stunning angkor

the fiasco of just getting here made me curious about what lodging alice had arranged for me. fortunately the green garden hotel was clean and secure. an added bonus was the former ownder, a cynical old aussie expat who still lived there and typically lounged on its front veranda. his helpful tips on navigating siem reap were often punctuated by racist quips about the locals. that said, he also connected me with sakhorn, an honest and english-proficient tuktuk driver who could be my angkor guide.

angkor wat (via google earth)

over the next two days i spent many hours viewing over a dozen magnificent, humbling and haunting temples under a hot cambodian sun. the first king of the angkorian era was jayavarman ii, who returned from java in 790 to subdue competing states and declare a unified 'kambuja'. temple building became a defining mark of the angkorian kings. over 1000 temples were built during the khmer empire, which ruled much of southeast asia until the 15th century, when repeated invasions by the thai moved the capital from angkor to phnom penh. at its peak this 'holy city' had over 1 million residents, yet it was largely unknown to outsiders until henri mouhot re-'discovered' angkor wat in 1860. today, the vast angkor archaeological park hosts a million visitors annually.

highlights:

the haunting faces of bayon

angkor thom and bayon
angkor thom was built starting in the late 12th century by jayavarman vii. this 3 square kilometer walled and moated royal city was the last capital of the angkorian empire, built in an uprecendented campaign of temple construction after angkor was reclaimed after a brief control by the cham (from present-day viet nam). the huge complex is accessed through five gates to the city. the citys greatest temple is bayon, whose 37 towers feature four carved faces that point north, south, east and west. its thought these smiling chubby visages represented a combination of buddha and jayavarman vii, bayons patron. in addition to its serene and somewhat spooky faces, the bas-reliefs depicting the historical sea battle between the khmer and cham that decorates bayons south wall are remarkable.

banteay sreys pink sandstone

banteay srey
a good 38 km from siem reap and most of the other angkor temples is banteay srey, which was built in the late 10th century by king rajendravarman. this hindu-dedicated temple is loosely translated as 'citadel of the women,' but sakhorn and others usually just call it 'the lady temple'. unique in that it was built of a beautiful pink sandstone covered in intricate carvings, this temple reflects some of the finest examples of classical khmer art. on the lengthy drive there i enjoyed getting to seeing more of cambodian life, like small grade school kids in smart uniforms riding on bicycles more suitable for grown men and water buffalo foraging near modest stilted homes built above flooded rice paddies.

1866 photo of angkor wat by emile gsell

angkor wat
constructed in the 12th century by suryavarman ii at the height of khmer military and political dominance over southeast asia, angkor wat is a breathtaking testament to khmer greatness. this massive three-tiered structure is crowned by a quincunx of beehive-like towers that rise 65 meters. dedicated to the hindu god vishnu, angkor wat is surrounded by a wide moat and wall measuring 1300 x 1500 meters. nearly 2000 apsara carvings depict stories from hindu mythology. bas-reliefs running counterclockwise around the temples first tier depict the mythological battle of kuru, suryavarman iis march against the cham, scenes from heaven and hell and the 'churning of the ocean milk' scene on the north wall. at the heart of this massive religious monument (said to be the worlds largest) is a modest buddhist shrine thats been tended continually since the angkorian era. i visited angkor wat shortly after sunrise and the temple was largely (and eerily) absent of other spelunkers, which made exploring its walls and halls all the more haunting. of anywhere ive seen on earth, i wish i could see what angkor was like at its height.
more cambodia photos here.

cambodge impromptu

given my already pathetic state of mind, the cluelessness of yet another bangkok taxi driver had me ready to write off all thai as sneaky and insincere. clearly it was time to get outta dodge, so yesterday i stopped by the thai tourism office to see about travel packages to chiang mai or angkor wat. once there however, alice told me that prices would go up considerably tomorrow so id better make a decision now. yikes. i took the plunge (or the bait?) but tried to minimize costs by telling alice that my birthday was tomorrow (i dont think it helped) and by taking a 12-hour bus ride there instead of flying both ways. i spent the rest of my day visiting touristy sites, ordering 2 custom-made cashmere suits, 1 tuxedo and 5 shirts (with chicago delivery) for only $800, and perusing loose gems for sissy at the royal lapidary.

alices cake

when i returned this morning to pick up my tickets and itinerary from alice she pulled out a small cake with a orange highlighted post-it reading 'happy birthday to you!' her coworkers started singing happy birthday and i got weepy at their thoughtfulness. after hugs and photos i returned to my hotel and waited 90 mins for the bus, somewhat relieved that i might not have to go on this trip anyway. but a moped finally arrived to take me to the bus station. once aboard, my slight disapointment about leaving bangkok was tempered by the buses cushy, largely empty confines.

cambodian-thai border

six or so hours into our journey the bus stopped near the border for lunch and to get our cambodian visas. from there it was a short ride to the border town of poi pet, a typically spooky, dusty and impoverished place where we were ushered through a series of efficient checkpoints. a woman sitting behind a translucent plastic desk with only a calculator and a stack of cambodian bills exchanged my dollars for riel (i later learned that cambodians prefer dollars). after forty minutes or so we realized this cambodian mans sincerity as he instructed the 16 of us - a hodge podge of americans, germans, french, japanese and brits - to pile into the back of a standard-sized pickup truck (along with our bags) for the 6? 8? 10? hour journey through cambodia to siem reap.

our home for the next 9+ hours

massive flooding for weeks prior made bus traffic impossible. so for 9-ish hours we held on to bits of truck and to each other for a tenuous sense of security as we winced over constant bumps and ruts. we were too tightly packed to move our legs despite cramping and uncomfortable angles. had i been smart i would have purchased a mask in poi pet to create a buffer between my lungs and the clouds of thick dust that covered our bodies in a ruddy brown blanket and made my eyes frighteningly bloodshot.

cambodian puddles

at times our pace was reduced to a crawl as our intrepid driver navigated the most heavily flooded roads. we held our breath and whimpered about our fate replicate the stranded korean tour buses. as we made our way along the cambodian 'highway' each of us marveled at the beauty of the flooded green fields and we waved at children and other convoys that were similarly packed with 20 or more passengers who didnt have the luxury of sitting. on two occasions we stopped and were transferred to another small pickup. at one point between trucks 2 and 3 my newfound friends, upon me mentioning it was my birthday, sang me happy birthday, pausing at my name (since they didnt know it yet). i couldnt think of a better way to usher in my 28th year.

muddy feet

as dusk approached we reached a small town of stranded travellers and opportunistic locals that had popped up where the road was completely washed out. our only option was to get out and wade the 100 ft or so across while our truck was towed across by a tractor. once on the other side of the road and unable to wash off my feet (with thoughts of shistisomiasis running through my head), i pulled my socks over a caked layer of mud before returning them into my shoes. at this point pitch black darkness (no light pollution out here to dull the stars) and sheer exhaustion had us silent and retreating into ourselves. then, just 11 km from siem reap, our driver miscalculated a large hole and our rear wheel detached from the axle. as we waited alongside the road for what was next, we admired the fireflies while fantasizing about being saved by passing trucks. perhaps we were all in a bit of shock, but throughout our journey i admired our groups lack of bitching, despite some pretty ridiculous conditions.

our wheel popped off

half an hour or so passed and we were rescued. i rolled into my hotel around 9 pm and after a sorely needed scrubbing, i met up for some drinks with my new found german buddies. coincidentally an irish guy named matt that i had met in phuket was also in siem reap, so he joined us and we shared stories of our journey with him (hed flown here. bougie, i know!). afterwards matt insisted that we make our way to a dance club wed seen (it was my birthday afterall). i can only say the dancers, the music, the decor... all of it made for a fascinating cambodian clubbing experience. my cambodge impromptu had begun.
more cambodia photos here.