Angkor Complex, more than a temple

Phillip and I arranged a two-day guided tour of Angkor prior to our visit to SE Asia. I did a bit of research before our trip, knowing that Angkor was a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our tour guide, Sotath, educated us much more on the history of the area. Angkor Wat, one temple in the complex, is the largest single religious monument in the world. The entire 390 square mile area of Angkor was the center of the Khmer empire. Recent satellite photos have shown that Angkor was the biggest pre-industrial city in the world, with roads, water management, and public works. Angkor lasted from the 9th century to the 15th century, beginning when one Khmer king defeated his rivals and declared himself the "god king" in 802 A.D. He and his heirs, some Hindu, some Buddhist, enlarged their kingdom and built these temples. Some of the temples were residences, some had other uses. About 1000 were built in the area, but the smaller ones are lost to time and the jungle. Angkor Wat was not the first temple built but is the tallest and most well-known. Built from 1113 to 1150, surrounded by a moat, Angkor Wat's walls are 1/2 mile on each side.

This king was Hindu, so the carvings in the walls reflect Vishnu, a Hindu god. Once across the moat and thru the exterior wall, it was still a hike to the temple.

Angkor Wat, and several of the other larger temples, are built with three levels. 

We climbed quite a number of stairs during our two days of touring. From the top level of Angkor Wat, we could see much of the temple and jungle.

The carvings, telling the story of the king's victories and glorifying the Hindu god Vishnu, were added after the stone was put in place. 

Another temple that we visited was Ta Prohm, built beginning in 1186. 

The jungle has taken this one over.

Ta Prohm was popularized by Angelina Jolie's "Tomb Raider" movie. Side note: According to a waitress, Angelina regularly ate at the Red Piano Restaurant on Pub Street in Siem Reap, where we ate our first night in town.

Another temple we visited had a set of stairs from the second to third level that I did not even attempt as the stairs were original, over 1000 years old, steep, and high. Phillip did climb them with a camera.

(That's me, still at the bottom of the stairs)

Another temple, the Bayon temple, built by a Buddhist king, had many towers, all four sided with Buddhas on each side.

Although weathered, the Buddhas were still recognizable.

Several temples, not just Angkor Wat, were surrounded by moats. Warriors decorated the bridge over the moat of one temple.

Sotath took us to a temple which was used as a crematory. Both high ranking and regular folks could be taken here to be cremated. Relatives would get the remaining bone fragments for memorialization. 

That temple had elephants flanking the four corners. Another note: Elephants were used to haul the stones that built the temples, carrying them from a mountain 75 km away.

Another temple was called a hospital. In the middle of a lake, the waters were thought to provide cures for the people, whatever their ailment. 

Several of the temples we visited had firehouses, inside the outer wall, but just outside the temple. They were not staffed to put out fires, but to maintain a fire that people could come for. Cooking and lighting were dependent on fire. Especially during the rainy season, people needed a reliable way to get fire if theirs went out. 

Some temples still had great detail in their carvings. This could be because of the stone used or the location of the carvings inside protected from weather. 

This one had more critter statues, although some had lost their heads.

Our final temple to visit was Banteay Srei, made of pink sandstone and nicknamed "The Lady Temple."

The pink sandstone also was more durable, so the carvings were still distinct.

At the height of the Khmer Empire, the kings who built Angkor ruled over almost all of Southeast Asia. Only what is today the Vietnamese coast to the east (then, the Cham kingdom) and to the west, the Siam kingdom, were not under Khmer rule. However, in the 14th century, the Khmer kings began losing support and power. Because of wars, they could not keep up with public works and lost land area to others. The Angkor area was abandoned by the kings over time, with Angkor Wat being the last to be deserted. Buddhist monks inhabited it for a few hundred years until they too left. Weather, the jungle, and looting by Europeans (mainly the French!) in the 1800s took its toll on the structures. In 1992, the area was named a UNESCO World Heritage site and controls were put in place to ensure no illegal digs are done, the structures are stabilized, and tourism is regulated. Angkor was an amazing place to visit. It reminded us that our Western civilization was not the only one to develop. 

Cambodian Circus, hotel pampering, and other Siem Reap activities

Phillip and I spent a great week in Siem Reap. The highlights were our two days visiting the Angkor complex, for which I have many pictures to use in the next post. This post describes other activities in town. Although I mentioned our hotel, the Khmer Mansion Residence, previously, the stay there was such a delightful experience that I wanted to add a few more pictures. 

The mango daquiris at the swim-up pool (at the far end of the picture) were probably the best tasting cocktail I've ever had. Sit for a few minutes, and the staff brings the snack. Brownies delivered to the room every evening. A smile and greeting, by name, from everyone, all the time. The best service ever, from housekeeping, breakfast dining room staff, reception, the manager. We were definitely spoiled during our stay.

We took a tuk-tuk (motorcycle taxi) only once during the week as we preferred to walk. Monday, we began walking and a tuk-tuk driver approached us. He spoke decent English and offered to drive us around town for an hour for $2. He took us to the Royal Palace where we saw the biggest bats, with bodies the size of crows, covering the trees next to the palace. We visited the Vietnamese/Cambodian War Memorial (the Vietnamese helped get rid of Pol Pot in 1979) and a religious area, I'm not sure what it was, but it had more modern version of the same five-headed serpent that we were to see at Angkor.

Monday evening, we attended a performance of Phare: The Cambodian Circus Show. Don't think Barnum and Bailey, think Cirque de Soleil, no animals. It was a character-driven theatrical show by local performers with comedy, acrobatics, and a story. Nice way to spend the evening. Our favorite character was this guy, on the "not-so-high wire" who started out as the drunk person of the show. 

Since it isn't temple-related, I've got to include this picture of a monkey at one of the Angkor parking lots. He was trying to eat the yellow measuring tape. Even though it snapped back, he kept pulling it out, studying it, then trying to chew it.

After about eight or so of the Angkor temples, and being templed-out, our guide for Tuesday and Wednesday, Sotath, took us to the Tonle Sap Lake Wednesday afternoon where we had a private boat ride on the lake to a floating village. It is dry season now, so these stilt houses are high above the road. The lake covers this road by the end of the rainy season and the houses need the stilts!

Sotath went with us on the boats, such a friendly and knowledgeable guide. We rode boat 109.

Because the lake was low and tourism is still way down from pre-Covid levels (only about 25% of tourism has returned), few floating houses were on the lake, but we did boat to one with a restaurant. In the distance is another floating house/restaurant. 

And the final picture is our boat navigating the narrow channel to return to its spot. 

Siem Reap: Wonderful Hotel and Cooking Class

Traveling out of Vietnam into Cambodia posed no issues for us. Giep ordered us a taxi and walked with us down the alley to the street, speaking to the taxi driver for us and hugging us good-bye. We had spent quite a bit of time talking with him during our stay. At the airport, just lines to join: airline counter, immigration, security screening. Our flight was less than an hour, basically up to cruising altitude then "prepare for landing." Immigration into Cambodia was not a problem as we had already obtained our visas. The visa-on-demand line was quite long, so preparation paid off. We were met just outside security again, this time by Nene, in a professional uniform with a nametag. He was a hotel employee, not a taxi driver. Within a minute of meeting Nene, I knew that I had made the correct hotel choice. Nene offered us cold water and chilled, jasmine-scented damp washcloths with which to refresh ourselves. 

Upon arrival at the hotel, we were provided with a snack of seasoned peanuts, glasses of cold water, and another jasmine-scented washcloth. The hotel supervisor provided us with hotel information, items like the wifi password. Nene took us to our room, on the second floor, overlooking the pool, with a table and chairs on its terrace. On the bed: flower petals with "Welcome Phillip and Patric" spelled out in bamboo. The hotel booking site had apparently truncated the spelling of my full name. We did get a chuckle and appreciate the staff's gesture. 

We love this hotel! Khmer Mansion Residence with a not-so-appealing address on Concrete Drain Road. And yes, there is a huge concrete drain running beside the road. That's probably why the hotel must frequently spray for mosquitos. Phillip was initially hesitant about the hotel, saying he didn't like such fawning over us. His actual wording was a bit different, as the family can imagine. His hesitancy lasted only until we got our much-needed glass of water and refreshing washcloths again after a short walk. The grounds are beautiful, and staff are all friendly and smiling. It is apparent that customer satisfaction is paramount. The pillows were too firm for us, so after our first night, I mentioned this to the front desk and we had softer pillows within the hour. Every time we sit, either at the pool or reception area, they bring us water and a snack. Peter, the desk worker this morning, just brought potato and banana chips as I type now! 

Other than walking the one kilometer to the downtown area twice a day and swimming in the hotel pool, our only activity was a cooking class yesterday. I booked a three-hour class, not private, at the Paper Tiger Restaurant on Pub Street. The Cambodian New Year celebration was last weekend, so this week is the lull week after the holiday crowds. That meant that we had a private cooking class (and it means that our hotel is not full). We enjoyed the market tour and food preparation during class. 

Phillip made spring rolls and lok lac and I prepared green mango salad and fish amok. We both had a hand in making our dessert of sautéed bananas with passionfruit sauce. 

And, of course, we ate our prepared food. We both liked the lok lac best as it reminded us of Korean bul go gi. Fish amok, the national dish of Cambodia, is fish curry. It was tasty, but we are Texas beef eaters. 

I took a few photos around town, during our day walks and evening walks. The following is the same bridge, prettier when lit up at night. 

We have three days until our Angkor Wat tour, so I expect we will find some mischief to get into or delicious restaurant to try. We stay at the hotel during the afternoon. Yesterday, walking back from the cooking class at 1 pm, the temperature was only 97 degrees, but the heat index was 117. 

Two days in Ho Chi Minh City

Before we fly to Cambodia this afternoon, I will share our past few days in Ho Chi Minh City. It has been delightful, albeit extremely hot and humid! Our hotel is very comfortable, excellent air conditioning, big shower, clean room, delicious American or Vietnamese breakfast cooked to order, and very friendly staff, especially Giep with whom we speak every morning. He's not the manager, just an employee, but he takes care of everything like a manager or owner. 

Phillip and I are awake and have our breakfast on the hotel's front patio at around 7:30 am, then we head out before it gets unbearably hot. We are still getting acclimated to the weather. On Tuesday, we walked across town, ending up at the zoo/botanical garden. The most fun part of that experience was watching all the elementary school groups who were there. We were watching one group whose teachers were trying really hard to get the, probably 6-year olds, to sit still for a picture. The teachers saw us and waved us over to join the group picture. We obliged, and apparently since we were there, the kids settled down and the picture, with us, was taken. 

The zoo itself was fairly small, but with the usual animals represented. 

Some of the enclosures were interesting, such as the one where the moneys shared the space with the porcupines.

We also noted escapees from the monkey enclosures, but the escapees do not leave the zoo, as they know where their food is!

We spent about two hours in the zoo. The botanical garden part of the title referred to the beautiful plantings throughout the zoo, not a separate area. We walked back to our hotel for the air conditioning during the afternoon. Enroute, we stopped for some type of beef stew. It wasn't thick like my beef stew but thicker than pho. It had plenty of meat, vegetables and noodles with the underlying well-seasoned liquid reminiscent of pho, but more savory. (USD equivalent for food and tea: $1.86 each)

Yesterday, we did not have a specific destination in mind, so we just walked along the river and back thru downtown before sitting in several parks. 

 We watched local fisherman with their nets as they caught fish.

Phillip and I always stop at the parks we come across. They are shady, a few degrees cooler, and it gives our feet a rest. According to my Fitbit, we walk over 20,000 steps each day, about 7 miles. Twice yesterday, at two different parks, we were approached by college students who wanted to practice their English. Two girls, business majors, spoke to us in one park and three girls, who were joined by a boy they did not know, in another park. We talked for about half an hour to the second group of students. Two of those girls were in college to be English teachers. They said that English is still a compulsory class in public schools. The third girl, and I think the boy, were business majors. We love these interactions with the locals. 

We leave our hotel for the airport soon. Giep said the airport is inefficient and crowded so he recommended we arrive three hours before our flight. Most of today will be spent on this travel part of our adventure. Next stop: Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Return to Southeast Asia

Finally! After five years, Phillip and I have returned to SE Asia. We are currently in Ho Chi Minh City, the first stop on our six-week visit which will include several weeks in Cambodia and Laos. We have four nights here to recover after our long flight from DFW Airport. 

Our route, shown on the map, will take us from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap then Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Vientiane then Luang Prabang in Laos, and back to Vietnam for stays in Hanoi and Hoi An before returning to Ho Chi Minh City to fly home on May 29. 

The flight here was tiring, over 13 hours from DFW Airport to Tokyo's Narita Airport, a weather delay at Narita, then another 6 hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City. We didn't arrive at our hotel until after midnight last night. Our hotel had a driver for us at the airport and the hotel owner/manager met us and took us directly to our room with no actual check-in to delay us. 

Our hotel, Ben Thanh Retreat Hotel, is located in what we would call an alley, but it is just a minor street here. Comfortable room, excellent vegetable omelet with fruit and French bread for breakfast, such friendly staff. 

This morning, we set off after breakfast to revisit some of the sights we toured on our previous visit. First, however, we had a delay in the alley. Staff from an elementary school were walking the students from one area to another, so they roped off the alley. Good thing because while we waited, a line of about a dozen motorcycles had to wait with us. 

We checked out the Notre Dame Cathedral. During 2018, scaffolding for renovations had obscured the building. As you can see, they haven't finished the construction. 

Next to the cathedral, we walked again thru the Saigon post office, a historic location. It was open and had not changed. The phone booths that journalists used in the 1970s were still there.

We stopped at the famous Opera House to see what was playing. Unfortunately, it is the same show we saw in 2018. A new show will start May 14, but we won't be here for it. 

We continued south to the Mekong River and walked around a bit there before stopping for smoothies (coconut for Phillip and avocado for me). They were as delicious as we remembered and cost the equivalent of $2 each for 16 ounces. In addition to the smoothies, our morning walk also brought back memories of the humidity. At one point, at about 10 am, we stopped in a park and I check the temperature. It was only 90 degrees, but the heat index was 111 degrees. And of course, the motorcycles! Everywhere motorcycles, especially on the sidewalks. When we began our walk, people were coming to work, so frequently we had motorcycles pulling and driving on the sidewalk. By the time we were returning to the hotel, a lot of them were parked... on the sidewalks. 

We knew how to cross the street, just walk at a steady pace and they will go around you. I let Phillip assess the motorcycles' approach and set the speed walking across the streets. It worked out well as we never came close to being run over even though we, even in crosswalks, frequently had motorcycles pass by with less than a foot of clearance as we walked.  

We are very happy to return to our adventures and look forward to the next six weeks!