Bayon and Surrounding Area

After we paid a long tribute to Angkor Wat, we entered Angkor Thom through South Gate. "Thom" in Khmer term means "large". So, Angkor Thom mean Large City. We visited  Bayon in the middle of Angkor Thom. Bayon, or Prasat Bayon consists of 54 towers with more than 200 giant faces carved on each side of the towers.

Bayon is the second largest temple in Angkor Archaeology Park. Again, the temple has three levels, with the entrance terrace flanked by two ponds, one on each side of the terrace. During our visit, the pond was not so obvious with very less water. The center prasat is 43 m above ground level (about the height for 14 storeys building). For two and a half hours at Angkor Wat, Bayon took us around an hour.

Photo at the front terrace at Bayon (left). The terrace elevated few feet from the ground, connected by stairs.

A closer look on Boyon revealed giant faces on the towers. Photo taken from the broken wall of first gallery.

We grab opportunity to get loose our tiring feet while our tour guide is pressing us on the history lesson.

Doorway to the first level of Bayon (left). The first level of the temple lead to the enclosure of second level of the temple. The enclosure of second level of the temple is more "open" in the sense that contains more passages.

Staircase to the second level of Bayon, after we enter the second level enclosure.

On the second level, we can see the giant faces clearly. The king Jayavarman VII proclaimed himself the incarnation of "Bodhisattva Lokeshvara", and the giant faces are claimed to be "Bodhisattva Lokeshvara". So, we guess, the faces at Bayon are faces of the king, Jayavarman IIV.

Faces of the king from second level of Bayon.

A closer look on the faces.

Prasat Suor Prat is a series of twelve separated towers, connected by a terrace. The edifices are believed serve entertainment purposes, by pointing to its modern name- Towers of the Rope Dancers. However, official from China, Zhou Daguan depicted the towers as a place to keep the litigants. No matter what the actual usage were, the bright laterite towers built by Indravarman II (around first half of the 13th century) were eyes catchers in the middle of the green and stony surrounding.

Khleang, just behind Prasat Suor Prat, is believe to be the store house in old days. Some controversially claim that the twin edifices might be the residences for the very important guests. Khleang was built 200 years earlier than Prasat Suor Prat.

Prasat Suor Prat from the roadside.

Photo of Khleang and Prasat Suor Prat.

We didn’t take a very close look on both of the edifices, but just “touch and go” on our way from Bayon to Sras Srang. We took our lunch at Sras Srang. Carried the exhaustion from the previous day, we decided to go back early for a rest. We reached our hotel around 3 pm, took rest and prepared ourselves for the great marathon on the next day, which started with Phnom Bakheng and Baphuon.

[Siem Reap- Tonle Sap, Silk Farm and Apsara Dance] [Angkor Wat]

[Bayon and Surrounding Area] [Phnom Bakheng and Baphuon]

[Preah Khan and Ta Prohm] [Shopping and Food in Siem Reap]
[All Our Destinations]

Angkor Wat

Second day in Siem Reap, we visited two main temples- Angkor Wat and Bayon in Angkor Archaeological Park.

We departed from our hotel at 5:30 am (don't forget that it's 6:30 am in Malaysia) to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. We hired a Mandarin speaking tour guide (USD 30 per day) and a minibus (USD 35 per day). We got our 3 days passes (USD 40) on the way to the wat. We thought we were some of the earliest. We were wrong. We were greeted by a large crowd on the first enclosure of Angkor Wat.

The counters open early, prepare for the chasers of sunrise. The photo of the ticket holder is taken and printed on the ticket. So, the switching or borrowing the ticket is not possible. The ticket is checked mostly at the entrance of the temple. However, the wardens of the temples (we named them guardian of Angkor) might check on you anytime, any place in the temple. So, be sure that you keep your ticket safe in your pocket during the tour. 

The entrance to the grand Angkor Wat. Angkor carries the meaning "city". So, Angkor Wat is Temple of the City". Photo taken at around 6 am, from the cruciform terrace connecting the wat.

The sunrise worshipers are crowding the courtyard of the first level of Angkor Wat. The wat has three levels, each level enclosed by a rectangular gallery.

Great scene of Angkor Wat for early birds.

50,000 workers, 30 years of building, surrounded by 6.5 km moat, crowned by 5 huge towers, with 213 feet above the ground (at a height of 21 storeys building), and hold as much stone as great pyramid of Kufu, the great Angkor Wat is really a hallmark of Khmer Empire. It was built by Suryavarman II from 1113 to 1150 A.D., as a dedication to Vishnu.

Angkor Wat faces west in contrast with the ritual precepts of Hindu and Khmer architecture, which is east. The explanation linked to Vishnu, who is connected to the western quarter of the universe in Hinduism. The temple was built with the moat alludes the primeval sea while the towers, Mount Meru in Hinduism cosmology.

The wat is built in a rectangular area of 1.5 km x 1.3 km, and the moat surrounding is 200 m wide. It is believed that more than 20,000 people had once lived within the moat during the era of Khmer Empire. After the Khmer Empire embraced Buddhism, Angkor Wat become a Buddism monastery.

Local workers are cleaning the moat of Angkor Wat. Terrace-steps that descend into the water surrounding the moat. The terrace-steps are there since the era of Khmer Empire.

Guardian lion is situated at the cruciform terrace of the western passageway. The 250 m long passageway offers the access to Angkor Wat without a swim, or any mean by water.

Guardian Naga (cobra with many heads) at the side of the first gallery (left). The serpent with 5 or 7 heads is incorporated the Indian motif with the local ancestral figure of the dragon of the waters. The gopura of the first gallery, bringing the visitors into the first level of Angkor Wat. Gopura is the monumental tower at the entrance of a temple.

We stayed to enjoy the moment of sunrise until 7:30 am, left the wat temporary for breakfast, and then came back for the second visit at 8:30 am. Upon the entrance of the first level, we took another 250 m walk, passed by two libraries and two ponds before reaching the stairs that lead us to the second level of Angkor Wat.

Photo shows the first level of Angkor Wat. Between the gopura and second level of the wat are two libraries and two ponds, each at a side of the walkway. The pond is the place that we can capture nice reflection during sunrise. Far behind the gopura is the passageway and the moat (not shown in this photo).

A few steps up, we reached the second level of Angkor Wat, with a broadway flanked by two libraries on each side. The passage was built in cruciform. After the passage, stairs again. Then the majestic third level of Angkor Wat revealed. We took an extremely steep stairs to the top level of Angkor Wat. The staircase needs real bravery to cope with, and it's 100% not suitable for acrophobians.

Angkor Wat from the left library of the second level of Angkor Wat (left). Enlarged photo of Betty and our family members (from right: Bryant, Yuk Yieng, Livien, and Mee Ping), at the entrance connecting the passage to the library.

Our photo together with our Mandarin speaking tour guide at second level of Angkor Wat. This photo is a little bit under exposure for the cloudy weather.

A near 85 degree staircase represents the hardship of getting into the heaven in the ancient time. But now, it represents the determination of getting nice view on the top of the temple.

The majestic crowns of Angkor Wat.

Nice view over the landscape of Angkor, from the top of the third level of Angkor Wat.

It is hard to imagine such a great structure was hidden from the outside world for hundreds of years. Even harder to imagine how can a strong empire with such monument fall and dissolved.

One thing that you should not miss in your way of touring around the temples in Angkor Archaeology Park- the sculptures and the bas-reliefs. If we look closely on the sculptures on the wall, especially those represent apsara, each of them has different pose or object carried. In another word, every sculpture of apsara is unique. Bas-reliefs at Angkor Wat measured an amazing length of 800 meters, with very detailed sculpture, with eight different stories. Some of the bas-reliefs showing the stories from epic of Ramayana.

The sculptures of apsara, with around 1500 in total. The sculptures were carved after the building was done. From there, we can see how skillful the workers were during the time when the temple was built.

Bas-reliefs are the focus of many tourists. Each part of the bas-reliefs tells different stories. Photos in the middle and the right shows the Battle of Kurukshetra

Bas-relief showing the Judgement of the dead, where the dead are cuffed and guarded by devil to face the judgement.

Angkor Wat is a must see in Siem Reap. It is listed as world heritage site by UNESCO. As the tour around the wat might take two to three hours (for us, two and a half), bringing sufficient water is necessary. Apply mosquito repellent might be a good idea as well. In case you need to take your breakfast before you start your climbing to the higher levels of Angkor Wat, the stalls just opposite the wat are good choices, for the nice food, cheap price, and need not to go far from the site.

By the way, you might need some training on you feet before you are off to Siem Reap. Stamina determines how far we can go after visiting Angkor Wat.

We continue to visit Bayon in Angkor Thom after Angkor Wat.

[Siem Reap- Tonle Sap, Silk Farm and Apsara Dance] [Angkor Wat]

[Bayon and Surrounding Area] [Phnom Bakheng and Baphuon]

[Preah Khan and Ta Prohm] [Shopping and Food in Siem Reap]
[All Our Destinations]

Siem Reap- Tonle Sap, Silk Farm and Apsara Dance

Angkor is a world heritage. December 2010, we spent 5 days in Siem Reap, Cambodia, barely enough to take a glance over a few of the many ancient archaeological sites, all with great names begin with “Preah”, “Wat”, “Phnom”, and “Ta”. All of them are edifices from the ancient civilization, bearing the glory and wisdom from the past. Siem Reap means "Siamist defeated", marked the venue of where the incident occurred long time ago.

The mighty gate of Angkor Thom built hundreds of years ago.

A brief itinerary of our tour- from Kuala Lumpur, we took 6:45 am flight to Siem Reap. We reached there at 8:40 am Malaysian time, 7:40 am at local Siem Reap. That’s early. Burdened with tiredness, we chose a loose schedule. We visited Tonle Sap (lake), the silk farm, and buffet dinner with cultural dance (Apsara was one of the them) for the first day.

Second day, we departed early, around 5:30 am to Angkor Wat to catch the sunrise at the temple. Then, we visited Bayon, lunched beside Sras Srang, and went back to the hotel in exhaustion. We tried our best to go extra miles, but the first day trip had tolled our energy more than what we had expected.

Third day, rejuvenated by a long overnight sleep, we started our marathon at 9 am. The first stop, Phnom Bakheng. Then, we entered Angkor Thom through South Gate. Within Angkor Thom, we visited Elephant Terrace, Baphuon, Terrace of the Leper King, The Royal Palace, and took a glance on Prasat Suor Prat and Khleang. We went north for Preah Khan, and then, east for Ta Keo and Ta Prohm. We took our late lunch at the restaurant beside Sras Srang before our move to Ta Prohm. Late evening, we cruised through the night market and Pub Streets in Siem Reap.

Heavily scheduled third day was followed by relaxing fourth. We started our hunting for souvenirs at Central Market, around 9:30 am. Then, we enjoyed a relaxing lunch full with coconuts and local delicacies. A tour around Siem Reap town by foot was not laboring at all. A walk along National Road from Central Market to Lucky Mall took us 10 minutes, while from Lucky Mall to Royal Park just took us another ten.

Last day, we cannot do much as our flight depart early at 8:35 am, Siem Reap time. If you have the chance to visit Siem Reap, make sure that you prepare extra USD 25 per person for the service fee at the airport. We have to clear the fee before we can proceed to the departure hall. The fee is not included in airport tax.

Floating village of Tonle Sap. Boats are the sole transports that connect the villagers with the mainland.

Tonle Sap, the largest fresh water lake in SEA, is a major source of food and water to the people living at surrounding area for more than a thousand years. From Siem Reap to the jetty of Siem Reap River, 20 minutes. From there, we took a boat trip. We were lucky as our driver recommended us a simple and cheap trip, for USD 15 per person. Some of the trips have add-ons, such as watching sunset, buffet dinner, free flow of drinks, so on and so forth that end up with USD 35 per person.

The boat trip down the river to floating village at Chong Khneas for 2 solid hours offers great experience like no other places. We could felt the greatness of Tonle Sap with borderless water, blended with swamp, large patches of lotus, and the best part of it, picturesque floating village. The floating village promises unique experience to all new visitors. That was the first time for us to see a village that really floats on water, with houses, schools, restaurants, shops etc. The whole village touches no ground but water, and the nearest road connection, few kilometers away.

Motor boats are used to bring tourists from the jetty to the floating village (left). Our photo on Siem Reap River, with several other boats going in opposite direction.

Lotus field and swampy forest can be seen along the way.

Family photo on a platform of a floating shop at Tonle Sap.

Floating village of Chong Khneas is a simple community. We can see village school (upper left), fish processing workshop (upper right), police station (on tow, lower right), and grocery shop (lower left). There are some souvenir shops and dinning restaurants for tourists too (not shown in photo).

The floating village of Chong Khneas is built along the estuary of Siem Reap River into Tonle Sap. Village folks simply row anything than can float (upper and lower right). Can you imagine how a crocodile farm look like on a floating village? Take a look at Chong Khneas and you will know (lower left).

According to our tour guide, money is not crucial for many of the residents of the lake. They live by their catch. For the rice, they barter. We really feel that they are a part of the ecosystem, and with them, the balance persists. Tourism brought development to their place, but the fortune just stroke a few of the riches and famous. International societies start building schools and educate the locals, with the hope that education eliminates poverty.

Another scene on floating village.

The Artisan Silk Farm was not as fascinating as the floating village of Tonle Sap. We decided to visit the farm in the middle of exhaustion, barely because we had around 2 hours to spare before we could check in to our hotel (we came back from Tonle Sap at 1 pm, while the check in time was 3 pm). According to LS's parents, the silk farm is considered small if we compare it with those in China. Anyway, we were glad to hear that the farm takes social responsibility to train the locals to produce silk in their own village with traditional equipments.

Our photos with silk worms in different stages of life- larvae (right) and pupa (right).

The training center of Artisan Silk Farm.

The silk farm is nicely landscaped. After the visit, we were invited to visit their gallery of work, with very high quality of hand made silk products displayed, with fair price.

According to a local, fake silk is everywhere in Cambodia. A reputable dealer and reasonable pricing guarantee the quality. Mom bought a really nice silk purse with USD 25.

At night, arranged by our tour guide, we took our buffet dinner at Mondial Restaurant complemented with traditional dances, including the Apsara Dance. Apsara or bidadari is a name to beautiful, youthful and elegant ladies, or in English, celestial nymph. Apsara Dance was presented only to the king during the age of Khmer Empire. But, now, it is a heritage for everyone.

Apsara Dance is graceful, as in slow motion, and most of the time, the dancer stands with one leg, with the another, bends to the back. The dance is accompanied with live unplugged traditional musics.

The dancer is nicely dressed. In fact, we took a lot of photos during that night. But, unfamiliar to the system for new digital camera, we lost most of the photos of the night during the transfer of data to laptop (luckily not all the Siem Reap photos).

Besides Apsara Dance, other folk dances and ethnics dances were performed as well. The buffet starts at 6:30 pm while the performance starts at 7:30 pm and lasts for an hour. The buffet dinner at Mondial costed us USD 12 per person.

We reached our hotel around 10 pm. Our trip continued early the next morning to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat.

[Siem Reap- Tonle Sap, Silk Farm and Apsara Dance] [Angkor Wat]
[Bayon and Surrounding Area] [Phnom Bakheng and Baphuon]
[Preah Khan and Ta Prohm] [Shopping and Food in Siem Reap]
[All Our Destinations]