Angkor Adventure - Day 1

12th September, 2008 - Today, we begin our 3-day journey into the temples ! So, a hearty breakfast is a must ! Toast with peanut butter and ginger tea with honey was the selection for my first meal ... the toasted bread was a little too thick and all of us had difficulty digesting them !

Our first adventure of the day started with a half-hour van journey to the Angkor Thom admission gate where our photos were taken and a 3-day pass produced on the spot for USD40 each. Locals get to go in free one leh. Just the opposite huh? In Malaysia, foreigners pay less than locals in certain tourist areas. Hmm ... thought the Cambodian way is much better, at least the locals get to learn and study their own culture and heritage ! Foreigners wouldn't mind paying, after all their purpose of visiting a country is to sight-visit as much as they can right?

In the heart of Angkor Thom lies the beautiful Bayon which post-dated Angkor Wat by about 100 years. What transfixes me are the vast stone heads which gaze from all directions ... interesting how these huge stones were painstakingly sculptured and stacked to its unique forms ... wow !

Intricate unique carvings were aplenty. Looking at some of the bas-reliefs carved throughout Angkor, we saw images of Apsaras. The Apsara dancer is one of Cambodia's enduring cultural symbols. Many young girls receive training in classical Khmer dance; similarly, boys learn to be masked pantomimes and acrobats. Apsara is a dance performed to welcome the Thai gods into a temple. The Apsara is performed for religious reasons, honoring the Apsara, female divinities of the Khmer civilization. Many different school programs are aimed at teaching young girls the Apsara. This is especially true at orphanages, since learning the Apsara offers these poor children the chance to have a profitable career. Because of the many years of political instability in Cambodia, there are many of these orphans, and caring for them has become a worldwide cause. However, the Apsara offers them a chance at a future using traditional Cambodian culture.

Often, steep climbs await us at most of the temples ... just like this particular one, though not as many steps as those found in Batu Caves, it's the narrow steps that made tourists like myself cringe and had to cautiously take one step at a time without looking down ! Ha ha ... talking about phobia of height here ... making it to the top was easy but coming down was a totally different story. I had to hold on tight to the railings as I slowly inch my suddenly-seem-so-heavy body down. Kind of made me recount those similar experience I had during my climb up the Pinnacles in Mulu Caves during my early 20s ... In this case, I was glad to have my travel-mates as company for encouraging me on as I see them doing the climbs with confidence. Phew!

Next, we moved on to The Elephant Terrace and Terrace of the Leper King. They were the long platfrom which the Royal Palace was built. From this magnificent viewpoint, the Angkorian kings watched military exercises and celebrations.

Our next stop : Ta Prohm ... Ta Prohm recreates the experience of the early explorers who re-discovered Angkor. Its structure subsumed by trees, making it very photogenic. In its prime, Ta Prohm boasted a fabulous wealth of precious stones and gold and controlled the activities of thousands of villages. It was constructed during Jayavarman VII's time and was dedicated to his mother. Hey, even Tomb Raider, starring the beautiful and famous Angelina Jolie was filmed here !!!

Children peddling in very sweet voices looking for some money in exchange for Cambodian post cards, books, scarfs, flutes or other handicraft items were seen all around our temple vists. Some asked for candies. The sweet young girls especially, melt my heart. Remembering I had some Toblerone chocolates with me, I opened up my container of toblerones and she happily chose 1 and looked up at me with a very grateful look ! My heart went : wow! she is so so sweet and well-mannered. My kids would have taken at least 3 candies ... but not this girl. Hmm ... food for thought.

I chanced upon another cute girl trying to sell me a pack of 10 postcards for USD1, and I offered her the same goody, immediately felt right at home and made me want to hug her ... alas, took this photo with her on my lap. Ain't she cute?

Anyone of you going on a trip to Cambodia next, remember to bring candies to give away! And do bring other goodies like milk powder, diapers, bath soaps, toothbrushes, toothpastes, etc. The kids need these !!!

When I reflect back on the kind of lifestyle we have back home, really felt so so blessed. I simply cannot imagine my kids peddling away like this, day in day out, on bare foot !!!

At Prasat Kravan, the small tower has 3 sanctuaries with unique brick bas-reliefs. Carvings on the southern wall represent Visnu with his right foot resting on a lotus flower held by his wife, Laksmi, the Goddess of Beauty born from the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. Our tour guide, Tek, related a very interesting story on this which can be found on http://www.sanatansociety.org/indian_epics_and_stories/the_churning_of_the_ocean.htm

After an exhausting day, we were glad to relax and chill out at the Koulen Restaurant for buffet dinner complete with an hour of live performance in the fom of some Cambodian cultural show including the Apsara dance.