Ancient ruins, strange cuisine, natural beauty…Cambodia
Kratie is a little town on the Mekong, popular with tourists because it is another place where you can see the Irawaddy river dolphins. We passed up a second viewing, and spent a day and half there just taking it easy and checking out the town. We stayed in a pretty hotel right on the waterfront, so we had a view of the river from the hotel balcony. We ate dinner at one of the food stalls selling soups and noodle dishes next to the river and explored the market, selling all kinds of exotic fruits (like star fruit and dragon fruit, not to mention the pineapples and melons.)
From Kratie, we traveled by bus to Siem Reap.(The buses in Cambodia are more comfortable than Laos, but unfortunately our air conditioning broke about 40 minutes into the trip.) We had a two hour stop in Skun for lunch and to wait for our connection. Skun is famous for its deep-fried spiders, yes they fry spiders and then eat them like crabs, pulling off the legs and cracking them for the meat. At first I didn’t know what it was, but after watching a few girls run by with trays piled high (some they were carrying on their heads), I recognized the hideous black creatures. We also saw another delicacy being served up, stuffed frogs. I chose a more standard lunch, fried rice with chicken.
We finally arrived in Siem Reap around 6:30 in the evening. We were a little bit in shock by the contrast between the calm and authenticity of Kratie and the Vegas style bright lights of Siem Reap. Partially thrilled to have of our Western comforts and partially disappointed that this was the gateway to the ancient world of Angkor (we were picturing something like Indiana Jones), we settled into our little room at the Continental Cafe Guesthouse and set out on the town to find a place for dinner and trade off a couple of books. We chose a cozy little resto that offered both, Le Papier de Tigre, which doubled as a French bookstore (of course the English selection was good as well.)
We decided to explore the temples by bicycle (the most economical solution, and for us the way with the most freedom)…the only draw back was the intense heat, sunny days around 96 degrees (36C.) Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world. It was built in the 12th century, but was unknown to the Western world before it’s discovery by Henri Moulot at the end of the 19th century. The area is comprised of many temples built between the 8th and 14th centuries, stretching over an area of 40 miles. We started with Angkor Thom (or Angkor city) built in the 11th century. It is enclosed by 5 gates, one at each of the cardinal points, and the 5th, a special victory gate. The top of each gate is decorated with 4 carved faces. The approach to each gate is impressive, as you pass a bridge lined on each side by statues of divinities (in various states of disrepair.) Inside of Angkor Thom, the largest and most impressive temple is the Bayon. The 3rd level of the temple is covered in mysterious carvings of a face (it is debated whether the face is Buddha, or King Jayavarman VII who commissioned the temple to be built.) The interior is covered in bas-reliefs, depicting ancient battles and daily life from the 11th century. The temple is still used as a place of worship, and female monks can be seen giving incense to the Buddhists who come to worship inside the temple.
We purchased a 3-day pass to the site, to be able to visit the temples at our leisure. It was the single most expensive thing we have purchased on our trip so far, $40 per person for 3 days. It’s definitely worth having the the time as visiting the temples takes quite a lot of energy, climbing up and down worn, steep steps, over ruins and through dark passageways. Not to mention the bike ride between.
We visited Angkor Wat on the second day. As we began the approach from the main causeway which crosses the moat, we were not immediately impressed, but after we passed through the main gate and the famous towers came into view, we finally caught a glimpse of what has been so widely acclaimed…the dark towers jutted up against the blue sky. We started with the bas-reliefs which encircled the perimeter of the first level, depicting scenes from the Ramayana, other Hindu legends and numerous battles. Then we climbed up to the second and third levels, to get a closer look at the towers and the delciate carvings of Aspara dancers. Angkor Wat, a Hindu temple, is also used by Buddhists, and various images of Buddha appear in the various levels. During the three days of visiting the ruins, we saw Angkor Wat from various vantage points. From a temple on a hill top nearby, we could see the towers of Angkor Wat jutting up through the jungle. At sunset, we watched the colors change behind the building and admired her reflection in the reflecting pool on the main lawns.
Among the many other temples we visited, the most interesting was Ta Prohm, a temple left partially unrestored and surrounded by jungle. You can marvel at the gigantic silk trees (some hundreds of years old) whose roots and branches are entangled with the ruined structures. It’s no wonder, they chose this temple for scenes in Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones.
Just outside the entrance to the Angkor ruins is the Cambodian Land Mine Museum. A local man, founded the museum to help educate Cambodians and foreigners about the dangers and effects of land mine accidents in the country. On display are numerous types of mines and ammunition that have been found and diffused. The owner also takes in orphans or children who have been injured or someway affected by landmines, and helps them get a good education so that they have a future off the streets. Everywhere in Cambodia, you can see amputees (from landmine accidents) begging on the streets. Unfortunately, there are countries in the world (including the United States) still producing and using these horrible weapons. For more information, you can visit the museum’s website, http://www.cambodialandminemuseum.org.
After three full days of ruin exploring, we spent our last day in Siem Reap relaxing and exploring the great Tonle Sap lake. The lake is a natural wonder, losing half its perimeter during the dry season. Apparently the Tonle Sap River changes the direction of its flow depending on the season; during the wet season, the river flows into the Mekong and during the dry season, the Mekong flows into the Tonle Sap. This has created a beautiful wetlands full of birds and fertile plains for growing rice. We visited a floating village, made up of ethnic Chams…complete with floating markets and restaurants. Their main source of income is through fish farming.
Tags: BIG TRIP 2005-2006, Cambodia, In English 2005-2006
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