Siem Reap, Cambodia: A place to see
Angkor Wat, the largest and most visited temple in
Siem Reap
* The Bayon temple has many collapsed columns and portions; it has a gallery covered with many beautiful stone carvings, which depict the daily life of its people such as fishing, hunting, cooking and even cock fighting
Last June my husband and I finally took our first trip to Cambodia, after many years of planning. We began our journey with a connecting flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap. Siem Reap is a major town in Northwest Cambodia and the gateway to the famous Angkor temples. Angkor means city or capital - it was once the ancient capital of Cambodia and was the center of the Khmer empire. This empire produced a great regime that built many temples all over Cambodia. These temples were in honor of the Hindu gods -- Siva, Vishnu, and Brahma.
Angkor Thom
Our first tour day in this town began with a visit to the smaller and less popular temples that surround Siem Reap. The Rolous group of temples comprises three temples -- Lolei, Preah Ko and Bakong. They are all built using bricks and sandstone. One interesting aspect of the Lolei temple is that there is still a community of monks living around the temple. One monk was actually blessing a group of people with buckets of water. Our tour guide explained that they went to see a local fortune teller and he said that they would attract some bad luck, it was only through the monk's blessing that they could prevent this from happening.
Benjie and Melissa at Angkor Wat
The next stop of our tour was Angkor Thom. This used to be the great capital city of the Khemer empire in the late 12th century. Angkor Thom is surrounded by five gates. Each gate is reached by a walkway that is guarded by 54 demon statues and 54 diwata statues (good fairies), all these statues are made of huge stone blocks. Many of the heads have been decapitated....or should we say stolen. The most distinct feature of Angkor Thom is that each entrance has a 24-meter gate with four heads facing different directions. At the center of this city stands another must-see temple -- The Bayon. This temple has many collapsed columns and portions. This temple has a gallery covered with many beautiful stone carvings, which depict the daily life of its people such as fishing, hunting, cooking and even cock fighting. Other carvings illustrate combat scenes and others pay homage to the gods. When the guide books say this temple is a must see, believe us, it REALLY is! Don't miss it!
Benjie and Melissa at Ta Phrom
The largest and most visited of the temples is Angkor Wat. It is the symbol of the Kingdom of Cambodia. We right away noticed how well preserved this temple was, our tour guide explained that it was never totally abandoned but was lived in by monks who converted it to a Buddhist temple. One interesting part of this temple can be seen on the first level. A long gallery filled with sand stone carvings illustrating various stories and past events such as armies in battle and stories of the after life of both heaven and hell. Another exciting part of this temple was the steep climb to the central tower. My husband and our tour guide braved the climb. There must have been over 50 steps which were so narrow and steep. The climb is not advisable for people who suffer from vertigo. A movie trivia and added bonus of this temple was that it appeared in Tomb Raider. It was the background shot of Angelina Jolie as she was paddling her boat across the moat that surrounds this temple.
At Ta Phrom
Aside from Angkor Wat and the Bayon another popular temple is Ta Phrom. It's the temple that has numerous gigantic trees growing through its walls. Another movie trivia -- it also made an appearance in two movies Tomb Raider and Two Brothers. One distinct feature of this temple is that it was literally swallowed by the jungle surrounding it. When French archeologists discovered it, they had to clear some trees so the temple would be visible. But we noticed that many trees have been left behind since its roots are so large that they are actually holding most of the structure together. Visiting Ta Phrom is like going through an ancient maze. There are hidden passages, huge fallen stones that we had to climb over and many intricate carvings on the walls. We noticed a lot of tourists simply sitting around and enjoying the peaceful surrounding of this temple.
Ta Phrom, a temple that has numerous
gigantic trees growing through its walls
All these temples are just one part of Siem Reap, another would be experiencing the lifestyle and culture of the Cambodians. We noticed how small a town Siem Reap is and yet in every corner are hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and travel companies all catering to the numerous tourists that arrive everyday. Our tour guide mentioned that not many Filipinos visit Cambodia, mostly Europeans, Americans and Japanese. As our stay in Cambodia went on we noticed how similar they are to Filipinos. They have large families because they believe the more children they have the more financial help the parents will get. Plus they believe in strong family ties, how very Filipino. We were also struck by how polite, cheerful and hospitable these people are despite having been in a society filled with the horrors of a regime that killed almost a quarter of the population. We noticed how laid back this town is, the local people get around in bicycles or motorcycles. There is only one national road which is called the Airport road.
The Bayon, another must-see temple
Fast food restaurants still haven't found their way to this town, so we had no choice but to eat their local cuisine made of mostly curry and vegetables. But there is one area here called the French Quarters. Its here where most of the expats and tourists hang out since its filled with pubs, bars and European restaurants. There are no commercial malls also, to do your shopping head to the Old market. There are a range of products that are available to visitors such as handicrafts, clothing, jewelry and food items.
Throughout the short journey we consider ourselves privileged to have experienced this special place full of natural beauty and cultural wealth. So when it comes to planning your next vacation consider Cambodia as part of your itinerary. You won't be disappointed.
* PAL has one daily flight to Bangkok. Bangkok Airways has three daily flights to Siem Reap.