Cambodia Day 3: Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm and More

Day three, like day two, began with breakfast at JW.  We were all a little more tired than the day before, but that's what 100 degree heat and ten miles of walking and stair climbing will do, when you're used to the comfort of Singapore's exceptionally convenient, air-conditioned public transportation system.  Nonetheless, we were all out of bed early and eager to explore more temples.

Tuna, the resident dog, was waiting in her usual spot just outside the glass doors to the small restaurant.  She barely moved when Jennifer and I stepped over her to go inside, and moved just enough to wag her tail as Sophia and Cooper greeted her.  Perhaps she had a rough night on the town?

After breakfast, we met Savonn at the hotel's driveway and headed toward our first stop of the day, Angkor Thom. 

Angkor Thom was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire, built in the late twelfth century by King Jayavarman VII.  Like Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom is massive, covering an area of over 9 km².  It is completely surrounded by a man-made moat and giant sandstone wall.  Within the wall surrounding this ancient Khmer city, there are several structures and multiple temples, at the exact center of which is the Bayon Temple.

The Bayon Temple is one of the most recognizable in due to the enormous stone faces found on every tower of the temple.  Savonn provided us with some history of the temple and we briefly viewed the structure from outside before walking a few steps away to meet a new friend, Sambo.

Sambo was the Asian elephant we would ride around the outside of the Bayon Temple to see the structure from the same vantage point as the French explorers who rediscovered the

temples in the mid 1860's.  The ride was bumpy, but a lot of fun, and I think there were as many pictures taken of us during the ride as we took of the temples.

Upon dismounting, Sophia and Cooper both fed Sambo a pineapple, which he quickly gobbled up, and we made our way inside the Bayon temple for a closer look.  The Bayon Temple, like most others we saw, is covered with reliefs depicting various Khmer legends and epic battles.  But the prominent feature of the temple is the multitude of large faces that adorn each of the towers.  What was most amazing was the consistency of each face and how much they looked alike.  Just remarkable considering how they must have been made nearly a thousand years ago. 

After exploring the Bayon Temple, we moved on to a neighboring temple called Phimeanakas.  This temple was built about 200 years earlier than the Bayon Temple and resembled a Mayan pyramid.  Sophia, Cooper and I climbed the steep steps to the top, which was much easier than coming back down.  Once on top, however, we were greeted by a Cambodian woman who smiled at the kids, offered them incense, and said a small prayer for our family...I think.  So I've got that going for me...which is nice.

After Phimeanakas, we visited several other spots within Angkor Thom, including the Terrace of the Leper King and the Terrace of the Elephants.  The former is believed to be a temple for the dead, and was named after King Yasovarman who was believed to be a Leper. The Terrace of the Elephants is a large multi-tiered area where the King would observe his army, consisting of many elephants.  It is also an area where he would greet his victorious warriors as they returned to Angkor Thom through the main gates.

Cooper called this an "ancient lego"

At this point in the day, the hot sun was wearing on all of us, and we were eager to head to lunch.  Savonn recommended a local restaurant run by his friend, called The Angkor Flower.  Upon pulling into the parking lot, the staff (who had been relaxing in hammocks outside) greeted us with a smile and welcomed us inside.  We were the first guests for lunch, but were soon joined by another 40 or so temple visitors.  I ordered Amok Fish (a local favorite), Jennifer had a delicious plate of fried noodles, and the kids ate some fried stuff - the most western of what was available on the menu.  We are working on their palates, but it is a slow and torturous process.

We invited Savonn to join us for lunch, which by his reaction, was not expected.  He was happy to eat with us and we had a very interesting conversation about his family, his life and his pride in his country and people.  A highlight for me was the discussion we had about Angkor Beer, Cambodia Beer and Black Panther Beer.  The latter he described as "the kind of beer you take when your friend tells you he killed a snake and invites you to dinner".  We loved the casual conversation and opportunity to better understand life outside the usual tourist experience.  Our pictures, along with our afternoon in the village and conversations with Savonn are clearly our favorite souvenirs from this trip. 

After lunch, we were re-energized and managed two more temple visits before heading back to Journey's Within.  The first was Ta Prohm, which is one of the most well known due to its role in some of the filming of Tomb Raider.  We saw no Lara Croft, but Sophia and Cooper filled in with plenty of climbing and jumping among the rubble. 

Ta Prohm was built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries as a Buddhist monastery and university.  It was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 1992, and has become one of the most famous and visited temples in Siem Reap due to the trees growing in, around, and literally on the temple walls.  As a result of these trees, the temple has received limited restoration, as removing the trees will cause the temple to crumble. 

After exploring Ta Prohm, we were exhausted, but Sophia was eager to visit "just one more" before heading back to the pool, Tuna, and a cold Angkor Beer.  This last temple of the day was Banteay Srei.  Built in the 10th century, Banteay Srei was considerably smaller than the other temples we visited, but was just as beautiful, and decorated with reliefs and carvings on almost every stone wall.  Evidence of our exhaustion, we took far less photos of what many consider the "jewel of Khmer", than we did at the other temples, but hopefully these give you a taste of what we experience there.

At this point, we stumbled to the cool air, ice-cold wet towels, and bottles of near freezing water that awaited us at the car.  Luckily, the ride home was pretty quick, and we relaxed the remainder of the afternoon by the pool.

Later that evening, we texted Moeng (our friendly local tuk tuk driver) to pick us up for dinner, and we headed to a small, out of the way Italian restaurant, L'Oasi, where we enjoyed one final dinner in Siem Reap.  The food was great, but the highlight of the evening was eavesdropping on a pair of American and French archaeologists having an impassioned discussion about the best way to approach restoration of a nearby temple.  It was fascinating to watch them rifle through pages of photos, diagrams and blueprints as they discussed differing points of view and techniques.  It sure made my job seem awfully boring!

After a short ride to town, we made arrangements for Moeng to pick us up one last time, and we headed to the Old Market for some final shopping.  We didn't last real long, but found some great souvenirs among the vendors at the market before heading back to Journeys Within for one last night before a visit to Tonle Sap, the floating village, and our final temple visit at Phnom Krom.

Stay tuned for day four....our final day in Cambodia.