Cambodia - Day #4 - Tonle Sap _The End of this Trip

Floating Village of Chong Kneas

Sunday, 12 August, was our last day in Cambodia.  Just because we had an afternoon flight back to Bangkok did not mean that our adventures were over for the trip.  Our guide and driver brought us out to one of the places that was on my list to visit - Tonle Sap.

Tonle Sap Tour Boat

Tonle Sap is the largest fresh water lake in Southeast Asia - not that this fact justifies a visit.  Tonle Sap is referred to by the Lonely Planet guide book as the "Heartbeat of Cambodia".  Personally to me, Tonle Sap is the lungs of Cambodia.  The lake provides food and irrigation water for one-half of the people in Cambodia.  Tonle Sap is connected to the mighty Mekong River - one of the greatest rivers of the world.  Tonle Sap's water level fluctuates greatly in accordance to the seasons.  In the rainy season from May to October when the Mekong is at its fullest, water flows from the Mekong into the lake.  In the dry season as the Mekong's flow diminishes, water flows from the lake into the Mekong.  Water levels in Tonle Sap range from a maximum of 2 meters (6 feet) in the dry season and to a maximum of 10 meters (32 feet) in the rainy season.  The flooding of surrounding land during the rainy season provides a great deal of food and shelter for aquatic life making Tonle Sap one of the richest sources of freshwater protein in the world.  Tonle Sap is a nursery for many of the fish of the Mekong River. During the dry season fisherman average a take of 220 to 440 pounds of fish a day.

Tonle Sap grows from approximately 965 square miles in the dry season to just over 5,020 square miles in the rainy season.  The increase in area as well as increased depth presents challenges in terms of housing for the inhabitants in the area.  Man has met the challenges of Tonle Sap by building floating homes.  It was the opportunity to witness this unique lifestyle that attracted me to visit Tonle Sap.  Both Duang and I are interested in seeing how people live in environments and situations different from what we are accustomed to.

The Village of Chong Kneas

Drawing Water in Chong Kneas

We were taken to the village of Chong Kneas which turned out to be where our guide was from.  Chong Kneas, from what we saw, is a collection of woven bamboo huts with thatched roofs where very poor people live on a dike high above the waters of Tonle Sap. The streets were unpaved and the air was filled with fine red dust whenever a bicycle, motorbike, or pick up truck drove by.

Chong Kneas is the jumping off point for exploring Tonle Sap.  It is from Chong Kneas that you can rent a boat to go out to the nearby floating village, go fishing, or go off further to other floating villages.  Our guide arranged for a boat for the three of us and we set off to tour some of the lake.

A Tonle Sap Resident with a Pot of Prepared Food

A Mobile Floating Market On Tonle Sap

The area where we traveled was very busy.  Boats of all shapes and sizes as well as varying degrees of seaworthiness slowly plied the waters.  Some of the boats that we passed were mobile floating markets selling goods and staples to the people who lived on floating houses.  Some of the boats were mobile refreshment stands selling fruit, snacks, and drinks to other boats such as ours.  There were boats carrying grandmothers and children off to some other part of the lake.  Men were in their boats headed back to their home with some supplies to fix their homes or second boat.  We were able to observe many small town activities - but all of them were water borne.  In our travels we even came upon a Christian church.  During the reign of the Khmer Rouge all religions were severely persecuted.  Even the Buddhist religion that dominates all of southeast Asia suffered greatly at the hands of the fanatic Khmer Rouge.  Monks, temples, and monasteries were destroyed.  However the resiliency of religion was not eliminated.  Today once again you can see young Buddhist Monks in Cambodia.

A Floating Christian Church On Tonle Sap

As we passed floating homes we observed babies being fed and bathed on the covered porches just a couple feet above the water.  At other homes young girls were doing daily chores such as washing clothes and washing plates.  Other porches had elderly people relaxing in hammocks strung from the wood columns of their floating homes.  Many Tonle Sap residents were content to just watch life as it passed by them just as Duang and I watched a much different life float by us.  A frequent sight was a toddler standing on the porch or in the doorway of their home wearing nothing but a smile as they waved to the passing boats.  In some areas along the shoreline children played on the beach enjoying swimming and splashing in the water.  I photographed one group as we rode by.  It was only after that we got back to Thailand and started to process the photographs that I realized how happy he was to see us.  I know that he was happy to see us because he had no pocket to keep a banana!  Think in terms of the old joke "Is that a banana in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"  I am not sharing that photo but I am sharing a previous "acceptable" photo of the group.  There is no telling what you will see when you go out and about here in Asia but it is life - daily life that you will find.  The daily life may be very different than what you are accustomed to but isn't that the reason that you travel in the first place?

Children Enjoying the Hot and Humid Morning

Tonle Sap Refreshment Vendors

Snack Boat Coming Alongside

We passed through and by the floating village and entered the realm of the fishermen.  As we looked forward towards the horizon in front of us we could not see land.  We came upon boats of fishermen setting their nets or hauling in their nets.  Despite being a ways from the civilization of the floating village we were not in any danger of starving or dying of thirst.  Soon we were approached and joined by a small, very small boat, manned not by a scurvy crew but a very cute crew selling refreshments.  A young mother and her two toddlers came alongside and offered to sell us fruit, prepackaged snacks, soft drinks, water, and beer.  I was concerned about becoming dehydrated.  I was concerned about eating since it had been over two hours since we had a large breakfast.  I was wondering and concerned as to when I would have a beer while in Cambodia.  The children were so adorable and I became concerned over the family's plight so we bought soft drinks for Duang, the boatman, and our guide.  I enjoyed a can of Cambodian beer and we all shared a couple bags of snack food.  We mid farewell to the vendors as they headed off in search of another vessel in "need".  Childhood is often short and many times nonexistent for the children of Southeast Asia.  Surprisingly they don't seem to mind.  For many of them working with their parents for the survival of the family is not a chore but a part of life.  On some days it is an opportunity to meet strange people who talk funny from a far away place.  I suspect that not having Sponge Squarepants Bob, Shrek, MTV, Disney, and Pixar Studios cartoon characters or video games does not hinder their development into adults that are capable of supporting themselves and being happy. What should the true purpose of childhood be - to be entertained or to become prepared for adulthood?

Snack Vendor Shoving Off on Tonle Sap

After our tour of Tonle Sap, we stopped at "Artisans d'Angkor".  Artisans d'Angkor is an organization established to help restore traditional Cambodian culture and art.  Artisans d'Angkor provides training, employment and marketing for young Cambodians in traditional arts such as weaving, stone carving, wood carving, woodworking, dance etc.  The students become artists and their work is placed up for sale in the organization's shops.

Wood Carving at Artisan d'Angkor

Student Learning Stone Carving

Under the Khmer Rouge you were either a government worker, in the military, or a farmer.  There was no appreciation for art.  Traditional culture was looked down upon and admitting to being an artist could get you murdered. After the reign of terror ended, there were many Cambodians without any viable skills. Young people were unemployed.  A generation had lost its identity and soul.  As part of international efforts to assist the Cambodian people recover, a French group created a place where the new generation of artists could be trained by the few remaining keepers Cambodian culture that survived.  It is a center of hope and testament to the strength of man's desire to be more than a beast of burden.

After purchasing some works, we returned to our hotel, checked out, and took the short ride to the Siem Reap Airport.  Our trust in selecting a guide and driver had been greatly rewarded.  We saw many interesting and unique sights from an insider's perspective without the stress of doing it on our own.  We had a great trip with many fond memories.  We left Cambodia very pleased with our trip and knowing some day we would be back.  I think that there are still some ruins we didn't get to see.

Cambodia - Day #3 - More Temples and More Ruins

Our third day in Cambodia, Saturday 11 August, was spent touring more of the temples and ruins in the Siem Reap area as well as a visit to a holy mountain.  It was another busy day.

Cambodian Peasants Planting Rice Outside of Siem Reap

Farmer Uses Pole To Create Holes For Planting Rice

As we left Siem Reap at our customary start time of 8:00 A.M. we were soon out in the countryside where the people were busy planting rice.  Unlike in Isaan where the farmers transplant rice seedlings into the mud of flooded paddies, the Cambodian farmers use the dry cultivation method where the rice seedlings are transplanted into prepared relatively dry ground.  The work was performed by hand other than using oxen to plow the ground.  A woman used a pole to create holes in the ground to place the seedlings rather than using a see drill even one powered by an animal.  Due to the lack of money and with Cambodia still recovering from its recent history, traditional methods of farming predominate.  Hopefully in the not too distant future productivity can be improved with the incorporation of some mechanical methods of agriculture.  We watched these farmers for awhile and upon our return to Siem Reap later in the day, approximately 4:30 P.M., they were still hard at work in the fields.  I thought that we had had a long and tiring day but our exertions paled in comparison with their activities for the day.  Whereas we could relax and enjoy our time, they were working for their and their family's survival.  It is on these forays out into the countryside of southeast Asia that the reality of the differences in life and culture here as compared to people's life in America becomes so apparent.  I end up appreciating both more for these experiences.

Harvesting Rice Seedlings For Transplanting

Cambodian Farmer Preparing Ground For Rice Seedlings

On the way to what is considered to be the most sacred mountain in Cambodia, Phnom Kulen, we stopped and visited a family business along side of the road.  Once again the label of "family business" in Cambodia as in Thailand indicates that the small children are directly involved in the business.  If I were a child again, this family business would be one that I would be most happy to be working in - "palm sugar".  In front of their home, the family was busy producing "palm sugar'.  Palm sugar reminds me a great deal of the maple sugar candies from Vermont that I often got in my stocking at Christmas.

Family At Work Making Palm Sugar

Duang Climbing A Sugar Palm

The production of palm sugar commences with workers climbing a primitive bamboo ladder to reach the flower buds of the palm tree.  The workers slash the nut like buds to cause sap to flow which the y later collect.  The sap, just like maple sap, is then boiled to reduce it to a thick syrup.  The thick syrup is then poured into molds on top of a cooling table where the syrup quickly solidifies.  At this location the "cooling table"  was a rough lumber table covered with a thick and clean heavy plastic tablecloth.  The molds were rings about 4 centimeters (1-1/2 inch) in diameter created by cutting off  1 centimeter long pieces of bamboo. The day that we visited the family, the mother and father were busy boiling the sap down over a wood fire while the children under the shade of a canopy were occupied in removing the solid disks of finished sugar from their bamboo ring forms. Once the disks of palm sugar had completely cooled, the children placed them into plastic bags for sale to customers.  The family was very generous in allowing tourists to sample the drippings from the cooling table.  It was an act of kindness often experienced during our trip to Cambodia and a very effective marketing ploy.  We left with two bags of finished product - one to eat during the remainder of our stay in Cambodia and one to bring back home to Thailand.

Palm Sugar Ready To Be Sold

One of the benefits of freelance travel is stop and spend as much time at locations that interest you.  Hiring a guide and letting them know what your interests are helps to make each trip that much more special and memorable.  Being able to talk and learn from your guide about life in the area is another added benefit.  During our stop at the palm sugar "factory", we took the time to watch traffic move along the road.  Three of my favorites were the young woman with firewood stacked high on the back of her bicycle, the coconut vendor headed to his stall on his motorbike, and the farmer in his ox cart.

Headed Home With Some Firewood

Headed His Food Stall With Fresh Green Coconuts

Cambodian Farmer Headed Down the Road

From the palm sugar "factory" we drove aways into the countryside and commenced the climb to the sacred mountain.  We stopped at Kbal Spean - a locale on the Kbal Speam River where many ancient carvings have water flowing over them.  The ancient carvings are related to Hinduism and the worship
of the Hindu trinity "Vishnu", Shiva" and "Brahma"  One section of the riverbed was discovered in 1968 to have many lingham (linga) carved into the bedrock.  "Shiva" is worshipped in the form of "lingham".  Lingham or linga have been interpreted by some people as representing or symbolizing the male penis.  There remains a debate about the phallic symbololism of linga.  My attitude is ... "if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck .. it is a duck"

Hindu Carvings In River Bed of Kbal Spean River

The Waffle Maker

We arrived at Phnom Kulen to discover a temple and near by picnic area where many Cambodian families were enjoying the surroundings and opportunity to swim in the narrow river.  After touring the temple, we crossed a small suspension bridge - think in terms of Indiana Jones over the river.  We were open game for the Cambodian children.  As we crossed the rickety bridge the children at the far end of the bridge jumped up and down causing the bridge to sway from side to side and to bounce up and down.  It was all good natured fun and when Duang's screams got too loud and uncontrolled, the children stopped.  There were many vendors in the area selling all types of prepared foods and drinks.  One of my favorite treats were waffles cooked over an open wood fire - delicious.  As we ate our lunch we watched the children diving off the bride into the river, and splashing about in the water - just like children at a river anywhere else in the world.  It was entertaining and enjoyable to observe them.

A Khmer Mud Pie Maker in Phnom Kulen

As we enjoyed the children's antics at the river and watched other children playing in the nearby village, our joy was somewhat tempered by the knowledge that these children and their families remain at risk from UNEXO "Un Exploded Ordnance" - land mines in the area.  Phnom Kulen had been a refuge for the Khmer Rouge so both sides of the civil war extensively used land mines in the area.  During our Cambodian visit we saw many people missing limbs from war and from the remnants of war that continue to victimize innocents today.

Courtyard of Land Mine Museum

On our return journey to Siem Reap we visited the Land Mine Museum - a vast collection of defused land mines collected by a Cambodian man dedicated to freeing his homeland from the curse of modern warfare.  It was a sobering experience to view the quantity as well as variety of weaponry used for "denial of territory".  Weapons that still kill, maim and will for many years to come.

Banteay Srei Ruins

Before returning to our hotel, we visited Banteay Srei, a 1,100 year old Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.  The temple is constructed from pinkish rock and has excellent carvings - an excellent choice by our guide for the last temple that we would visit on this trip.

Exquisite Banteay Srei Stone Carvings

One of Many Banteay Srei's Fine Carvings

We returned to our hotel around 5:00 P.M.  After dinner at a restaurant across the street and a visit to the local night market, we retired to our room for some well needed sleep.  the next day would be another long day - a trip to Tonle Sap Lake and the floating village of Chong Kneas.

Cambodia - Siem Reap - Day #2 Temples, Temples, Temples ...

Khmer Flower Vendor At Banteay Kdei

Friday 10 August, the second day of our Cambodia visit, was a day dedicated to touring SOME of the many temple ruins around Siem Reap.  Our tour of the ruins commenced around 8:00 A.M.

Our first stop was at the ruins of Banteay Kdei which are located northeast of Angkor Wat and approximately due east of Angkor Thom.  The temple of Banteay Kdei was constructed in the period from the late 12th century to early 13th century.

We walked through the ruins some of which were in surprisingly good shape.  As at Angkor Wat we marveled at the magnitude, scale, and complexity of the structures.  Intricate carvings covered many of the temple surfaces.  Exposed stone surfaces bore heavy signs of 800 years of heavy rains, brilliant sun light and the combined ravages of man, plants as well as animals.  Many of the Angkor Wat environ temples have had damages caused by acidic water created by bat dung combining with the persistent rains.  Some of the temples today prominently demonstrate how the intrusion of plants, specifically trees can damage and ultimately destroy the works of man - a reminder of the temporal nature of man and his earthly works. The stone structures have been eroded to varying degrees.  Sadly some structures bear scars from battles ancient as well as recent.  Most tragic of all are the structures specifically sculptures and carvings that have been mutilated for the benefit of "collectors" and "souvenir hunters".  In addition most of the structures are stained by air pollution and moss growing in the abundant damp and dank cracks as well as crannies.

At Banteay Kdei, I came upon a young Khmer girl inside the ruins.  She had a large plastic bucket of lotus flowers that she was selling to passing tourists.  This is typical in many areas of southeast Asia.  Childhood is short and for many children there is no childhood.  At a very early age they are are expected and required to contributed to the family's welfare either by working in the fields or as vendors.  As the tourists passed this young girl by, I disappeared into the shadows to become inconspicuous.  I often find that what I consider to be the more interesting photos of people can be taken when they are unaware and just being themselves.  This style of shooting also best compliments my goal to show extraordinary people doing ordinary things.  I become inconspicuous and patiently observe the reality of life and culture around me.  I was once again rewarded at Banteay Kdei.

Lotus Flower and Khmer Child

The young girl was selling lotus flowers - a plant that has a great deal of symbolism and significance in the Hindu as well Buddhist religions.  After many years and several wars, the original Hindu temples were taken over by Buddhists and converted as places for their worship.  So there are many beliefs and symbols that are shared between the two faiths.  For Hindus, the Creator, Lord Brahma, is believed to have come from the lotus .  For Buddhists the lotus symbolizes purity of both the heart and mind.

For Buddhists the growth of the lotus signifies the progression of man's soul.  The lotus flower has its roots and starts it growth in the mud.  For Buddhist man's soul commences in the "mud" of materialism.  Just as the lotus grows up through the water and blossoms into a beautiful flower in the full sunlight of the day above the water's surface, Buddhists believe that man's soul will develop through the "waters" of experience and eventual rise to blossom in the brilliant light of enlightenment.  At night when there is no sunlight the lotus flower closes just as a man's soul needs enlightenment to blossom.

A Large Silk Cotton Tree Growing Through Ta Prohm Ruins

After our visit to Banteay Kdei, we walked over to and visited Ta Prohm.  Ta Prohm is about 100 years younger than Banteay Kdei - 700 years old rather than 800 years.  This is fascinating to me since back in New England the oldest structures are approximately 400 years old.  Here everywhere I looked were man made objects over 600 years old.

The big attraction for tourists at Ta Prohm is the opportunity to see the ravages and destruction of the structures by the intruding "jungle".  "Jungle" is a term from my youth.  I remember reading Tarzan novels as a young boy where he was "King of the Jungle".  I remember watching TV in the 1950s about white hunters in Africa and in the 1960s once again about Tarzan.  I now prefer to refer to these fascinating seas of plant life as "rain forests".  I have walked in the "rain forests" in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Brazil but have yet to have seen what I would consider to be a jungle.  I suspect that the jungle is only a far away place in the land and time of my youth.

For Duang and I, our expectations for Ta Prohm were exceeded.  The ruins were obviously the result of the natural progress of the rain forest reclaiming its territory from man's incursion.  Large trees grew directly out of the temple's stone structure.  Some time ago, a long time ago in the terms of one person's life, a seed was deposited in a crack between two blocks of massive stone.  Sheltered in the crack, nourished by the frequent rains, and fed by animal and insect wastes, the seed developed and thrived into a tree.  Today the tree is massive with a large root structure that is cleaving the stone structure apart.  Large blocks of stone surrender individually to gravity and tumble to the pile of rubble formed by their predecessors as the large roots continue to pry the upper structure apart as they grow year by year.

Ta Prohm Ruins

After Ta Prohm we visited Ta Keo, an unfinished temple built entirely of sandstone, approximately 1,000 years old.  Photographing the ruins in the Angkor Wat area is a challenge due to a combination of the brilliant sunlight and deep shadows.  The heat, humidity, and rain showers contribute to the challenge.  The physical efforts required to access the upper levels of the ruins is affirmation to the Khmer's desire to remind man that attaining heaven is difficult.  Digital photography is a great assistance in photographing the ruins in that adjustments in the white balance, and exposure can be quickly evaluated rather than waiting days if not weeks for film photography.  Digital photography is also a great deal cheaper than the old print and slide days of photography.  It is reassuring to leave a unique place like Angkor Wat knowing that you "have the shot" rather than believing or hoping that you "got the shot".

Gods Lining the Causeway to the South Gate of Angkor Thom

From Ta Keo we continued towards Angkor Thom.  Angkor Thom was a walled city built approximately 800 years ago. Within the walls of Angkor Thom are the temples and monuments of Bayon, Preah Palilay, Baphuon, Tep Pranam, Terrace of the Leper King, Terrace of Elephants, and Phimeankas, food stalls for today's visitors - each site a definite must visit location.  The gates of Angkor Thom are also a big attraction.  The South Gate is the most visited and straddles the main road from Siem Reap.  On the side of the causeways leading to the gates there are 54 gods on the left side and 54 demons on the right hand side.  The statues lining the causeway to the South Gate have been restored and some have been replaced.

Causeway to the South Gate of Angkor Thom

We spent some time at the South Gate observing the various vehicles transporting tourists from all over the world.  More interesting was watching the Cambodians crossing the causeway to resupply the stalls and vendor sites inside of Angkor Thom with fresh supplies of drinks, fruits, and foods.  Once again the entrepreneurship of Southeast Asians was very apparent.  People were busy supporting their families by selling drinks, foods, fruits, handicrafts, and souvenirs.  Some of the vendors can be annoying.  Some of the vendors, the little children, are irresistible - a fact that I believe is fully understood and appreciated by their parents.  Some tourists are put off and annoyed the efforts of the local people to make a living for their family.  When it starts to get to me, I remind myself that they are only trying to survive and to make use of the meager opportunities that are available to them.  Besides there are plenty of times during these travels that a cold soda, cold ice tea, ice cream, bag or pineapple, green coconut, or snack is more than welcome - they are essential to continue our explorations.  I usually end up joking with the vendors with them having no understanding of my sarcasm or sense of humor.  I typically extract some small revenge upon them by taking their picture. More the case, I end up talking to them or trying to communicate with them by some means and gain a better insight into their life.  If it were like back home, what would the point of traveling to visit these places?  I look upon the occasionally annoying vendors as part of the overall ambiance of these exotic locations.

A Khmer Fruit Vendor At Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom Food Stall Vendors Headed to Work

We visited and enjoyed the attractions inside of Angkor Thom for the remainder of the afternoon - a long and tiring afternoon.  Just before we left Bayon Temple, a rain shower struck.  We took refuge from the rain in one of the intact  rooms of the temple.  I took advantage of the changed lighting and atmospheric conditions to take one final photograph of the day.

Bayon Temple In the Rain

Being forced to pause in our frenetic touring by weather is always a good opportunity.  It is always an opportunity to relax and contemplate the sights and wonders before us.  It is an opportunity to imagine what these sites looked like and how the people lived 700 to 800 years ago.  These sites are physical links to a distant past - to a culture long gone, but upon which much of today's culture is based.  Most of all these enforced pauses are an opportunity to share each other's moments together, to appreciate being together, and to be thankful for the life we share.

Cambodia - Siem Reap

My Take On the Classic Angkor Wat Photo

I have been occupied re cataloging some of my 30,970 photographs lately and the process has brought back many memories of past travels.  One such trip was our journey three years ago to Cambodia.  Since I have also been stirring up some people on Facebook and on some of these Blogs regarding current events and personal responsibility as well as accountability, I will revert back to a blog or two about travels to exotic locales - for the time being.

In August 2007, I needed to exit Thailand and then reenter to obtain a Visa to remain in Thailand until I was scheduled to depart for work in Vietnam in early September.  Taking advantage of this requirement along with a long time desire to see Angkor Wat, I decided that rather than take a bus across the border to Cambodia, enter Cambodia for all of 15 minutes and then returning to Thailand, we would visit Angkor Wat.

Travel to Siem Reap, the city that is the hub for Angkor Wat tourism, was not difficult.  From our home in Pattaya we drove to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport about 1-1/2 hours away.  At BKK we took a morning flight on Bangkok Airways directly to Siem Reap - about 70 minutes flight time.  We arrived in Siem Reap around 10:00 A.M. 

We did not have a Visa prior to entering Cambodia so we, like most of the other passengers, stood in line at the Siem Reap Airport to obtain a "VOA" (Visa on Arrival).  I had researched ahead of time so we had the required passport photographs and US dollars ($20 each) to obtain the visas.  There was no problem with getting a VOA, and when we return to Cambodia we will do the same again.

I had used the Internet to make reservations at a hotel in Siem Reap so we grabbed one of the many freelance cabs waiting at the airport.  The vehicle was in fairly good shape.  The driver spoke English rather well and he seemed to be a safe driver.  These three qualities were sufficient for me to inquire about hiring him for transportation during our entire stay.  It turned out that he could not be hired but he knew of a good guide and driver that he could recommend.  Once again I relied upon my and Duang's intuition and accepted the taxi driver's recommendation.  This is contrary to what guide books recommend for tourists, using freelance transportation and taking recommendations of locals, but Duang and I are "travelers".  Using our intuition we rely heavily local experts rather than foreigners for suggestions and recommendations to enjoy their city.

Our Cambodian Guide

After settling into our room - dumping out two carry-on bags and using the bathroom, we went downstairs to wait for our "guide" and "driver".  After 15 minutes, as promised by the taxi driver, our guide and driver arrived.  Our guide was a young man who spoke excellent English and was a government licensed guide.  To be a licensed guide a person must demonstrate an extensive knowledge of the temples and sites in the Siem Reap area.  I strongly recommend hiring a guide.  There are so many temples, ruins, and history in this area that to just to start to develop an appreciation let alone an understanding of Angkor Wat and other local ruins requires the assistance of a knowledgeable guide.

Our guide came with a vehicle and a driver.  The vehicle was in good shape and most importantly - it had a very good functioning air-conditioner.  Siem Reap is always hot and humid. Having a car with an operating air conditioner for refuge from the sun, heat, and rain is well worth the cost. Knowing what you are looking at as you travel from point to point is a bonus.  Not having to watch out for ox carts, cattle, tourists, motorbikes, cars, trucks, and pedestrians while trying to read a map as you drive is a sanity saver.  Being able to have someone take you to sights and scenes that meet your identified interests makes a guide's services invaluable.

I believe that you can tour Angkor Wat on bicycle or motorbike on your own.  The area where the temple and ruins are situated is about 14 miles by 12 miles - 168 square miles!  I always recommend that people do not rent and drive a motorbike here in Southeast Asia - it is just too dangerous.  If you were to be involved in an accident, matters are unduly complicated by the fact that you are a foreigner - unfamiliar with the language, "rules", customs and practises of the local area.

Siem Reap is a boom town.  Hotels and restaurants seem to be opening everyday.   After the nightmare of the Khmer Rouge and subsequent Cambodian Civil War ceased fighting in 1998.  Angkor Wat and the Siem Reap had been the scene of fighting. As we flew into the Siem Reap Airport low over the flooded rice paddies glistening in the bright August sun, I could see remnants of bomb craters scattered all over the countryside.  Now that Cambodia is stabilized and a magnet once again for tourism, many hotels and restaurants are being built.  There are also some renown cooking schools, many of them French affiliated, located in Siem Reap.  The schools provide training for the Cambodians and support the large international hotels in the area.  The result is the availability of fine and sophisticated international dining in a locale that is somewhat primitive in infrastructure.

The streets and roads of Siem Reap are crowded with all kinds of vehicles with a heavy smattering of pedestrians.  There is the energy, excitement, and noise of a boom town which adds to the over all ambiance of the area.  We drove through town and headed out to Angkor Wat on the afternoon of our first day.  Just outside of the entrance to Angkor Wat we stopped to obtain passes for the area.  To tour or visit the temples and ruins you need to possess a pass. You wear your pass on your clothing  so that it can be readily checked by authorities and security guards.  A one day pass is $20 USD.  A three day pass costs $40 each. A one week pass is $60 US dollars.  You need a passport size photograph and US dollars to obtain a pass.  I was able to withdraw US dollars from my bank account in California using an ATM machine in Siem Reap - Cambodia has changed  and changed rapidly in the past 12 years!  I do not know why anyone would visit Angkor Wat for just a day other than to be able to claim "I was there!"  At a minimum I recommend three days to tour the ruins.  Five to seven days is not unreasonable and most likely would be easier on your body.  We spent three days and with all the climbing, heat, and humidity, we were exhausted as well as sore at the conclusion of our trip to the ruins.

Children Playing At Angkor Wat - Sandstone Causeway Is To the Right

The first stop was the Angkor Wat Temple.  It was magnificent even with parts of it covered in scaffolding and tarps.  The temple as well as all the others in the area are built from sandstone.  Sandstone is easy to carve but does not weather well.  The temples were built from 800 A.D. to 1400 A.D. and have been subject to the ravages of the jungle, the environment, competing religions, wars, some well intentioned but technically misguided restorations attempts and now hordes of tourists.  Many of the ruins are in danger of disappearing into mounds of rubble in the near future.  International efforts to correct previous restoration attempts and to slow the effects of tourism and weather on the sites are continually underway.

Khmer Worker At Entrance to Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is surrounded by a man made moat.  We walked across a large sandstone causeway to enter the temple.  The combination of the multi tiered temple, out lying structures and large moat surrounding the temple has been interpreted as being the recreation of the Hindu universe.  The central temple represents Mt Meru, the home of Lord Brahma, with the moat representing the cosmic oceans.

We entered through the main entrance and continued along the causeway towards the central temple.  Inside of the walled area, two libraries flank each side of the walkway.  Past the libraries are identical pools flanking the walkway. Balance is a strong theme in the architecture of Angkor Wat.  There is a symmetry along the main axis of the site. The symmetry adds a sense of order and balance that one would expect or at least hopes would exist in the universe.  The scale of the temple is massive.  Contemplating the resources and commitment required to create such a wonder gives an hint at the power and glory of the Khmer Kings of the Angkorian Period.

A Nun Peers Around A Bas-Relief Column

Angkor Wat and Surroundings From Above

Hindu Diety Vishnu Inside of Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is believed to have been constructed as a funerary temple for King Suryavarman II who had unified the Khmer people and spread Khmer influence over Burma, Malaysia, and Thailand.  King Suryavarman II was devoted to the Hindu Deity Vishnu.  He dedicated Angkor Wat to Vishnu.

The bas-reliefs throughout Angkor Wat depict many scenes from the Hindu epics, "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana".  There are many "Apsara" (heavenly nymphs, celestrial maidens).  The Apsaras were very proficient at dancing and today a very graceful style of dancing in Cambodia is referred to as "Apsara Dancing".  Despite the efforts of the Khmer Rouge during their reign to wipe out Apsara dancing, the art has been revived and is now flourishing.  Unlike their ancient cousins, today's Apsara dancers are not bare breasted - or at least none of the dancers that we found during our visit to Cambodia.

Angkor Wat Apsara Bas-Relief

Bas-Relief - An Apsara

Angkor Wat Bas-Relief

Visiting Angkor Wat is physically challenging.  In addition to the sun, heat, and humidity, accessing the ruins involves climbing many heights.  Access to the higher portions of temples and ruins is made by climbing wood stairs but mostly by climbing up the narrow and extremely steep original stone steps.  The Khmer believed that the upper reaches of their temples represented heaven and since attaining heaven is difficult for man, reaching the upper portions of their temples was consciously made difficult as a reminder to mankind.  Having attained the upper reaches of the temples I can attest to the difficulty and value attained through the struggle.

Angkor Wat Courtyard Viewed From Above

After touring Angkor Wat all afternoon, we returned to our hotel to refresh ourselves and rest prior to going out for dinner.  Based upon the recommendation of our guide we went to a restaurant that in addition to a large international buffet had a cultural show.  The food was excellent and more importantly the entertainment was fantastic.  Performers played traditional Cambodian music and traditional dances.  After viewing so many Apsara dancers carved out of stone, it was a welcomed change to finally view some Apsara dancers and dancing in the flesh.

A Khmer Musician During Cultural Show

A Khmer Classical Dancer Performing

An Apsara Dancer