16th August, 2012 (our 37th wedding anniversary).
After an intense morning of sightseeing, walking and climbing steps at Angkor, which included four temples, a bridge and a gate, we returned to Siem Reap for lunch, then we were back again at Angkor for the really big one, Angkor Wat.
The Lonely Planet waxes lyrical once more:
The traveller’s first glimpse of Angkor Wat, the ultimate expression of Khmer genius, is simply staggering, and is matched by only a few select spots on earth such as Mach Pichu or Petra.
Soaring skyward and surrounded by a moat that would make its European castle counterparts blush, Angkor Wat is one of the most inspired and spectacular monuments ever conceived by the human mind. It is a sumptuous blend of form and function, a spellbinding shrine to Vishnu, its captivating image replicated in the reflective pools below, a feast for the unbelieving eyes.
Actually, it’s so big that it’s hard to fit a “first glimpse” into one shot.
Above I have shown a shot while walking up to it over the moat, then a shot of the main building once inside.
Aerial view of Angkor Wat.
Miniature model of the central structure of Angkor Wat. In the foreground is the cruciform terrace which lies in front of the central structure. Check with the aerial picture above, to see that the moat is well outside this model. Both of these pictures from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat
Firstly we (and lots of other people) walked across the sandstone causeway, which spans the 190m wide moat.
There’s Pat, in the front right, marching solidly along (he’s changed his shirt since the morning’s intense workout). Our guide is the slim figure in the yellow shirt, turning around to check that we are all upright.
Here, if you squint, you can just see two of the five iconic towers of Angkor Wat, either side of the central tower, looking as though they’re sprouting out of the top of the palm trees.
Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple complex in the world. The temple was built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.
As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist.
Angkor Wat is unusual among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned, its preservation being due in part to the fact that its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle (see aerial photo above).
There’s Pat approaching a couple of welcoming nagas (seven-headed snakes).
From here, we turned right, then walked along the front of the building, beside the moat, admiring the various entrances along the way.
A 350 m causeway connects the western gopura (entrance) to the temple proper, with naga balustrades and six sets of steps leading down to the city on either side.
This is a section of this causeway, seen from above, when we were up at the top of the temple.
At this point however, we were over in the very left hand side of this picture, on the other side of the building.
When we walked around the corner of the building, we had our first proper view of the main temple. Even in its present state of renovation, the five iconic lotus-shaped towers are a magnificent sight.
Angkor Wat has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Only three towers are shown on the flag as the back two are directly behind two in front, so cannot be seen if you are looking at Angkor Wat from the front. (It must also be easier to make a flag with three of these detailed towers instead of five.)
From where we were standing, we then struck out, in the sun, diagonally across the front lawn, which was the size of a small town. I looked longingly at some Buddhist monks who were taking the longer but shady path under the trees.
That shade looked good from where we were!
Water basin.
Angkor Wat is built according to the Hindu concept of the temple-mountain, where the temple is built as a representation of the mythical Mount Meru, the home of the gods: this is why so many temples, including Angkor Wat itself, are surrounded by moats, built in a mountain-like pyramidal shape and topped by precisely five towers, representing the five peaks of Mount Meru.
Extra oceans, symbolised by this water basin, often feature.
Looking up at the towers.
Angkor Wat stands on a terrace raised higher than the city. It is made of three rectangular galleries rising to a central tower, each level higher than the last.
So there was no getting away from it. There were going to be steps.
A one-way system applied.
View from the top, looking west.
You can see a little bit of the 350m causeway which leads from the western gopura (gate) to the temple proper.
Same view, but also looking down into the courtyard below.
In the two pictures above, I could see the top of this balloon, like a giant setting sun (on the wrong side of the sky) so I had to check it out.
Approximately 1km west from Angkor Wat a bright yellow helium balloon resembling a giant egg yolk offers visitors a bird's-eye view of the magnificent Angkor temples.
The German made helium balloon is attached to a rope and ascends approximately 200 metres, floats for a while and then descends. It only lasts about 10 minutes but it is enough to get some great pictures of Angkor Wat on a clear day.
The balloon flies approximately 30 times a day from sunrise to sundown and can carry up to 30 passengers. Picture from http://www.cambodiavoyage.com/Angkor_Wat_Balloon
Our guide was checking us off as we came down the steps. I’m sure he was hoping he wouldn’t have to carry any of us down.
I think that’s Dorothy and Woodley right at the top, on their way down.
At the bottom of the steps were some more apsara girls offering to pose with you for your album, hoping that you were in an expansive mood after enjoying the view and surviving the steps.
I think these girls only smiled for money as well.
But I would have to say that these are the most beautiful peacock costumes I have ever seen.
As well as real live Apsara dancers, there were stone ones as well.
This one wasn’t smiling either.
The Gallery of Bas-reliefs, surrounding the first level of Angkor Wat, contains 1,200 square metres of sandstone carvings. The relief covers most of the inner wall of all four sides of the gallery and extends for two metres from top to bottom.
These large-scale scenes mainly depict episodes from the Hindu epics and are designed to be viewed in an anti-clockwise direction.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to view them in any direction, just grab a few shots and catch up with the rest of the group.
Then it was a quick look over the shoulder at the timeless buildings …..
….. and the guardian lions, basking in the golden late afternoon sunshine.
Then we were back onto the bus, after one of the most culturally, intellectually, physically and climatically (if there’s such a word) challenging and provoking days I have had for a long time. What a way to celebrate our anniversary!
After dinner, Pat and I celebrated by having a one hour foot massage each, from two little Cambodian girls with very strong fingers, who really eased out our stair climbing muscles. Not your normal anniversary activity, but I’ll certainly remember our 37th!
And by the way, if I have any advice for anyone going to Angkor, this is it:
TAKE MORE THAN ONE DAY!
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