We left Battambang bright and early on 7 January on this boat for Siem Reap, Cambodia. This city is famous for the hundreds of temple complexes that lie within the Angkor region. The best known of these temples is Angkor Wat.
The boat ride took about 8 hours and I snapped a few photos along the way.
Here the whole group :)
Something I have not really touched on in this blog is how garbage is dealt with in SE Asia. I just want to preface this discussion by saying I have not done any research into waste disposal infrastructure in any of the countries that we have visited so far. That being said, throughout our time in Cambodia and especially on the boat trip from Battambang to Siem Reap, we saw trash littering streets, rivers, yards and fields. Throughout Cambodia, trash is often burned on the side of the road. Thailand is a bit better with garbage disposal but it still is not at western standards. On a short train ride in Lop Buri, Thailand we saw a kid that finished eating a bag of chips throw it out the window and a few minutes later, he did the same thing with a plastic bottle. I suspect this is common due to a combination of not having a place to immediately dispose of waste, not having waste disposal infrastructure and not seeing the negative impact litter has on the environment.
As we passed small villages along the river, we saw kids swimming, people bathing, washing clothes and dishware in the river. This river provides the life blood for these small communities by providing transportation, food and a source to aid in personal hygiene.
In every village we passed, kids would enthusiastically wave at us as they ran on the banks of the river alongside our boat. Adults would look at us and sometimes smile and others would look away shyly.
As you can see, water levels are low in this river because it is currently the dry season in Cambodia and the past monsoon season was a particularly light one. El Niño at its finest.
This is a fishing technique that we saw in action throughout our journey to Siem Reap. The net is lowered into the water and cranked up to catch the fish hanging out at the surface over the the net.
Many houses along this river are either house boats, floating houses or are on stilts because of the monsoons that bring enough water to flood the area along the banks of the river.
A few of us sat on the top of the boat while we were passing through a lake just south of Siem Reap.
We took a bus from the banks of river to the center of Siem Reap and then headed out on a walking tour of the town.
The infamous pub street.
If you are looking to party while in Siem Reap, this is the place to go. There are also good restaurants along this street and it is close to Blue Pumpkin, which has phenomenal ice cream.
We started 8 February at the Angkor Wat complex. Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world and was built during the 12th century as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. It was built during the height of the Khmer Empire and a personal temple for the Khmer king. Within a century after it was built, Angkor Wat transitioned to become a Buddhist temple.
Angkor Wat translates to City of Temples and the original name is unknown. Angkor Wat is unusual when compared to other Angkor temples because the grounds are so large and though neglected for a time the temple was never abandoned.
Ornate carvings can be found within all of the ancient temples and structures we saw.
Aaaaand here it is, Angkor Wat!! We approached from the rear of the complex.
We are getting ready to wander around the temple with Sue, Gary and Tom :)
Th carving of the lady to the right is known as an apsara, which is a female spirit of clouds and water in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Apsaras cover Angkor Wat and the other temples built during the Angkor period in the Khmer architectural style.
The outer walls of the inner gallery bear carvings from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
More apsaras.
These young Buddhist monks are giving red and yellow braided bracelets that have been blessed with good luck to anyone tha donates a few Cambodian Riel.
This area was once known as the gallery of a thousand Buddhas. People would travel from all over the East and gift statues of Buddha to the temple. Unfortunately, few such statues remain within the gallery due to looting and removal by foreign collectors and museums. Much of this was done by local people during the 19th century, who would then sell the statues of Buddha or just the head of Buddha to foreign collectors that would pay a lot of money.
This tower is the highest part of the complex that can be reached by people. It is considered the holiest part of the temple because it is the closer to heaven. While we were there, it was closed to the public because the particular day we were there is a holy day, which is determined by the lunar calendar.
These lions guard the inner gallery of Angkor Wat.
This doorway is apart of the outer gallery.
Lotus flowers are depicted on the wall of the outer gallery.
Here is the front of the outer gallery of Angkor Wat.
Next we went to Banteay Srei, also know as the citadel of women. It was built during the 10th century and was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.
It is mostly made of red sandstone, which is soft enough to be carved like wood but resilient enough to resist erosion so these carvings can still be seen today.
Jenna is posing for another photo right when I snapped this one ;)
Kerri!
Our next stop was to Angkor Thom, which translates to great city and was the capital of the Khmer Empire during the late 12th century.
These photos are from us walking around the gateway to Angkor Thom.
Tuk tuks and motorbikes of tourists heading into the heart to Angkor Thom.
Prasat Bayon is a Buddhist temple that was built sometime between the 12th and 13th centuries in the center of Angkor Thom. It was built in an architectural style unique to itself that is known as the Bayon style. It was the last temple to be built within the Angkor region and the only shrine that was primarily built to be dedicated to Buddha.
The bas reliefs around the outer portion of Bayon depict an unusual combination of mundane, mythical and historical scenes.
The upper terrace is know for the 200 faces of a holy person, some suggest it is idealized face of King Jayavarman VII, the king that commissioned the building of this temple. The depiction of his face occurs mostly in sets of four, which represents, (1) sympathy (2) compassion (3) love and (4) equanimity.
Apsaras are found throughout Prasat Bayon too.
A statue of a sitting Buddha being honored.
Back at the upper terrace.
Apsaras dancing.
Prasat Bayon
The next morning, we got up super early to watch the sunrise behind Angkor Wat.
It was neat to see the Angkor Wat complex transform as the sun rose but it was a bit anticlimatic with the overcast sky. We were told that sunrises during the monsoon season are by far the most beautiful time to come to see the sun rise.
After seeing the sunrise at Angkor Wat, we headed to Ta Prohm, which is the most picturesque of the Angkor temples. It was built in the Bayon style sometime between the 12th and 13th century. It was abandoned following the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 17th century and was neglected for centuries before it was rediscovered.
Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom and Tomb Raider were filmed here.
No surprises that Ta Prohm was chosen. It is absolutely beautiful seeing how nature is reclaiming this place. We mostly just wandered around on our own, so I will not pester you guys with details. Enjoy the photos!
Body shapes Jenna. Body shapes! ;)
Sue, Greg and me
That night we headed to a circus reminiscent of a smaller production of Cirque Du Soleil but with more dialogue. The theme was about overcoming fears and it was a wonderful production!
