Hike to Kbal Spean

So after breakfast we drove to Kulen Mountain and started our hike to Kbal Spean. It’s about a 40 minute hike up to an ancient river bed filled with linga carvings that date back to about the 11th to 13th century. The sacred water here irrigates the rice fields below. We stopped to eat our cupcakes and sweet banana rice cakes next to a waterfall.

 

It’s a beautiful forest trail along a peaceful river that symbolizes health and fertility.

 

It’s not uncommon for thieves to destroy and steal artifacts from the temples in and around Angkor.  Where is Harrison Ford when you need him most?  Here at Kbal Spean, a thief recently stole the head of this carving. There isn’t enough money and man power to prevent looting and destruction of priceless Khmer heritage.

Angkor: Past, Present and Future

This is one of my most cherished books ever. Vir noticed that I was fond of books because I was always checking out the used book stores. This was a gift from Vir who lives in Siem Reap. I asked him to sign it. What shall I write? Anything you want. On the inside over he wrote, “To remember your trip to the region of Angkor.”

Treasures of Angkor Wat

I never expected to explore Angkor Wat or any of the glorious temples with such authorities on Angkor architecture and history.  Vir, Sam, Cham and I walked down the corridors and studied countless bas-relief carvings, statues and ancient inscriptions along the walls of this inspiring sanctuary.

Vir walked on my right while Sam on my left. In my right ear, Vir talked about the carving of Yama, the god of death. In my left ear Sam talked about trivial facts, “Did you know that out of all the temples in Angkor this is the only temple that contains the the carving of a smiling Apsara dancer?”  or “Did you know that this temple holds the carving of a dog?”  I immediately wanted to know where the dog was located and he said it would be difficult to reach it since it was on the third level of the world’s largest temple.  Supposedly the steps would be too steep to climb.  If I made it all the way to Cambodia from California, then I could climb the stairs at Angkor.  Right? Of course!  And it was well worth the journey.  Found:  Khmer puppy, the most valuable treasure of Angkor.  In my eyes anyway.  Awkun to Cham for helping me find it.  To view this puppy look above in the last image of the mosaic.  It’s located to the left of the apsara dancer’s foot.

Cham would also like everyone to know that aside from the unique carvings of the smiling apsara and dog, Angkor Wat also holds the only nude apsaras in the region. Nude in the sense that they’re using their hands to cover themselves (see the last image below).  Thanks, Cham, for this valuable information.

Finding that Cambodian puppy was truly a treasure but there was much more sophisticated history that both enlightened and overwhelmed me.  Vir, Sam and Cham had so much information I wanted to absorb so I listened as they talked.  There would be no way for me to remember everything but that’s okay. I was in Angkor Wat heaven.

The Island of Angkor Wat

 

Angkor Wat

 

 

After visiting Wat Ta Prohm with Sam and Cham in the morning, we planned to meet at about 3 pm to see Angkor Wat, the largest temple in the world. This time Vir would be meeting us. So at about 3 pm Vir knocked at my door and to my surprise he didn’t really look that old as everyone had described him. No evident wrinkles upon first impression.

I got a little nervous as we approached Angkor Wat. What was waiting for us there? What had called me to make my pilgrimage to this holy temple in the first place?

Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II during the period 1113-1150 AD.

Wat Ta Prohm

I visited Ta Prohm today with Sam and Cham. This temple is definitely one of my favorites. It was not as crowded as some of the earlier temples we visited such as Bayon. It could have been the time of day. Perhaps everyone went into town for lunch. While the birds sang above, we sat for a while under the shade of the massive trees and their tumor-like roots metastasizing every which way possible throughout this abandoned magical temple.

 

At Wat Ta Prohm, Cham explained that following King Jayavarman VII’s death in the 13th century, a lot of the temples were made to become Hindu and so a lot of the Buddhist images were destroyed. Later in the 14th century, Theravada Buddhism was established and remains until today.

The Landscape Around Angkor

   

 

 

 

Lots of development in Cambodia, especially in Siem Reap. Golf courses in the middle of ancient ruins. It’s sad to see.

Cambodia is still a magical place.  Along the road to Angkor, Sam introduced me to his friend, Cham.  He simply rode up alongside our moto and where Sam introduced us, “I would like you to meet my friend.  We work together.”  I would have extended my hand to say nice to meet you but I was afraid I’d lose my balance riding behind Sam. My right hand on Sam’s shoulder and even more important, my other hand holding the camera.

In this video, Cham discusses the Apsara Authority’s intention to protect at least 70-80% of Angkor’s landscape. I had to trim the video since all you could hear me say was “Wow!” or “Oh my God!” as we passed the breathtaking Angkor Wat and approached the mysterious gate at Angkor Thom.

Read an article that talks about: Cambodia for sale.

Bayon

The Bayon Temple was built in the late 12th – 13th century.  I wish I could have spent more time here.  Oh well, there’s always next time.

Sam

Yesterday, on my first night in Siem Reap my heart sank as Sam picked me up from the bus station on his moto. He laughed as I screamed through traffic. This morning, as we made our way to Angkor Thom, both my hands that were so nervously holding on the day before, were now both on my camera, adjusting the setting and focus as we neared the breathtaking entrance to magnificent Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Angkor empire.

He accompanied me to Bayon, the first of many temples during my short stay in Siem Reap. The carved stone faces smiling down at us made up for the crowds. 

Sam reminded me to bargain for a discount at the Old Market in Siem Reap. I suppose I’m not used to paying so little for so much. For example I bought a small painting of Ta Prohm from an artist who was painting in the Ta Prohm temple complex. The cost was $10 and I didn’t bother to bargain because he’s an artist afterall. I also noticed that Sam double-checked the bill for the very in-expensive all-you-can-eat seafood and bbq dinner (which was about $3 U.S. dollars per person). He had the waitress deduct the bottle of water that we didn’t drink.