Cambodia: Angkor Wat and Big Brother Thom

Angkor Wat is said to be the largest temple in the world, but it wasn’t the largest structure in this capital city of 12th-century Khmer kings. That title belonged to Angkor Thom--the two-square-mile Royal City and Palace. Angkor Thom isn’t as well-preserved as the temple, but its massive south gate is an impressive reminder of what it once was.

The little city of Siem Reap, Cambodia, probably has more upscale hotel rooms than any other city near its size, anywhere in the world. Angkor Wat alone would probably have been enough to make it a World Heritage Site, but there’s more. Within 100km of here, according to my guide, there are 394 other temples. A serious archaeology buff would need weeks to explore them all.

Though Cambodia is not considered fully "democratic" by Western standards, people welcome outsiders. The principal approaches were curiosity and. . .commerciality:

"Hi, Mister. Where you from?"

"Would like to buy--?"

"PLEASE, Mister, buy my--"

"NO, Mister, buy MINE."

One pretty little girl tried a different approach:

"Oh, Mister. You’re so handsome."

My neighbor got the hand-engraved greeting cards she sold me.

Scroll down for some photographic highlights.

Quick Tips:

A point I’ve made in earlier journals merits repeating here: if you’re a serious photographer, the flexibility of having a private guide more than outweighs the cost. You can’t ask a tour group to linger while you wait for the light to improve, or come back when the sun's angle better.

Two of my guides on this three-country tour had worked with professional photographers, and were able to point out vantage points those pros had used. They knew where to go when for the best lighting. And, when it rained on Angkor Thom, the guide there helped to plan a second try the next day.

US dollars were accepted just about anywhere.

Best Way To Get Around:

Motorcyle-powered "rickshaws" and conventional taxis were always available--sometimes obnoxiously, inistently so--in front of the hotel. However, most of the locals used bikes. Siem Reap is a classic developing-nation conundrum: luxury hotels facing streets clogged with bicyclists who couldn’t afford cars. At times, they can even create "rush hour" traffic jams.

There were at least three major hotel projects under construction but, to the city’s credit, there was also a large, newly-opened children’s hospital.

Hotels here tend to be sprawling affairs, covering as much as a city block. There’s good reason for this: no building within 100km can exceed four stories--assuring that Angkor Wat rises above them.

This highly-recommended, 118-room hotel offers well-above-average accommodations at a very reasonable price for such a world-class tourism site. Given its four-star rating--by my tour agency’s rating system, at least--rates starting at US$80 were a pleasant surprise. The Princess was large enough to provide almost all the amenities I would have wanted without being large enough to intimidate.

Instead of a conventional lobby, there was a large front room that served as both a reception area and a holding area for guests awaiting their tour departures or airport transfers. To facilitate that, furniture was grouped into clusters that served as individual conversation centers. One corner served as a cocktail lounge--where guests could sip cocktails from a comfortable armchair or sofa instead of perched on a barstool.

For dining, the Princess Angkor offered "The Citadel," a coffee shop serving breakfast, lunch, and light dinner items 24/7. At 6pm, however, it transfered itself into a very good dinner spot. When the multi-cultural buffet opens, one can sample unfamiliar Southeast Asian dishes but still have Western-style "comfort food" to fall back on. Thanks to being able to experiment, I discovered, among other things, that Cambodians can do marvelous things with smoked seafood.

My room was more than adequate, tastefully decorated with Cambodian arts and crafts. The bathroom featured both tub and shower and was well-equipped with complimentary toiletries.

I especially appreciated the outdoor swimming pool which, at night, was dark except for the minimal lighting needed for safety. Other amenities offered at the Angkor Princess included conference rooms, a business center, a small exercise-equipment room and, up a mysterious-looking flight of stairs, an "Asian Massage Parlor."

The only material discrepancy I found between the hotel’s brochure and reality was the statement "Superbly located in the hub of the city." If Siem Reap has a "hub," it’s at least a mile’s walk from here. But that’s a minor quibble. For value and service, this is a hotel I recommend. Email them at: Princessangkor@yahoo.com

Angkor Wat, the Great Temple, encompasses a full square mile and is said to be the largest temple complex in the world. Its three spires--shaped like elongated pineapples--are seen on postcards, in TV travel films, and on travel posters the world over.

Begun in the early 1100s, my guidebook said, Angkor Wat took 37 years and the labor of some 25,000 men to complete. And, though what’s now known as Cambodia is a Buddhist country, Angkor Wat was built as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. (Hindus and Buddhists, I’m told, have long co-existed peaceably in this part of the world. Indeed, according to my guide, the 12th-century Buddhist kings wanted a place of worship for their loyal Hindu subjects.)

On first approaching Angkor Wat, I thought, "IT’S NOT AS BIG AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE." Then I realized: though I was standing on the edge of the moat surrounding it, the temple itself was still more than half-a-mile away, at the end of a long causeway. It wouldn't be until the next morning, as my guide and I walked toward it, that I would appreciate its true size.

Guide Son Bunny wisely approached Angkor Wat from the rear, east side, to take advantage of the morning sun. Even from behind, the famous triple spires were clearly recognizable. Entering the temple required ascending ramps of 20-25 degrees, without handrails but wide enough for all but the most balance-impaired. We found ourselves at the junction of two long, massive corridors, 8-10 feet wide, between the inner and outer walls. Negotiating them required climbing, or stepping over, stone steps up to 15-16" high. Fortunately, my guide had considerable experience in assisting mobility-impaired visitors, and he urged me to explore several passages I might not have attempted on my own.

Good thing! Many of them opened into the temple’s inner courtyards, where one could watch the caretakers and monks at work. And, the main corridor of the lower gallery was festooned with ancient bas-relief art, much like the temples at Luxor and the Elephant Terrace at nearby Angkor Thom. Within the temple were several small shrines where locals often come to meditate.

You’ll need to buy a pass to enter the Angkor Wat complex by car. We paid, I believe, US$20 for a two-day pass. You’ll need the better part of a morning for the main temple itself. You’ll probably want to return to your hotel for a mid-day break: it’s only a 15-25 minute drive.

Allow about three hours for an afternoon tour of Angkor Thom, Tap Rohm, and other nearby attractions. This should put you back at the west portal of Angkor Wat in time for a sunset view--but be prepared for crowds.

"Angkor Wat," my reference booklet said, "represents the high point of Khmer architecture." I’m convinced--except, possibly, for Angkor Thom.

My pre-tour briefing book translated "Angkor Thom" as "The Great City." My on-site guide preferred "Great Capital." Clearly, it was both.

Though Angkor Wat is the main attraction, Angkor Thom may have been the greater architectural achievement. Angkor Wat covers about one square mile; Angkor Thom was four times that. It was the King’s residence and administrative center and home of many of the temples and shrines his family worshipped at. Within its walls were the parade grounds where he marshalled his armies.

The base of the main palace, called "The Elephant Terrace" is defined by a 10-foot high wall, at least 100 yards long, covered with bas-relief carvings of elephants doing battle with various other creatures. The scenes represented the Royal troops repelling invaders, with the elephants as the good guys. (Buddhists often used sculptured elephants as a symbol of power and strength.) As built, my guide said, the palace was 300 meters long.

The river channel guarding Angkor Wat also defines the southern boundary of Angkor Thom, and the entry from the south is by far the most impressive. A wide stone bridge, with elegantly carved stone figures for side railings and abutments, leads to a massive stone gateway. I photographed this twice, one during a light rain and again in morning sunlight, to demonstrate how changing light can dramatically alter the mood of this place.

At certain times during the day, a small parade of elephants would march out of the south gate and across the stone bridge to be fed and rested. Here, elephants are mainly for work, not show. They help to clear land and move reconstruction materials. I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough to compose a decent photo but, though I’m not proud of it, I’ll share a hasty "grab shot" with you.

Within Angkor Thom, you’ll also encounter Bayon, ruins of a once-massive temple, and Tap Rohm, the now-ruined mansion the king ordered built for his mother. It’s a classic example of how the jungle reclaims its territory, and deserves a journal entry of its own. . .

To appreciate the challenge facing archaeologists trying to restore jungle-devastated sites, visit the ruin called Tap Rohm, in the Angkor Thom area. This was once the mansion the king had built for his mother. Now, it’s an interesting demonstration why, to paraphrase a classic advertising line, "It isn’t nice to fool with Mother Nature."

The jungle reclaims its territory in two ways:

First, it attacks gaps in and between wall and foundation stones, penetrating them with tendrils that eventually expand enough to crack them open.

Secondly, the monsoon rains soften the ground enough for storm winds to blow heavy trees down onto the structure. Both types of damage are evident at Tap Rohm: note the tree growing through the roof in one of the photos below.

There are few conveniences for tourists here, with many high steps and uneven stone blocks to negotiate. A sturdy walking stick would have helped immensely in navigating the site.

For photographers, Tap Rohm is a fascinating study in light and shadow, especially in low morning or afternoon sunlight. (The photo of the tree through the roof would have been better had I brought a camera with a lens shade!)

Tap Rohm is a somewhat out-of-the-way site and you’ll probably need a guide to find it. But because it’s largely unrestored, and such a fascinating example of man’s work vs. the jungle, I highly recommend spending at least a half-hour here. . .maybe more. You’ll also need 10 minutes or so to walk in from the parking area.

When you leave, be prepared for. . .

The Sunset Syndrome

If you thought Siem Reap was too small a city to have traffic jams, visit the west portal of Angkor Wat at sunset! The temple’s main facade looks directly into the late-afternoon sun, and it seems as though every occupant of every hotel room in Siem Reap comes here to photograph it. And, many of the local families come to picnic at the side of the moat and enjoy the spectacle as the tourists click away. . .even when the odds of the clouds going away are slim to none.

In Cambodia, even in December, wise persons do not schedule walking tours in the noonday sun, especially when they’ve arrived on a flight whose schedule forced them to rise before dawn. So, after greeting me at the airport, guide Son Bunny suggested spending a few hours at the hotel before beginning a first-day orientation tour. Since I’d have only one full day in Siem Reap, he said, this would help us set priorities.

After a quick swing through the streets of Siem Reap, we started our tour, not at Angkor Wat, but at a small temple called Wat Bo.

Wat Bo, just a short bicyle ride from the city center, is the area’s oldest still-active Buddhist temple. It’s tiny compared to the big-city temples of Thailand, but quite photogenic. No elaborate gold spires and sculptures here--just clean, flowing lines of concrete, stone and wood, accented with tastefully carved stonework and sculptured elephants. Aside from a caretaker and the occasional monk, we had the shade and quiet of the temple grounds to ourselves this weekday afternoon. I agreed with "Bunny": it was a marvelous place to begin a get-acquainted tour.

After a brief drive along the river that splits Siem Reap, and quick look at some of the more prominent hotels, we headed for Angkor Wat. Instead of entering it, though, we drove completely around it--assessing our next-morning attack, as it were. Then, we did a similar orientation drive through the massive south gate of Angkor Thom. It was raining, so we spent most of the drive planning what photographs to try for later. Despite the gentle rain, though, we took a leisurely walking tour along the huge, wall mural of The Elephant Terrace, as Bunny explained what the various engravings depicted.

This preliminary orientation tour proved to be a very effective approach to the potentially-overwhelming Angkor Wat complex. If you, too, have only a short time in Siem Reap, I urge to find a guide who can give you the kind of introduction Mr. Bunny provided for me.