Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

Immigration

I decided to enter Cambodia by road from Thailand as I was not sure how many days I would be there and wanted the flexibility of coming back to Thailand in case I had time to spare. I booked the bus through 12go and the bus company was Giant Ibis transport which turned out to be the right choice as it was very comfortable. Didn't feel the 8 hours it took for the ride. 

The immigration was a little choppy. Though I had an evisa, not too many people from India came by land. The bus coordinator did tell me that there would be questions for Indians, Pakistanis and other South Asians about availability of money and I needed a return flight ticket to get through the land route. I decided to take my chances and thought would book a return flight on the spot if asked to do so. The immigration officer asked me to show that I had enough cash for the visit. Luckily I had a wad of dollars and the officer took a photo and sent it to some higher up before he waived me through.  

Siem Reap

Arriving in Siem Reap, I checked in to the Yashodarapura residence, an upmarket hotel located about 5 Kms from the temples of Angkor Wat. The reception was welcoming and efficient. There was breakfast in the mornings and a nice pool which I was hoping to use.

Cambodian Hotpot

In the evening, I stepped out for dinner and chanced upon a restaurant nearby called Angkor BBQ/Srey Khouch which was quite busy. It turned out to be an all you can eat seafood hotpot and grill restaurant. Its popular in Cambodia and called  phnom pleung (hill of fire), which is cook-your-own meat over a personal barbecue and soup chhnang dei (cook-your-own soup in a clay pot).  I was shocked by the price which was all inclusive 7$. There were an assortment of sea food from Kalamari, shrimps, Octopus, fish to cut meats and assortment of vegetables for the hot pot. Apart from that there was a buffet spread along with desserts. 

The next day was to buy a driver's license and get oriented, so I went for a walk to the center of town. The town is neatly laid out in a grid with the river flowing on the East. There are beautiful cafes and restaurants. The French influence can be seen in the buildings and cafes. 

Angkor Museum

Before visiting the temples, I spent half a day at the Angkor museum in town. It's worth it as it gives a comprehensive overview into the different Khmer periods, kings, architecture and culture. It's a well organized museum and covers the main periods of Khmer, from Pre-Angkorian (includes Fu-Nan or Phnom and Chen-La periods), Angkorian (includes Kulen, Baphuon, Angkor Wat and Bayon) and post Angkorian periods. 

Temple visit plan

I bought a 3 day Angkor ticket from the official website and planned to join group tours over 2 days to visit the temples. On day 3, I would explore on my own based on how the 1st two days went.

Day 1 and 2

Since there was possibility of rain, I decided to visit the main two temple complexes Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom the next day and cover the rest of the temples on day 1. 

These included Banteay Srei, Pre-Rup and East Mebon temples which came before Angkor Wat. We also explored Preah Khan and Ta Som which were temples from the Bayon period that followed soon after Angkor Wat.

Tour Guide

We were 4 people on the tour, a mother and daughter of Polish origin from England, a South Korean and myself.  Our guide for the tour was a man named Pin Poch. He kept us engaged by telling us stories about his childhood when Vietnam had intervened and pushed out the Pol Pot regime, Cambodian customs and present political disposition. 

The next day was dedicated to the main Angkor Wat temple and the Angkor Thom Complex. Angkor Thom came after Angkor Wat during the Buddhist period and included Bayon and Ta Prohm temples. Ta Prohm is famously known as Tomb Raider temple (after the movie). 

We were a total of 10 people and included an assortment of 3 young men from Mauritius, 2 Australians, 1 French and 1 Dutch lady and 2 guys from Europe. One of the Australians was of South Indian ethnicity who told me he was unhappy that the guide didn't mention that in fact it was the Cholas from India who had built Angkor Wat! 

Day 3 and 4

On the 3rd day, I hired a bike and explored a group of temples 15 Kms South East of the main group in the 9th century city of Hariharalaya (Preah Ko and Bakong temples) and Prasath Beng Mealea, 40 Kms East built during the time of Angkor Wat. The round about route from the city to the Bakong temples, Prasath Beng Mealea and back is a pleasant ride of about 116 kms  

One of the best ways to feel the size of the Angkor kingdom is to drive around Angkor Wat and Thom which is what I did on day 4. The route is about 26 Kms and it can also be a way to see the temples, if one is not using a tour company (See Figure).

Overall, the scale and size of the ruins and the grand conception of the city by the Khymer is impressive and staggering. It was the largest city of its time and the accomplishments of the Khymer kings truly marked it as a world heritage site. The site is also well managed with top notch tourist infrastructure and ticketing system. Tickets are priced at a level that only the serious tourist can access the site and was a complete contrast in the way Hampi, another world heritage site in Karnataka and covering a similar area is managed. India has to learn a lot on how to manage and preserve our heritage and create a sustainable tourist infrastructure.

Hariharalaya - 9th Century

Preak Ko

Jayavarman II established first Angkor capital at Hariharalaya in the 9th century 1 5 Kms South East of Angkor Wat. Preak Ko was the first temple to be built and is a shiva temple dedicated to Jayavarman II and his father and Grandfather. It is in a dilapidated condition, but has some fine lintel carvings. 

Bakong

Bakong is an impressive stepped pyramid and reminded me of Prambanam and Borobodur. It is the first temple to be built using sandstone while the satellite temples are made of brick. The pyramid has 5 levels and the top tower was built later in the style of Angkor Wat. This is a temple worth visiting and since it's off the track, it's not very crowded. When I went, I saw a few tourists doing sketches of the brick temples in their sketch pads.

The pre Angkor Wat temples primarily used Laterite, brick, stucco and the frames and lintels used sandstone. These are primarily Shiva temples but have Indra and Vishnu related carvings. During the Angkor Wat period from 1100 AD, sandstones began to be used for the entire temple instead of brick and stucco. 

Yashodharapura - End of 9th Century onwards

Yashodharapura was founded by Yasovarman or the Leper king who moved his capital from Hariharalaya. He built the East Baray reservoir which is now dry and built temples on it. This along with West Baray which is still filled up and on which Angkor Wat stands are some of the largest hand cut water reservoirs on earth. 

East Mebon, Pre-Rup

Pre-Rup

East Mebon

East Mebon and Pre-Rup temples stand on what was an artificial island at the center of the now dry East Baray reservoir. East Mebon has 3 tiers and free standing elephants at the corners with a central tower and 4 small corner towers at the top. The elephants and carvings are excellent. 

Banteay Srei

Similarly Pre-Rup has 3 step tiers with 5 towers at the top. Funerals were conducted in this temple and these towers had slits in the bricks for the smoke to come out. Pre-rup has extensive Laterite and brick and in the evening Sun, it glows like a jewel.

Banteay Srei

Banteay Sri is the prettiest of all temples and most well preserved. It is made from red sandstone and the elaborate walls and lintel carvings are intact. It was built in the 10th century and is a jewel of Khmer art.

Angkor Wat and Beng Mealea -  Suryavarman II

Angkor Wat

Suryavarman II was the first king who built temples dedicated to Vishnu. His enduring creation was building Angkor Wat, the  largest religious structure in the world, now a world heritage site. It was constructed in 1150 CE as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu and later transformed into a Buddhist temple. The size of the temple complex with its Central Towers, four sided galleries filled with bas reliefs and the encircled moat is mind boggling. I visited the complex twice in 3 days to be able to do justice to it. Angkor Wat is a proud representation of Cambodia and is depicted in its National Flag.

Prasath Beng Mealea

Angkor comes from the Sanskrit word Nagara meaning city and the original name is Vrah Vishnuloka which means abode of Lord Vishnu. Unlike most temples which face East, he temples face west because Vishnu is the Lord of the West. Later during Jayavarman VII period when Angkor Thom was established, it became a Buddhist temple and continued to be so till its rediscovery by the world

Prasath Beng Mealea is another fascinating temple during this period and a must see. 40 Kms East of the city, It's a huge temple complex and completely in ruins with nature taking over the complex. It is one of the most fascinating sites that I have ever visited.

Angkor Thom - Late 12th century

Bayon Temple

Angkor Thom which was founded by Jayavarman VII came after Angkor Wat and was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. Jayavarman was the first king devoted to Buddhism and built the Bayon temple which is built in "Baroque style" compared to the "classical style" of Angkor Wat. Angkor Thom was sacked by the Ayutthaya kingdom after which the capital shifted to Phnom Penh. The entrance gateways to the city are impressive and each entrance has a causeway over the moat with devas and asuras churning the Ocean with Nagas.

Ta Prohm

Outside the Angkor Thom complex, there are a few notable temples to see of this period. Starting in the south is the Ta Prohm temple which is famously known as the Angelina Jolie temple. It's a Bayon style Buddhist temple and famous for its large ficus trees that have grown over the temples and walls. Looking at them I was reminded of the poem Ozymandias and how time can conquer even the greatest builders and bring everything back to dust.

Further north to the East is Ta Som which is famous for its four Gopurams with Bayon style faces and a stranger fig that has been taken over one of the Gopuras. The temple is largely unrestored. 

Prasat Preah Khan

Walkway to Neak Pean

Going westwards from Ta Som,  Neak Pean is a Mahayana Buddhist temple is in the middle of a massive tank called Baray and one has to go over a newly laid bridge to reach it. The temple is shaped like a coiled snake. It is one of the many hospitals that Jayavarman VII built and is based on the ancient Hindu belief of balance between Water, Earth, Fire and Wind. Originally, four sculptures stood on the floor of the lake. The only statue that remains is that of a horse representing Avalokitesvara.

Further west is Prasat Preah Khan . It was built on the site of Jayavarman VII's victory over the invading Chams in 1191. The temple is flat in design, with a basic plan of successive rectangular galleries around a Buddhist sanctuary surrounded by Hindu satellite temples. Like Ta Prohm, Preah Khan has been left largely unrestored, with numerous trees growing among the ruins. Highlights of the temple include Garudas holding Nagas on the outer walls, a hall of dancers and a two-storeyed structure with round columns which was the Granary.

Food and Shopping

Beef Lok Lak

I frequented the Angkor BBQ/Srey Khouch as I found it great value for money.  Other cafes and restaurants I explored were Crane which is a cute cafe with excellent Kombucha and Golden Pumpkin restaurant for local Khmer dishes.

Along the river behind the hotel, there is a walkway where one can sample local street food. I ran across a young man who started a roadside Cafe with coffee equipment which he ordered online from China. He was in college and then dropped out to start this. It's called Street Slow Bar. Excellent Coffee for a dollar. 

Street Slow Bar

The bars are all clustered around Pub Street which comes alive in the evenings. 

For shopping, instead of buying industrial souvenirs made in China, I went for a unique collection from a store called Jayavarman art. The store is located in a beautiful place Khmer house surrounded by a tropical garden. They have realistic replicas and items made from paper mache and I bought a Shiva head replica from the Angkor era. These are light as well as durable.

Travel to Phnom Penh 

After spending almost a week in Seam Reap, I boarded a bus at 7 am to Phnom Penh. There are many transport companies and I chose Larryta travels which has a good and safe reputation. The bus took around 5 1/2 hours and the drive was smooth.