Cambodia & Thailand Day 4
Cambodia & Thailand
DAY 4 - November 29, 2003 - Angkor Watt
We got our wake-up call at 6 AM and we had showered and dressed and were going to breakfast at 6:45. We had the traditional buffet with lots of fruits, omelet bar, sweat breads, cereals and traditional Cambodian meals.
After breakfast we stopped and checked in the internet and found out that Eduardo’s RPI team had beaten the #1 East seeded Springfield and are now going to play Ithaca College in the national quarter finals on December 5th.
By 7:15 we had not seen Robert and James as they had not received their wake-up call. They scurried around to meet the tour at 7:30. They did a great job of getting ready and we were able to leave the hotel at 7:40.
Today is Sunday, and the local people were having a peace celebration with the country of Japan who are primarily responsible for the restoration of the ruins of this area. In honor of this special day, there has a half marathon and roads were blocked and we had to go through several detours, waiting almost 30 minutes for the road to clear.
As it looked like it would be quite a while, Nang readjusted our program and we got out of our mini-bus to walk to the ancient city of Angkor Watt. This incredible city, dating from 1113 was built by Suryavarman II.
This is a huge land mass covering area of 200 hectares with a moat that is 570 feet wide (6X16 miles). We stayed there admiring the temples, the carvings, and the limestone statues for three hours.
We climbed to the top of the temple, only accessible to the kings and high priests in the early days of these Khmer people. This complex was built and motivated by their Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. As we stood in the courtyard of this temple whose towers represent Mount Meru we were so impressed by the style and architecture.
At 11:30 we met everyone at the east gate and left for Angkor Thom, a temple built in 947 by King Hasavarman I who dedicated it to his father. Then Jayavarman VII, who continued building the Ta Prohm Temple that was dedicated to his mother.
This is the temple used in the filming of Lora Croft - Tomb Raider. It is now in ruins, losing the battle against time and the jungle. Huge Banyan trees, whose trunks and roots are splitting the rocks and crumbling the structures.
After a lot of photo opportunities, we walked back through the village and at 12:30 we headed back to the hotel. We had 15 minutes before we went into the dining room for our family style lunch while Nang confirms our flight back to Bangkok tomorrow evening.
For lunch today we were served Sweet & Sour Duck Soup, Rice, Fried Vegetable (cooked in a wok), Seafood and Fried Green Tomatoes, Pork and Vegetables with Mint and finely chopped fruit salad.
It is interesting to note how warm and friendly the Cambodian people are. If we smile, they will smile back. There seems to be a joy to life here. They are very enthusiastic about tourists and what we bring to their country.
They allow us to photograph them without financial compensation. If we show them the minimal interest they reciprocate with smile and hellos. It is so nice to walk among them and nod and they smile and nod back.
At 2:45 we got back on the bus and drove to Bayon Temple which was built at the end of the 12th century. It is a massive structure, famous for its four sided Buddha. At the nearby Terrace of the Leper King, equally intricate wall carvings depict rank after rank of court attendants to mystical rulers.
These huge walls with bass-reliefs carved onto the sandstone depict daily life. We made a brief stop at Baphoun and the Elephants Terrace, where amazing bas-reliefs depict the huge beasts almost life-size. At the nearby Terrace of the Leper King, equally intricate wall carvings depict rank after rank of court attendants to mystical rulers.
At 4:30 we got back onto the bus and drove the short distance back to Angkor Watt where we spent about an hour awaiting the sunset to take pictures of the temple in the setting sunlight. At dusk we were 8 of thousands of visitors getting back into our vehicles and on our way to the hotel.
The shower felt great after a day of vigorous hiking in the hot sun. We agreed to meet for dinner at 6:45 and we were one of the first to enter the dining room. Dinner was the traditional Cambodian meal of soup, vegetables, meat, and fish.
I think our whole group is tired tonight. We did a lot of walking, the sun was strong, and with the exception of the Bayon, it was pleasant and not too hot.
We did more walking today than any day in the Peru trip. Great exercise and we will sleep well tonight. It will be an 8:30 departure.
Accommodations: Angkor Hotel
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