Siem Reap

Siem Reap, Cambodia (2006)

We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia slightly fearful of the corruption, the recent Pol Pot genocide and lingering land mines. What we received was the complete opposite—a beautiful and quaint airport, quick and friendly visa approval, and a nice driver who drove us past exquisite resorts to our lovely hotel called the Golden Banana (also gay friendly, not surprisingly). We were greeted by the manager and staff with iced lemon teas, ordered some Cambodian lunch including a delicious coconut milk fried rice with bananas and watermelon and pineapple juices, arranged for our driver to take us to the temples at Angkor, and checked into our room.

The temples at Angkor are truly a sight to behold, definitely a great wonder of the world, and awe-inspiring. First, we went to Angkor Thom, which was built by Angkor’s greatest king in the 12^th century. We walked with the local monkeys among the ruins of Bayon, the Terrace of Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. Every hardcore traveler wants to go to Angkor now, and we certainly had good timing. The temples were only recently discovered (100 years ago, but interrupted by wars and genocide) so they’ve really only started opening them up to the public a decade ago. What this means is that visiting Angkor now will be unlike any visits in the future. There are no lines of tour buses, everything is cheap, and you can actually walk among the dangerous ruins and climb the precarious temple stairs, and take pictures without tourists or emergency exit signs blocking your view. We checked out a few more temples—Preah Neak Pean, which is a central tower set in a square pool and four smaller pools laid out symmetrically around the center, Ta Som, which has been absolutely overwhelmed by an ancient tree that sent its roots on a destructive mission into every nook and cranny, Ta Keo, which is a massive pyramid built in the 10^th century, and Preah Khan, which is a maze of vaulted corridors, fine carvings and lichen-clad stonework. In the evening we went to a fantastic buffet dinner and show with traditional Cambodian dancing.

The next day was Angkor Wat. You might ask Angkor What? Angkor Wat, in the words of Lonely Planet, is “one of the most inspired and spectacular monuments ever conceived by the human mind.” And, yep, in the words of Josh, Angkor Wat is pretty badass. The massive central tower surrounded by smaller peaks, courtyards and divine moats reflect the spatial universe in miniature, according to some researchers. After Angkor Wat, we hit up a bunch more temples, most notably Ta Prohm, which has been used for movie sets such as Tomb Raider. This 12^th century temple has been left much as it looked when the first French explorers discovered it a century ago: while other Angkor monuments have been preserved with massive clearing of the all-devouring jungle, Ta Prohm has been abandoned to the tentacle-like roots of 300 hundred year old trees slowly strangling the stonework. Inside, it’s a maze of narrow corridors and crumbling stonework, areas of which are roped off, as the chances of collapse are serious. According to inscriptions it took 80,000 people to maintain the building. To finish up the day we poked around the central marketplace where I bought a $10 “Rolex” and a few other souvenir-type things (including a mini-Angkor Wat to go with my mini-Petronas Towers, Eifel Tower and La Sagrada Familia).

Just arrived in Cambodia.

Our driver.

Massive hotels are springing up along the main airport-town route. It’s beginning to look a bit like Vegas.

Yummy Cambodian food—coconut fried rice, spicy chicken, and complementary lime iced teas.

At the Golden Banana.

The gate to the temples at Angkor.

Who looks over whom?

The gates are guarded by ferociously friendly monkeys.

“Can I see your ticket, sir?”

You ever get the feeling someone is watching you?

Sleeping ruins.

Hindus removed the Buddhas from the walls.

A “moment.”

Only the strong pillars are left standing.

Bayon!

A Buddha once sat there.

“Locals.”

Smiling faces everywhere.

Another Angkor temple.

A peaceful place to meditate.

Leguminous tree.

I have new sand castle aspirations.

Along the Terrace of Elephants.

A road to somewhere cool probably.

Where can I find a really old temple in ruins around these parts?

They look cute, but they try to sell you crap for rip off prices.

Carmel lends a hand.

This is how I want my house driveway to look.

Intricate carvings everywhere.

Stuck!

Early form of the Macarena.

Man vs. Nature: Nature wins.

Swimming pool.

Something is not quite right with this bridge.

Amazing that this bridge remained so well intact.

Another hidden temple.

Carmel climbs the temple.

Can you hear me now? Good.

Mmm, Cambodian buffet.

It would be more authentic if there were a tree coming out of the bottle.

Traditional Cambodian dance.

What what? Angkor Wat!

Behind Angkor Wat is more Angkor Wat.

Hindu/Buddhist crossover.

Typical tourist shot.

War movie.

Keeps going and going and going…

Carmel emerges from her 1-bedroom flat.

Atop the Wat.

Moving on from Ankor Wat, the smaller temples are still impressive.

Resting with the pink umbrella.

You can see how perilous these ruins actually are.

Homage to Cleo.

Homage to Petey.

If it were Cordy running, the walls surely would have collapsed.

Someone told me the temples at Angkor were built by one guy in 2 days. Personally, I could have built them in 1 day with one hand tied behind my back.