, but this is only one of the many sites in the area - all be it one of the most important. Some of the sites are vast, the city of Angkor Thom covers 10 square kilometres and supported a population of around one million at the time of William the Conqueror when London's population was some 50,000. You could placed 10 copies of a site like the magnificent ruins of Leptis Magna in Libya inside Angkor Thom alone. The Angkor Empire was a significant force for some 5 centuries from the turn of the 9th until the Siamese captured it in 1431 - Siem Reap means Siam defeated! Angkor was then largely unknown until its rediscovery by the French in the mid 19th century when the restoration commenced, and has been on-going for over 150 years, with some notable pauses for example during the time of the Khmer Rouge, although they didn't damage it in the way they attacked other monuments in the country. It was opened as a national park in 1925and in 1992 Angor Wat along with some 400 other monuments in the area was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The main challenge for the future is managing it's success, there are around 2 million visitors a year - the government would like five times that. A French - Australian research project believes that at its height Angkor Thom was surrounded by a sprawl the size of modern-day Los Angeles (which would make it the world's largest pre-urban settlement). The strain on the resources, particularly due to forests being stripped a water diverted proved unsustainable and was probably the main reason for the collapse. To quote the book from which I have obtained most of my information - Moon's Guide to Angkor Wat - "the same mistakes are being made".
I spent three days visiting the Angkor ruins, and only touched the surface, some people spent three days just at Angkor Wat or Angkor Thom. I won't bother to delineate what I did each day. For transport you have really five options, if you exclude elephants (which are available in some places!), bus (too organised) car (too expensive and isolated from the local environment), bike (too hot and humid - at least for an old man), moto (motor cycle taxi - I always feel unsafe on them!) and tuk tuk, which is what I chose. Walking is not an option as the distance between sites varies from 2 - 20 kms. I negotiated $15 a day for a guy to take me where I wanted for as long as I wanted, he just waited until I was ready. He needed to refuel once and pulled up at a roadside stall were a girl decanted 2 litres of fuel from a coke bottle. I spent about 5 or 6 hours out each day, the heat and humidity sapped my energy, just sitting down resulted in sweat pouring off you, a gentle walk in the shade was reasonably cool, the back of a tuk tuk was lovely but I still found that when I returned to my hotel and stripped everything was damp.
Angkor Wat is an amazing place, it is reputedly the largest religious structure in the world and I wouldn't argue with that. I first took a tethered balloon ride to look at it from above and then walked over the 250 metre causeway over the moat that surrounds it. The outer wall surrounds a vast inner courtyard with another 350 metre long causeway over a pond, past two large libraries to the actual temple which is built on three levels. The first level is covered in 1200 square metres of amazing bas-reliefs which depict Khymer and Hindu history. The second level is not so impressive much of it being undecorated. It contains more libraries and other buildings. The third level, once restricted to the king and priests is attained by an extremely steep staircase, not the best thing to climb in the heat and humidity!). In the centre is a 42 metre high tower which originally housed a statue of Vishna but today locals light incense in front of a Buddha statue. You get great views of the complex from the third level.
The city of Angkor Thom was built in the late 12th and early 13th century by Jayavarman VII, the greatest Khymer king. It is surrounded by an eight metre high, three kilometres long on each side, wall forming a square round the site. Monkeys roam the jungle which is still grows inside but there are many building in the centre including the Bayon at the very centre. The city is built to represent the Hindu universe, with the walls and moat being mountains and sea and the Bayon the holy Mount Meru. Only the religious buildings survive because the palaces and other buildings would have been made of wood. The Bayon has more bas-reliefs on the first level walls stretching over one kilometre, they depict daily life and commemorate battles fought (often with the Siamese!). The second level has bas-reliefs of Hindu mythology (plus a few more battles), the third level hasn't really been restored.
I walked along the Terrace of the Elephants, once covered with wooden pavilions, from where the king and court could inspect their troops. The rainy season had created a pond at the base of the Terrace and local children were searching in it for food. Despite being the second most popular site one could completely get away from the crowds but still find ruins to explore.
I won't mention too many more of the places I visited, as you can see them in the photos and comments but I will just mention a few. Ta Prohm, was home to more than 12000 people in the 13th century. It is another large complex which the French decided should be left almost as it was discovered. There has been some restoration but several large silk cotton wood and the aptly named strangler fig trees have enormous roots sprouting across and through the buildings. Interestingly some of the walls are supported with cables attached round tree trunks!
Banteay Samre is a bit off the beaten track but has all the features of the other temples but on a smaller scale. The thing that particularly attracted me to it was that with the exception of a couple entering as I left, I saw no one during the whole of my visit. It was special exploring the ruins on my own.
It is 38 kilometres from Siem Reap through many small Cambodia villages where people grow rice, cut down coconuts and a myriad other things. Although we passed several schools they did not seem to be running (unlike the ones in Siem Reap). The children, some of the small ones completely naked, either played or worked - I would guess an equal proportion of each. There is no running water and it appeared that a water pump has only been installed recently outside only about half of the dwellings.
Banteay Srei is one of the more recently discovered and restored sites. It is late-10th century and according to Moon, "features some of the finest carvings in the world and has been extremely well restored". I wouldn't dispute this but found it a bit too clinical and museum like. It has been restored by the Swiss and is surrounded by well made paths and nature walks. The usual stalls selling handicrafts are sited in purpose built building. I much preferred the roughness and randomness of the other sites.
Anyway, it's been a great trip, one which I would strongly recommend. If you have got this far I hope it hasn't been too boring. Do ask if you want more details of anything.
Around Angkor
Photos at https://picasaweb.google.com/106027128611804476034/Cambodia
This will probably be my final blog of the trip. I have spent three days in Siem Reap, the closest town to the Angkor ruins. On Tuesday I travel overland to Bangkok and after a night there I fly home overnight on Wednesday.
Siem Reap is full interesting contrasts; it is the richest town in Cambodia and is full of western, Japanese type facilities, but Siem Reap province is the poorest in the country. I feel that overall Siem Reap is good for the locals as the facilities provide so many jobs. You can still see them farming in the ancient ways, ploughing rice paddies with water buffalo, but they also provide the staff for security (no guns in sight!), tourist services, souvenir & handicraft manufacture & selling, conservation etc. Conservation in the long term; by providing the labour for the site restorations - on-going projects from many different foreign countries; and in the short term, we kept on coming on people (mostly girls) dressed in smart green uniforms litter picking or sweeping up stray leaves - it is one of the cleanest sites I have been to in the world.
I have really enjoyed this holiday, inadvertently I planned it in the right order - the facilities in Siem Reap are excellent at the end of the holiday but wouldn't have been appreciated at the start. One of the highlights has been the food! Breakfast apart, when every day bacon and eggs were available!but also a plate of local fruit, I have only eaten eastern food - mainly local dishes but also Indonesian, Japanese and Indian. Chinese food has always been my favourite but Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam have introduced me to new aspects of my favourite type of food - I think my favourite now (by a short head) would be Vietnamese.
One final tale. One of my sandals was falling to bits in three places. I asked my tuk tuk driver (who spoke little English) if he could take me to a shoe repairer. I had been looking out for one since the second day of the holiday when I tripped and started the damage, however I had never even seen one in passing. After an abortive visit to a posh shoe shop - he thought I wanted a new pair - I discovered why. His next stop was at a the roadside where a guy was mending the fuel cap of a motor bike, he obviously also repaired tyres. My first thought was that the driver had misunderstood again, but no. Once the fuel cap was repaired he produces a reel of thick thread and hand sews the shoes through the sole - three repairs - cost $1!
Finally, what you all been waiting for now that I have finished with the rambling - the sites of the Angkor Empire. Most people have only heard of Angkor Wat, but this is only one of the many sites in the area - all be it one of the most important. Some of the sites are vast, the city of Angkor Thom covers 10 square kilometres and supported a population of around one million at the time of William the Conqueror when London's population was some 50,000. You could placed 10 copies of a site like the magnificent ruins of Leptis Magna in Libya inside Angkor Thom alone. The Angkor Empire was a significant force for some 5 centuries from the turn of the 9th until the Siamese captured it in 1431 - Siem Reap means Siam defeated! Angkor was then largely unknown until its rediscovery by the French in the mid 19th century when the restoration commenced, and has been on-going for over 150 years, with some notable pauses for example during the time of the Khmer Rouge, although they didn't damage it in the way they attacked other monuments in the country. It was opened as a national park in 1925and in 1992 Angor Wat along with some 400 other monuments in the area was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The main challenge for the future is managing it's success, there are around 2 million visitors a year - the government would like five times that. A French - Australian research project believes that at its height Angkor Thom was surrounded by a sprawl the size of modern-day Los Angeles (which would make it the world's largest pre-urban settlement). The strain on the resources, particularly due to forests being stripped a water diverted proved unsustainable and was probably the main reason for the collapse. To quote the book from which I have obtained most of my information - Moon's Guide to Angkor Wat - "the same mistakes are being made".
I spent three days visiting the Angkor ruins, and only touched the surface, some people spent three days just at Angkor Wat or Angkor Thom. I won't bother to delineate what I did each day. For transport you have really five options, if you exclude elephants (which are available in some places!), bus (too organised) car (too expensive and isolated from the local environment), bike (too hot and humid - at least for an old man), moto (motor cycle taxi - I always feel unsafe on them!) and tuk tuk, which is what I chose. Walking is not an option as the distance between sites varies from 2 - 20 kms. I negotiated $15 a day for a guy to take me where I wanted for as long as I wanted, he just waited until I was ready. He needed to refuel once and pulled up at a roadside stall were a girl decanted 2 litres of fuel from a coke bottle. I spent about 5 or 6 hours out each day, the heat and humidity sapped my energy, just sitting down resulted in sweat pouring off you, a gentle walk in the shade was reasonably cool, the back of a tuk tuk was lovely but I still found that when I returned to my hotel and stripped everything was damp.
Angkor Wat is an amazing place, it is reputedly the largest religious structure in the world and I wouldn't argue with that. I first took a tethered balloon ride to look at it from above and then walked over the 250 metre causeway over the moat that surrounds it. The outer wall surrounds a vast inner courtyard with another 350 metre long causeway over a pond, past two large libraries to the actual temple which is built on three levels. The first level is covered in 1200 square metres of amazing bas-reliefs which depict Khymer and Hindu history. The second level is not so impressive much of it being undecorated. It contains more libraries and other buildings. The third level, once restricted to the king and priests is attained by an extremely steep staircase, not the best thing to climb in the heat and humidity!). In the centre is a 42 metre high tower which originally housed a statue of Vishna but today locals light incense in front of a Buddha statue. You get great views of the complex from the third level.
The city of Angkor Thom was built in the late 12th and early 13th century by Jayavarman VII, the greatest Khymer king. It is surrounded by an eight metre high, three kilometres long on each side, wall forming a square round the site. Monkeys roam the jungle which is still grows inside but there are many building in the centre including the Bayon at the very centre. The city is built to represent the Hindu universe, with the walls and moat being mountains and sea and the Bayon the holy Mount Meru. Only the religious buildings survive because the palaces and other buildings would have been made of wood. The Bayon has more bas-reliefs on the first level walls stretching over one kilometre, they depict daily life and commemorate battles fought (often with the Siamese!). The second level has bas-reliefs of Hindu mythology (plus a few more battles), the third level hasn't really been restored.
I walked along the Terrace of the Elephants, once covered with wooden pavilions, from where the king and court could inspect their troops. The rainy season had created a pond at the base of the Terrace and local children were searching in it for food. Despite being the second most popular site one could completely get away from the crowds but still find ruins to explore.
I won't mention too many more of the places I visited, as you can see them in the photos and comments but I will just mention a few. Ta Prohm, was home to more than 12000 people in the 13th century. It is another large complex which the French decided should be left almost as it was discovered. There has been some restoration but several large silk cotton wood and the aptly named strangler fig trees have enormous roots sprouting across and through the buildings. Interestingly some of the walls are supported with cables attached round tree trunks!
Banteay Samre is a bit off the beaten track but has all the features of the other temples but on a smaller scale. The thing that particularly attracted me to it was that with the exception of a couple entering as I left, I saw no one during the whole of my visit. It was special exploring the ruins on my own.
It is 38 kilometres from Siem Reap through many small Cambodia villages where people grow rice, cut down coconuts and a myriad other things. Although we passed several schools they did not seem to be running (unlike the ones in Siem Reap). The children, some of the small ones completely naked, either played or worked - I would guess an equal proportion of each. There is no running water and it appeared that a water pump has only been installed recently outside only about half of the dwellings.
Banteay Srei is one of the more recently discovered and restored sites. It is late-10th century and according to Moon, "features some of the finest carvings in the world and has been extremely well restored". I wouldn't dispute this but found it a bit too clinical and museum like. It has been restored by the Swiss and is surrounded by well made paths and nature walks. The usual stalls selling handicrafts are sited in purpose built building. I much preferred the roughness and randomness of the other sites.
Anyway, it's been a great trip, one which I would strongly recommend. If you have got this far I hope it hasn't been too boring. Do ask if you want more details of anything.