I like Wat

I like to Wat.. was a phrase we heard a bit today.. one of our guides (Mr Brad Pitt) likes the word play.. Wat means temple or pagoda and we certainly liked to wat today too.

It was an early start.. 0445hrs at the front.. onto the bikes and off on the 7km ride (in the dark) for the sunrise at Angkor Wat.. we had our passes (which have to include your photo) so we were pretty much straight in and the fact that it is now the low season meant that there were relatively few people… however the weather bit not play nice so there was no sunrise… well obviously the sun CAME UP… it just didn’t do it in a particularly spectacular or attractive way. We were very lucky to have a great guide who took us all around the amazing complex and told us all about the history of the 900+ year old temple ….. Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and one of the largest religious monuments in the world, on a site measuring 162.6 hectares. Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century…. The super structure was built from local volcanic rock and then clad with stand stone mined at Kulen Mountain (which we visited yesterday) this was transported 65km down the river and then across country in what must have been an amazing feet of logistics which took some 39 years.

After several hours wandering we headed off to a café for breakfast which was quite welcome – Deb and I had a breakfast box from the hotel which was a tad bread heavy – the fare at the café would have been better… although I do have to say that the coffee was great!

Then it was bike for an approx.. 3km ride to Ankor Thom Wat – this was a smaller temple but part of a larger complex. The name means “Great City” and we visited the the centre of the city which is Jayavarman's (the King who did the building – in rather a rush apparently) state temple, “the Bayon”.
Here’s what we learned about it… it is a richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII…. Following Jayavarman's death, it was modified and augmented by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious preferences. The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and smiling stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak. The temple has two sets of bas-reliefs, which present a combination of mythological, historical, and mundane scenes. We had a great wander about before jumping back on the bikes

The next leg was 6.4km to Ta Prohm Temple – this involved ridding some narrow, off road trails through the “jungle” which was a little challenging for me – I still haven’t quite got used to the bike set up. We had a photo pause at the “gate of the Dead” and then it was on to the Temple which is apparently famous because it was used in the movie “Lara Croft Tomb Raider” built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara it was built by King Jayaraman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university in honour of his mother and his religious mentor. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm is in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. UNESCO inscribed Ta Prohm on the World Heritage List in 1992. Today, it is one of the most visited complexes in Cambodia’s Angkor region… and basically it was pretty cool.

Next it was the 13km (approx) ride back to the hotel complete with an episode of pelting down rain for the last 5 minutes. A quick clean up and then we headed out to a local massage place were we paid $10 USD each for an hour massage – delightful! And then wandered 350m down the road to “New Leaf Eatery” which is a social enterprise café. Again fantastic – I enjoyed a green mango salad and a Khmer Iced coffee – yummo, while Deb had smashed avo with tofu and a fantastic coffee.

The afternoon was spent at “This Life Cambodia” and NGO doing some amazing work with young people in the province. We heard a great presentation about the work they do – particularly the domestic violence campaign for which they won an award – this is a link to their website: http://www.thislifecambodia.org/. we also visited their vocational training workshop (braving the crazy rush hour traffic on our bikes)
Back to the hotel for a refreshing shower and “Happy Hour” before heading off to Hoem’s house for tea and a fantastic home cooked Cambodian meal. It was lovely to enjoy the food and conversation and to receive a Khmer scarf as a gift.

Returning to the hotel we headed out to “Pub Street” where we enjoyed a “fish foot spa” and then a drink (Amaretto for Deb, Italian Coffee with Amaretto for me) at the “Red Piano” rooftop bar, while enjoying watching the street life pass by. A banana crepe on the way home and now bed is once again calling as it will be an early start heading off to Battambang.Read more