Temple Run
Temple Reflections
First, I’ll admit my ignorance. My knowledge of ancient civilizations is limited, gleaned mostly from popular culture. Through tourism I’m now slightly more educated, for I’ve learned about the Khmer empire, which dominated South East Asia for four centuries and is part of Cambodia’s esteemed history. Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park remain as the everlasting achievement from the Khmer empire.
I am reminded that empires rise and fall, that America’s current hegemony on the international stage is very recent and relatively brief. The Khmer empire was in power for much longer than the U.S. has even existed. It did not last, nor will America’s dominance — whether in my lifetime or after.
Another testament to the impermanence of any dominant social structure, is the changes of religion during the Khmer Empire itself from Hinduism to Buddhism, and back and forth. The same temples were used, with statues sacked and new ones put in place, and other thematic elements incorporated.
Nothing stays the same, the world goes on, and still we can each make our own legacy. (Even perhaps in the form of a blog.)
Besides the historical and cultural importance of Angkor Archaeological Park, there is so much to appreciate just basking in the atmosphere. I am amazed by the architectural mastery, natural beauty, and international preservation efforts.
The sheer size of Angkor Wat is impressive, and it reaches ridiculous heights. Makes me wonder how they were able to engineer and construct such a large structure and also include so many intricate carvings. Granted, I’m sure the exploitation of many people contributed to the development, as was the case with other ancient marvels such as the Egyptian pyramids or the Great Wall of China. Still, the sheer manpower it must have taken is beyond my comprehension. And the other temples are magnificent in their own right, any of which is much more than I can fathom producing on my own or even organizing a group to do.
Over centuries, the temples were lost amidst the jungle that took over. And now, with proper care, some of the jungle was cleared to reveal the temples along with a nice scenic path to connect them all. It results in a natural environment for the temples to reside, so exploring the park is as much about appreciating the temples as bathing in the greenery.
The current preservation and restoration of the many temples is remarkable. At first, after going to Angkor Wat, I had the mistaken impression that the structures were all well kept and magically stood the test of time. While Angkor Wat still stands strong despite the obvious bullet holes from wartime, the temples were all in different states of ruin. Some stood the test of time, or were reconstructed earlier, and others acquiesced to mother nature whose trees are now intertwined with stone. There were even some temples that were just rubble and only enough reconstructed sections to aid the imagination of what the temple might have looked like. The crews in charge of restoration have a daunting task ahead of them; they must put together a 3-D puzzle using an incomplete set of puzzle pieces in the form of deteriorated stone fragments and having no image of the final product.
I came away with much respect and deep appreciation for UNESCO and the Cambodian government for their efforts to restore and maintain this wonderful park. It was fun to learn and admire, and experience the wonderment of discovering these temples for myself (along with the other tourists.)
Temple Rundown
Small Loop: This is the “must do” route, which is the bare minimum if you only have one day in Siem Reap.
Angkor Wat — The most famous temple of them all! Go extremely early to snag a good spot to view the sunrise. Seriously, you need to camp out around 5-5:30am to get a decent view. Unfortunately, the “good” pool (the one on the left when you are facing the temple) was under construction, so we had to settle for the other pool for our sunrise reflection shots.
Angkor Thom and Bayon Temple — The distinctive element of Bayon Temple within Angkor Thom is the large Buddha heads adorned across the temple. It finally made sense why so many artworks feature a Buddha face comprised of many blocks.
Ta Keo — Smaller temple with very, very steep sandstone stairs. The payoff at the top is worth it!
Ta Prahm — This temple is overrun with wild growth. Trees have taken root on top of the stone, which make for an amazing juxtaposition of nature and man. This temple is also famous for being in the 2001 Tomb Raider movie starring Angelina Jolie. We subsequently watched this movie, and it was a fun action film.
Banteay Kdei — Also known as the "citadel of chambers", this temple consists of many small interconnected cells. The structures are mostly doorways amidst the ruin, which is pretty interesting to see.
Phnom Bakheng — This ancient Hindu temple is dedicated to Shiva the Destroyer. It’s also supposedly the best spot for watching sunsets over the forest. It is high on a hill, and you can see Angkor Wat in the distant southeast (but too far for a decent picture). HOWEVER, I do not recommend this place for the sunset. We arrived early to be among the 300 tourists allowed up for sunset (they limit entrance), but left before the sun actually set because it wasn’t that great a view, and with all the crowds it would be difficult to get a good picture.
Big Loop: The Big Loop is less crowded, with smaller temples that are in more dilapidated states. It provides a more adventurous feel, and we enjoyed it more than the Small Loop.
Pre Rup — We arrived for sunrise to see the sandstone body of this temple glow golden. It was nice and peaceful, without all the crowds
East Mebon — A smaller temple, but nonetheless notable for having four enormous elephant statues and eight lion statues.
Ta Som — This temple also has many “strangler” trees. While not quite as iconic as Ta Prahm, the Ta Som temple is similar in overall vibe and much more peaceful, tucked away from the tourist hordes.
Neak Pean — This Buddhist temple was constructed in the middle of an enormous lake. We crossed a long boardwalk across the lake to reach the island, and it felt like being in a Legend of Zelda world. Swarms of different dragonflies - red, green, golden, and black - added to the mystic ambience.
Preah Khan — This one was interesting because the remains are mostly doorways, that all together form a cross when seen from a bird's eye view. The symmetry makes it a little disorienting and hard to discern which of the four paths from the middle to take to return to your starting point.
Protips:
There will be stairs, so wear comfortable shoes.
Visit the temple loops in a counterclockwise fashion! Most tour groups travel clockwise (starting at Angkor Wat and driving clockwise), you can avoid the crowds that way. Also, Angkor Wat around 12-12:30 will be very empty, but the huge downside is that it will be unbearably hot. (We actually went once for the sunrise, then the next day around noon. And I’m glad we did both)
Plan for three days to visit at a relaxed pace and avoid being in the park during peak heat (12-3pm). If you are well rested and not jetlagged, it’s possible to go through both loops in two days - though you will probably need a “double” day to double back into the park after a mid-afternoon break.
There are many different ways to experience Angkor Wat. We had a car and tour guide for one day, then did the second day solo renting a motorbike. We strongly preferred the second day for the sense of adventure and the relaxed feel of being on our own. But ultimately, this depends on your travel style, so do your research:
Package tour with tour guide and transportation. Any of the travel companies on the street can arrange this for you, or your hotel, or you can find something online.
A la carte:
With or without a tour guide
With a tour guide - pick one up just for Angkor Wat, or find one for all of the temples.
Via car, tuk-tuk, motorbike, bicycle
Find a driver (tuk tuk or car) you like, and hire them for the day
Get a tuk tuk at each stop to take you to the next one
Rent your own vehicle (motorbike or bicycle)
FYI for the runners — There is an annual Angkor Wat Half Marathon. So that could be a great activity to plan a trip around.
We planned our trip based on other helpful travel blogs, so check them out for additional trip ideas:
Other observations about Cambodia:
USD — While there is a local currency, transactions are mostly done in the U.S. Dollar. Except that instead of using coins for cents, the local currency is used with the conversion rate at 4,000 Cambodian Riel to 1 USD. Quite interesting, and also makes any transaction super complicated by adding in the currency conversion to make small change. For example, you can be quoted 65 cents for a bottle of water, then when you give them a dollar, you will receive 1,400 riel as change. It was quite odd at first, but I rationalized this as the dollar providing stable value, which is especially crucial for a developing country.
Challenges — Cambodia has its own challenges today, with a nominal democracy and de facto autocracy.
Corruption is high, where police are not trusted. At the motorbike rental shop, we were told to call the shop instead of the police if we got in an accident. Otherwise, the police would likely impound the bike and require bribes from us and the shop to resolve the situation.
Education is low. According to one of the locals, only 5% of Cambodians go to college. OECD reports that has gone up to 20% (as of 2014 report)
On our way to the airport, the driver asked us a bit about politics (do you like Trump?) and gave us a chance to inquire about his thoughts on his government. He was honest in his critique and quick to point out that though they have “elections”, the same person always “wins”. He hopes there may be a new government, and that there wouldn’t be as much corruption. Still, he made a point to say that he loves his country.
Cambodia also has its own dark history, with massive genocide in the late 1970s. One of the “killing fields” is just 9 miles from the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, and is now a tourist destination. While I think it is important to understand history, however dark, I think this might be a little too morbid for me to see in person. But we shall see, I do want to visit Phnom Penh one day, and perhaps then I will be brave enough to confront it head on.
Parting thought — Overall, in Cambodia, we met great people and experienced warm hospitality. I am fond of the Khmer people and culture. I sincerely wish them the best, and hope to see Cambodia continue its development.
Kampuchea? — “The name ‘Cambodia’ is used most often in the Western world while ‘Kampuchea’ is more widely used in the East.” - Wikipedia
