Angkor Wat National Museum
June 27, 2012,
totaltravel.yahoo.com
By (AAP)
There's one thing very difficult to
find around Cambodia's Angkor Wat - solitude. The world's largest
religious site attracts around 1.6 million visitors a year.
The
symbol of Cambodia, Angkor Wat appears on the national flag and currency
- even a beer - and is the nation's top tourism destination. It is
sometimes known as the Eighth Wonder of the World. (Angkor means
`capital' and Wat means `temple'.)
Lines of mostly Chinese, Korean
and Thai tourists - and an increasing number of Australians and New
Zealanders - swarm over the amazing 1000-year-old site and the 100 or so
other temples spread across many sq km.
It is the heartland of
the ancient Khmer empire which reigned from the ninth to 13th centuries.
Abandoned in the 16th century, the Angkor temples were buried in thick
jungle until the 1800s when their heritage - and tourist - value was
recognised. More recently the area was surrounded by landmines from the
infamous Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s. (Signs warn visitors not to
wander off established roads and tracks.)
The story of the Angkor
temples is really the story of a long-running battle between Thai
invaders and the local Khmer people, and a complex mingling of Hindu and
Buddhist religions. In fact, in the Khmer language 'Siem Reap' means
'Siam defeated'. The Thais were finally driven out in the 16th century.
The
temple ruins are the rich and remarkable remnants of successive
Angkorian capitals which stood for half a millennium and reflected the
pinnacle of ancient Khmer architecture, art and civilisation. They are
the products not only of kingly egos keen to leave their heritage but a
tribute to the tens of thousands of skilled workers who cut and dragged
many thousands of tonnes of sandstone from afar and carved the stories
and images into them.
If you take a guided tour, you'll soon be
reeling under the weight of unpronounceable kingly names. Unless you are
a student of the period, best to let names and dates wash over you and,
instead, admire the stone artwork and the stories it tells.
Since
the temples are spread over a large area - often kilometres apart and
too far for most to make foot travel a good option - you'll need
transport. You can't see all the temples. So, choose the ones you really
must see and plan your visit. You can ride a bicycle, an elephant or
the popular tuk-tuk, a motorcycle with a two-seater trailer attached.
The
one sq km temple of Angkor Wat is, of course, what most people want to
see. It is visually breathtaking. An enormous, three-tiered pyramid is
crowned by five lotus-like towers. It is especially popular at dawn when
hundreds gather around the lily pond, cameras at the ready, to watch
the rising sun play light games with the temple.
Built between
1113 and 1150, Angkor Wat is a massive marvel of carved stone blackened
with lichen and age. Its colonnaded lower gallery is carved with
extensive bas-reliefs showing stories and characters from Hindu
mythology, as well as the wars of King Suryavarman. Beyond are steep
stairs leading to elaborate towers and flanking rooms which served as
libraries.
The other must-see temple is Banyon. This temple is an
archaeological wonder of symmetry and grandeur, 500 metres from Angkor
Wat. Its giant, moss-covered stone faces on each of its 37 towers have
become the most-recognised images of the temples.
Angkor Thom is a
3km walled and moated royal city. It is notable for being one of the
best of Angkor's temples and for its five gates, each crowned with four
giant faces.
One of my favourite temples, however, is Ta Prohm
because of the way it has been overgrown by surrounding jungle, only
some of which has been cleared. It has deliberately been left untouched,
except for the clearing of pathways.
You get a real feel for what
other temples must have been like before they were partly restored.
Massive fig and silk-cotton trees have enveloped the temple. Root
systems grow from towers and corridors. Fallen pillars and piles of huge
sandstone blocks litter the temple grounds. (Scenes from the Angelina
Jolie movie Tomb Raider were shot here.)
It is virtually standing
with the help of massive jungle growth, its sandstone structure locked
in the muscular embrace of giant vines. Attempts to remove anything
would probably mean Ta Prohm would crumble.
Best time to visit the
temples, masses of tourists notwithstanding, is in the cool, dry season
from November to March. However, many like to visit in the wet season
when vegetation is green, moats and pools are full and the wet temple
stone looks spectacular.
Wear practical shoes for climbing narrow,
and sometimes quite steep, steps and walking on uneven surfaces. Our
guide always had a hand available to help us.
For serious temple exploring, take a torch. And a compass can be handy in some of the less-visited temples.
Cambodia's
nearby great lake, Tonle Sap, is worth a half day visit to one of the
richest sources of freshwater fish in the world.
Head for Kampong
Khleang, one of a number of fishing villages around the lake for a
unique insight into a lakeside fishing community. The village comprises a
forest of stilted houses built 10 metres above ground to escape the
lake when it rises in the wet season. We're taken by boat out onto the
lake to see a floating community where everything needed for a
waterborne life - including farm animals - floats.
The town of
Siem Reap is 5km from Angkor Wat. With its French-style buildings from
colonial days, it is a mix of ancient and modern. The present-day
Cambodian capital Phnom Penh is a further 314km to the south.
Angkor
National Museum in Siem Reap is also well worth a visit, especially
before you make it to the temple sites. In eight chronologically ordered
galleries, the museum presents Angkorian history and culture.
In
the evening take in a performance of Apsara traditional dancing at one
of several venues around Siem Reap. The Apsaras are legendary characters
from the Khmer Ramayana.
You'll want to eat out. The Red Piano is
a good place in the market to eat and to people-watch from the first
floor. Angelina Jolie is said to have favoured this restaurant and you
can enjoy a 'Tomb Raider' cocktail.
For fine dining, Viroth's on
Wat Bo Road is a great place. Enjoy Khmer cuisine in a stylish terrace
garden setting. The Foreign Correspondents Club, sister restaurant to
the famed Phnom Penh restaurant of the same name, serves good food. (We
went back a second time.)
For a snack and good coffee The Blue Pumpkin cafes are good value.
The
Old Market can be a sensory assault with a wonderful array of brightly
coloured silk and woven wares, silver-plated jewellery, art and
handicrafts and cheap clothing as well as boot-legged DVDs. Its most
famous street is called Pub Street, for obvious reasons.
Packed end-to-end with restaurants, pubs, boutiques and shops, it is the drinking, dining and nightlife centre of town.
The Night Market (4pm to midnight) is much less interesting but does have more contemporary goods.
IF YOU GO:
Helen
Wong's Tours has a 13-day tour departing Siem Reap with accommodation
for 12 nights in 3-4-star hotels, daily breakfast, 11 lunches and 8
dinners. Sightseeing and entry fees. English-speaking guide starting at
AUD$2869. More information: www.helenwongstours.com
You'll need to
buy a pass for the park. They are sold in one-day ($US20), three-day
($US40) and seven-day ($US60) tickets. Three days are needed to
comfortably see the most famous temples.
Although the Riel is the country's currency, the US dollar is widely accepted.
A two-person motorcycle trailer, a tuk-tuk, can be had for around $US15 a day. (A guide will cost another $US25 a day.)
For
an aerial view of Angkor Wat, you can take a 200-metre high ride in a
tethered hot air balloon, about 500 metres from the temple.
- The writer was a guest of Helen Wong's Tours
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