Day 8—Cambodia!!! As we arrived at the airport in Ho Chi Minh for checking in Martin was carrying the limepot we bought for Ursula—by now we were like a well-oiled machine at check in and luggage handling. But after we moved through a customs man called Martin and escorted him (and the pot) off to the side. He inspected the pot thoroughly and shook his head saying that it was very very old and from Hue …we waited, he waited, then (thankfully) he waved us through impatiently…
After that little saga we boarded and in
no time we were in Phnom Penh. The airport, the diplomatic area and our hotel
were all in good condition but oh dear, the rest of the city seemed very
impoverished. Our hotel, the 
Sofitel was like an oasis and the food was
marvelous—we were all in excellent humor with good tight bellies as we set of
for the National Museum.
The Museum was magnificent and inside we saw a marvelous array of 3d works from the region. Most were from Angkor and it was wonderful to see that they were so well cared for—though later I for one wished we had been able to see them in situ.
Then we went to the Palace which was impressive and set in huge landscaped grounds with gardens and stupas. The whole complex spelled out wealth and pride, which was incongruous with what we saw outside the walls! We saw a huge treasury of golden statuary and precious relics in the Silver Pagoda (so named for its silver floor) The splendor made our eyes pop.
In the evening we again boarded a boat but this time our trip was on the Mekong. It was huge, fast and wide, and very brown. On the opposite bank we could see another boat village similar to one we saw in Hue. There were many people living in fragile wooden houses on the banks as well. It looked as if a big storm could simply wash them all away. Our guide told us they were the Moslem population of Phnom Penh. In front of us a dozen or so nearly naked Moslem boys played in the dirt by the water where they had created a most effective mud slide. This was a happy note in an otherwise bleak picture.
When we returned there was just time to make a trip to Wat Phnom in the dusk. Since it was past the closing time there was a bit of persuasion required to let us proceed up the long flight of steps to the wat. But the young guards let us through and we climbed what was to be the first of many steps we would labour up in Cambodia! The wat was in the form of a temple and a stupa and sat right on top of a hill. Statues of Naga, the seven/nine headed snake deity, the Garuda and other deities towered threateningly in the glow of the nightlights.
We returned to the hotel and a fabulous spread of food. Many of us discussed the contrasts of the day—the splendor and the squalor we had seen. It was easy to be critical of the wealthy in Cambodia but who were we to criticize—at that dinner we also seemed to be leading the life of KINGS. The next day was to be a very early start for the flight to Siem Reap and the Angkor experience.
Day 9 First impressions of rural Cambodia, from the air were intriguing. An early morning mist clung close to the ground and the scattered tall palms seemed to rise out and hover above it. It was very flat land.
The road to the hotel was dark orange/red and it was bumpy. Our charming guide Chenda called them ‘dancing roads’. He told us that we came to see Angkor at the right time. There are plans to make Siem Reap a tourist gold mine—15 new hotels are on the drawing board.
Much of what we saw on that first morning
ride was covered in dust—in part due to the construction works around the town but this was also the dry
season and all of the ponds/dams that are in
front of the small properties were empty. On the way to the first temple we saw
a cockfight—so early in the day for that! We saw decorated cars for weddings
as this was the wedding season. We saw poor
people in poor circumstances. And ‘buses’that were small
trucks with the roofs removed—used like a tray-truck—with
up to 30 people
squashed into them.
At the temples children selling scarves, post cards, and hanging mobiles
immediately surrounded us.
The first temples we saw were Lolei and Preak Thom (Temple of the Sacred Bull)—some of the oldest, from the 9th Century. They were quite lovely, constructed of red bricks, but coated with an early form of plaster that had almost completely worn away. We heard that some temples are in fact constructed from the top down. This seemed impossible until it was explained that they were built on a hill (created when a moat was dug—the stones were placed on the top then in layers going down with the dirt being removed in stages.
In the afternoon, after a nap, we went to
see the famous Angkor Wat. It did not disappoint! Sprawling there in the
afternoon heat haze and reflecting in the mirror-like moat she captivated
immediately. We had two hours to explore but needed at least two days—or a
whole week.
The steps were very difficult since each one was high and barely wide enough for a shoe. But every climb was repaid because it opened new layers of the temple to us. Contemporary scholars are still unsure whether it is a temple or a tomb. We do know it is dedicated to Vishnu.
We marveled at the bas relief carvings especially the
scene of the battle between the Hanoman and the barbarians from Lanka—this was a huge wall of exquisite carvings in vigorous detail. And the Churning of the Ocean of Milk—a story central to Hinduism—beautifully depicted. We delighted to see Apsaras adorning so many walls of Angkor. It was also exciting to see saffron robed monks in the Wat. We took photo after photo and laboured all around the Wat until Chenda insisted that we leave in order to reach the Bakheng Hill before sunset.
Bakheng Temple
sits on a large hill and is a Mecca for tourists who congregate every day to
catch the sunset. It was a big climb—75m straight up then the temple steps to
follow, and the hill was nearly wearing away from the droves that make the
climb. The view of the landscape from there was marvelous and off in the
distance the sun shone on Angkor Wat.
Day 10 This
day we rushed to catch the early morning light at the South Gate of Angkor
Thom the ancient city of temples and the administrative centre of the once
magnificent Khmer empire. Angkor Thom includes within its walls the huge Bayon
temple, some smaller temples, the terraces of the Leper King and the
Elephant Terrace, the
Royal Palace, causeways across the moat, and majestic Gopuras
(entrance gates). Here we saw the huge
four headed archway (Gopura) and leading to it two lines of
guardians and the full length of the 9 headed Naga snake that
rose aggressively 
to greet the visitor to Angkor Thom. We
proceeded to what was one of the most wonderful architectural
marvels on our
The most astounding discoveries were the relief carvings on the outer walls. Though not very deep, they are vast, perfect and consistent in style —it is as if they were carved by one single artist. But the carvings were also especially appealing as they depicted everyday life of the Khmer in Angkorian times. We climbed to the uppermost level and no matter where we were in the outdoors the Godlike expression of
Avolkitesvara looked down upon us. As with Angkor Wat there were statues and carvings to be discovered throughout the temple.
From Bayon we went to what Chenda
referred to as the Temple of Indiana Jones—Ta Prohm—the temple has
been left as the Archaeologists found it...shrouded in jungle.
This temple was dedicated to the mother
of the king and is fittingly named because it is feminine, wrapped and hidden,
and suggestive of romantic mysteries. The stones are encrusted with a sleepy
green moss. The trees and vines attack it; enclose it with big brazen roots and
vines. They split open the joints yet also bind the stones together. Ta Prohm
was a photographers dream!
