Angkor, Gimme Some More!!

So today is the big day, where we visit all the temples located in the central hub that the town of Siem Reap is built around. We decide that our first stop must be the renowned Angkor Wat, which I believe is one of the 7 Wonders of the World. It is known as the world’s largest religious monument, still standing. The layout of the entire structure is built in a giant rectangular sort of island, surrounded by a moat carved out of the Earth. Our Narid tells us that there are giant fish in the moat, yikes.

We get out of the car, and I start firing away with the Black Brick. Already, the heat is heavy, and its only 8:30 in the morning. The tourists are sparse, but present, still managing to poke their obnoxious bodies into my wonderful photographic compositions. Oh, I have to mention that up to this point, we haven’t witnessed a drop of rain,

and presently we are in the middle of a rainy season. We go over the beautiful bridge, to enter through a giant walled gate to the inner courtyard. A brief history of the complex, it was designed as a city of sorts as the functional reason, but spiritually, it represents “a completely realized microcosm of the Hindu universe..” as sited from the book Ancient Angkor, written by Michael Freeman and Claude Jacques.

Ok, so the inner courtyard is peppered with smaller temples, with the massive center complex containing various sizes of towers. All the walls are engraved with historic battles of the Hindu gods. Unfortunately for us, the steps leading up the giant pyramid in the center were blockaded, as a massive restoration is in progress. Lots of looting has contributed to the corrosion of this beautiful place, but fortunately there is still a lot that has been left untouched. Within the main courtyard of the inner structure, my mother and I climb through the labyrinth, and idle occasionally to absorb the grandeur. At one point we witness a monkey overturning garbage baskets, and snapping at various passers by.

Leaving the main grounds, we walk along the perimeter that has been designated for shop vendors. We proceed to solicit these shops in force, buying up the goods from a shop keeper made familiar by my mother, in past visits.

Angkor Wat took us about 2 hours to knock out, and we decided that we should go home and regenerate. We head to an infamous restaurant called the Red Piano, which kind of sucked, and had Angelina Jolie all over the walls, as if she was the next Hindu Goddess.

After a brief visit to some local shops (that proved to be unfruitful), we head to our hotel room for a quick nap, preparing us for the last leg of the temple adventures.

Next up, Bayon, otherwise called Angkor Thom. This one has become our favorite temple for the whole trip.

The towers are all carved with 4 faces, and there are about 30 or so towers in various states of dilapidation, built on a pyramid of carved stone.

Surrounding the circle of the complex are the rocks of collapsed towers, not yet restored by whatever power of modern man, who chooses to restore the breathtaking monument to Buddhism and Hinduism. I manage to climb to the top of the pyramid, and make my rounds around the main walkway with the Brick of Black working its magic. After we leave, there is some slight confusion as to where to meet our driver, so my mother and I manage to walk around the perimeter of the complex looking for his car. Eventually, we take a tuk tuk, which is basically a motorcycle pulling a carriage for two, to where we think the driver’s car is. Bingo, found him.

Eventually, we head back to our hotel room to order some room service, drink some surprisingly cheap Stella-in-a-can, and type up some awesome bloggage for the annals of history.