Cambodia – Siem Reap (Temples, Temples, Temples!)
Today, my agenda calls for a 1.5 hour motorcycle trip to two famous sites: Kbal Spean and Banteay Srei. My driver and I were exhausted by the end of our adventure, particularly because of the driving conditions. The country roads here are made of red clay, which does not drain after it rains. Well, it’s the rainy season here, so you can imagine what it was like. Wet clay is slippery, first of all. And, there were holes full of water all over the roads. We had to zigzag our way all along these roads to our destination. I didn’t dare ask Mr. Ra to stop, so as a result suffered from ‘numb bum’ and cramped legs most of the time. Things got better, however, because I met up with a nice couple from Italy when we arrived, so we visited Kbal Spean together (which gave Mr. Ra time for a break).
Kbal Spean is a spectacularly carved riverbed, set deep in the jungle. It took us almost an hour to hike through the jungle to the waterfalls and river where this site can be seen. I was expecting to take only about 30 minutes, and it was actually a rather tough trek. The carvings and waterfall were nice, but in my opinion didn’t justify the journey – it was great exercise though! For me, the highlight of our visit was the beverage lady waiting for us near the bottom of the hike. She had a cooler full of cold drinks she was trying to sell, and the most beautiful young baby boy. So, I helped her bring in the masses for drinks and in return she let my Italian friends and I take all the pictures we wanted, of her gorgeous son! WARNING! At no time should you leave the well-trodden paths as there are land mines in this area. I didn’t realize this until later in the day – oops! Guess I was lucky.
Next, we drove on to Banteay Srei which is a Hindu Temple, which first started out as a Buddhist Temple. When the Hindus took over, they carved out all the images of Buddha and replaced them with Bodavistta images instead – very bizarre. Nevertheless, this temple is cut from a pinkish stone and includes some of the finest stone carving seen anywhere on the planet. Many of its stone carvings are even 3-dimensional. It is said that this temple must have been built by women, because the elaborate carvings are too fine for the touch of a man. Banteay Srei was built in 967 AD.
On the way back to Siem Reap, we stopped at Preah Khan which is one othe largest complexes an Angkor. It is a maze of vaulted corridors, fine carvings and moss-covered stonework. A young police officer offered to guide me through (for USD 3.00) and I agreed because I certainly learn much more than touring around on my own. The site is really quite beautiful. There is even a separate 2-story building located inside, featuring round columns at its perimeter – come to think of it, I haven’t seen round columns at any of the other temples. Some young women were listening in on my conversations with my guide, and eventually asked if they could join us. Well, turns out they are CANADIAN (from Alberta). All three are teaching English in Taiwan, and loving it! So, we had a most enjoyable hour at Preah Khan, and they shared the cost of the guide with me. Win Win for all!
I told Mr. Ra that I was done for the day so we headed back to town. This time I told him to please stop when we see any monkeys down by the road. Well, I saw a whole bunch, but he didn’t stop – I’m not sure why, but I am definitely going to get some shots of them before I leave!
Tags: Travel
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