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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.
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.
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 I 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!
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.
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.
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. 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.
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 also no commercial malls, so 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.
By Melissa L. Salvador
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