Siem Reap, Cambodia
Coffee, croissants, and cake are available when we wake up for our 5:15a.m. departure. As part of a convoy of three mini vans, surrounded by various other busses, tourists in tuk-tuks, on bicycles and motor bikes, we are transported in the dark to the east entrance of the temple complex Angkor Wat to wait for and enjoy the sunrise.
Most people are crowded around one of the pools to get the reflection of the iconic temple towers in the water, the same pool in which Angelina Jolie paddled around in a scene of the movie Tomb Raider. Closer to the actual sunrise, percussion music, akin to gamelan music from Indonesia, floats around the temple grounds. This soothing music is performed by a small orchestra of orphans, who live in the adjacent Buddhist temple.
Smart monkeys are waiting for the foreign tourists, who are trying to eat their breakfast. No chance to eat as the monkeys will charge forth and get what they want. Our attention is now completely focussed on the magnificent sacred architectural structure in front of us. Slowly climbing the steps of the central structure, we enter one of the corners and are immediately surrounded by the fine bas-relief carvings of the Hindu story of the Ramayana. In a dense composition monkeys are fighting and biting the demon army of Ravana. We move through the galleries past more scenes of fighting, but now it is a scene from the Mahabharata, the longest Hindu epic of over 74,000 verses.
We turn around the corner and then explore scenes from the court of the 12th century King Suryavarman II, the builder of Angkor Wat. For the first time, we meet a Khmer king face to face. Seated on a dais, he is surrounded by his courtiers. We see his disciplined armies with a chatty Thai vanguard, dressed in tasseled skirts. Three hundred years later they would attack and loot the Khmer city.
Climbing to the second level of the temple mountain, we now can see the central towers, which draw us closer and closer until we stand at the foot of Mt. Meru, home of the gods. We have a chance to climb it and come closer to the inner sanctum of the central tower, where once a statue of the Hindu god Vishnu was located.
Before we leave this incredible monument, built at the height of Khmer civilization, we explore sections of the 160-foot-long wall depicting the Churning of the Sea of Milk, a Hindu creation story in which gods and demons work together to make the elixir of life.
Having left the hotel early, we are ready for a late breakfast or brunch at the hotel and perhaps some down-time relaxing at the beautiful pool.
In the afternoon, we visit the various workshops at the Artisans d’Angkor, where we can see lacquer painting, painting on silk, stone, and woodcarvings. This workshop was originally founded in 1998-2001 with the goal of reviving some of the traditional crafts and providing rural youth with professional training. It has become a resounding success, employing more than 1000 people and standing as a model of sustainability.
Bantey Srei, the 10th century pink sandstone Hindu temple, is a 45-minute drive from Siem Reap. It is also known as “The Citadel of Women” because of its beautiful apsara carvings in high relief. This relatively small temple is a gem, discovered only in the early 20th century. The late afternoon light does justice to the beautiful colour of the stone; it is the pink temple. While the trip is not over yet, we do celebrate our journey and exploration along the Mekong and to the Temples of Angkor, with a final dinner together at the stunning Hotel de la Paix.
