Rena and Wade Around the World

Our first Round the World trip from Jan 2006 - July 2006.

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Location: Regina/Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

The adventures of living and working abroad. From Cayman to Europe, a break year and side adventure travels, this is our story.

Friday, April 14, 2006

Cambodia

After hearing the horrible stories of overland travel into Cambodia, we opted to fly. Although, I would have to say that flying Vietnam Airlines has on all 3 occasions that we used them, been a tad bit frightening. On the one flight the luggage door flew open and a stewardess ran up the aisle to prevent people from getting hurt. On our last flight the landing was so shaky that Wade and I were concerned the plane was going to skid off the runway on its side. Everyone on the plane was holding on for dear life and there was a huge sigh of relief when everything had come to a stop. I think we will be sticking to One World Alliance partners from now on.

We only spent 4 days in Cambodia and specifically Siem Reap. The main attraction in Siem Reap is to visit the Angkor group of temples and in particular the most famous one - Angkor Wat. Nothing can prepare you for the grandeur of these temples. There are hundreds of them throughout the countryside with a large amount of them grouped around Siem Reap. We purchased a 3 day pass and couldn’t visit all of them and so had to pick and choose where we wanted to go. Here is a picture of part of Angkor Wat.

Most of the temples were built in the 12th or 13th century….each King adding to previous temples and usually building some of his own as well. Angkor Wat in itself is almost 200 hectares and is the largest religious monument in the world. Some of the temples have a Buddhist theme to them, while others are Hindu. The theme depends on the whim of the King who built them and of course the religious environment at the time of construction. Here is a look further back at Angkor Wat to give you a perspective of its size.

And here is a close up of Angkor Wat so that you can appreciate some of its detail. However, the most impressive details lay within the Wat itself. There are massive bas reliefs covering the walls of the temples inside. Not an inch of the temples are without detailed carvings. Some depict everyday life, others provide a historical record of the battles that took place and others yet tell of heaven and hell and myths of the people. Hard to believe that people could build this without modern equipment.

Here is a look at one of the bas reliefs in the Bayon temple. There are rectangular pieces cut out of the walls in the Angkor Wat temple and experts think that jewels or other precious items may have been part of the wall but have since been removed by thieves.


Here is a look at one of the pinnacles of the Bayon temple, which is quite different from Angkor Wat. Buddha faces are embedded within the pinnacles throughout the temple. Although impressive in its own right, it does not contain the detail that exists in some of the other temples mainly due to the fact that its King was in a hurry to erect many temples and in doing so had to sacrifice the details.

This is a look at the Preah Khan temple. This one and the Ta Prohm temple have not been cleared of trees and foliage like the other temples. One reason is to allow visitors to see how the jungle has claimed these temples and what they looked like before restoration. Another reason is that these two temples have been so overtaken by trees that to remove them now would result in the temples collapsing, as they have come to rely on the support of the trees. At any rate, it makes for a very cool experience. If it wasn’t for the throngs of tourists you would think you were an archaeologist on a great find! It’s easy to lose track of time exploring the many nooks and crannies of these temples and only the oppressive 40 degree celsius heat snaps you back to reality.

Here is a picture of some Cambodian children in the Preah Khan temple. It was the strangest experience. I had lagged behind Wade and just at that point there were no other tourists in this section of the temple. The next thing I knew I was hearing the whisperings of children and when I looked I could see them darting in and about the pillars. Soon after the little boy appeared very close to me and held out a bunch of flowers…I believe they were Jasmine. It was like the scene out of Tombraider. Of course the children posed perfectly for a picture which they invited me to take. When they asked for a US $1 each, I was reminded that I was not in Tombraider and rather a tourist trap. But how could I begrudge these perfect little capitalists their US $1? I’d say someone showed them Tombraider and they studied it well because they flawlessly imitated the little girl that appears to Angelina Jolie.

Ta Prohm was used to film Tombraider and our driver told us that he thinks the filmmakers paid around $50,000 US a day for the privilege. Unfortunately for us we did not get to see Angelina Jolie or better yet Brad Pitt, but at least the temple was open for us to explore.






So much work is being done on these temples by various European organizations in conjunction with the Cambodian government in order to preserve as much as possible. Even so, some of the temples are severely collapsed. This one is in relatively good shape in comparison to some of the others. Imagine trying to fit all of these blocks back together. It’s like a current day Humpty Dumpty puzzle.

Lastly, here is a picture of the Banteay Srei temple which is considered a jewel by archeological standards. Although very small in size in comparison to some of the other temples, the immense detail that is almost perfectly intact makes it so spectacular. Archaeologists apparently marvel over this temple. We found it breathtaking due to its colour as well. It is the only temple made of pink sandstone instead of black. Here is a picture of one of the sections of Banteay Srei.

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