March 7 - The Temple Complex of Angkor Wat by bicycle

The thought of trying to any kind of justice to the Angkor Wat temples is a bit overwhelming. I decided to make my introduction through a guided bicycle tour, which was just great. We set off first thing in the morning, taking the back routes to the main entry gate where we had to buy our passes - 1, 3, or 7 days. So... this is now major tourist land. Traffic jam in the parking lot. Buses, big and small. Tuktuks, motos, bicycles. Tour leaders with flags and signs hoisted above their heads and clusters of tourists following behind like ducklings. We're not in Kansas any more!

The scrum at the ticket booth. 

From the entry a long, straight road heads into the Angkor Wat complex, which is composed of Angkor Wat, a walled, moated temple complex, Angkor Tom, walled and moated and an actual city where people lived which also has large temples in it, including the famous Bayon, and multiple other buildings and temples and water features. It is indescribably huge. There are roads and forests and little villages and new temples and a complex of little restaurants and rows of gift shops and food and fluid sellers and people and cars and buses and monkeys and motos and tuktuks and and and.... Not at all how I pictured it, more of a living world centred around ancient ruins, rather than just the ancient ruins sitting alone in the forest.

The advantage of bicycle riding is that the tour guide took us through the forests from one point to another, and as such we were often by ourselves, and we were working on the opposite schedule to the main tourist cavalcades so we didn't feel totally overwhelmed by humanity everywhere we turned. But biking is hot work when its 35+ degrees and humid. But really, once you and your clothing are soaking wet, you are just hot and that is all there is to it. Our guide kept us hydrated with frequent stops to by cold water, we had an amazing snack break with cold mango and pineapple, and best of all we created our own breeze while moving.

We started by skirting the moat of Angkor Wat itself, and then taking a forest route to Ta Prohm (I though he was saying "tap-room" and I couldn't figure out which temple was named after a bar for the longest time).

Cold water stop at a petrol station for the tuktuks. Pop and Johnie Walker bottles get a new life here.

The owner of this spot was apparently fond of orchids - and they were gorgeous!

Junior helpers at the cash. Coconuts and beer - all the basics covered.

Cycling in the forest along the walls to Ta Prohm - do I look sweaty? And we've just started.

Ta Prohm is the temple of Angelina Jolie and Tomb Raider fame -many of the large trees have been left creeping through the blocks of the complex - its a balance between leaving some forest authenticity and rebuilding the monuments. Ta Prohm was built in the 13'th century as a Buddhist monastery and university and at one point they estimate 12,000 people lived within the walls of the complex, including 600 dancers because where would a centre of learning be without dancers, as well as the supporting population outside the main walls.

Even monks can be tourists

Trees along the wall

I never realized they had stone vaulted arches for the roofs.

Horses and elephants feature in a lot of the battle scenes - both were obviously a big part of Khmer pageantry.. I never pictured horses in this part of the world.

Not everything has been put back together, either by desire to leave some as it was found in the 18'th century or just lack of money to do so.

Naga (snake) head covered in kichen

This reminds me of something out of Game of Thrones

Apsara dancers, with elegant fingers

The most famous temple tree

Strangler fig going up up up

There are thousands of images of dancers

Roots in the roof

To give some idea of scale

I like these lions - although most of them have had their faces knocked off. There were never lions here apparently, but the Khmer copied the idea from where they were present, India?.

Tourist crossing

These faces are characteristic of Bayon, but some were also on the gates at Ta Prohm, which I think is where this picture is from.

Snack and bathroom break - tourists - free. Locals have to pay. I think that's because they don't pay to enter the complex, but they do need to pay to use the facilities.

All the things you should not do while in the bathroom. The thought of someone trying to shower using the bum gun is rather amusing, I think they would have to be double jointed to try it.

At all the stopping points there are shop kiosks -mostly selling clothing

Tuktuk traffic

Next stop on the tour was Angkor Thom - a huge walled and moated complex that was Cambodia's last imperial city and covers 10 square km. Apparently a million people lived here at its height. In the centre is the Bayon, one of the most famous temples for both its incredibly detailed carved friezes showing daily life as well as various wars and battles and for the faces of either Buddha or the king that stare out from every tower and wall.

Either a hero or a demon (I have to say some look alike) holding onto a naga as part of the entry into the Angkor Thom complex

The Bayon

Apsara dancers on a lotus flower - check out the fingers

The beautiful friezes - green peacocks, monkeys

Preparing a feast

Off to battle on the Tonle Sap - the water must have been filled with various types of fish and crocodiles, all of which are shown here

Overview giving some idea of the complexity of the whole structure - enormous and convoluted

Top give some idea of scale

Faces and faces and more faces

An endless jigsaw puzzle of stones 

One of the stray dogs that lives in the complex - these all seemed well fed - I think the Cambodians are very good about giving leftovers to the animals as one rarely saw emaciated dogs, especially in the cities.

Lunch time - there is a long row of cafes within the Angkor Thom complex area. Samson, our guide had pre-ordered for us and there was nothing held back - ice cold coconut smoothie, and multiple delicious dishes for the group to share. Well fed cats wandered between our legs under the tables looking for leftovers. I got totally excited when we spotted some monkeys on the roof of the gift shops, but as I found out later in the day, monkeys are everywhere, and not something you need to sneak up on to get close to.

A smooth selection of our lunch

Long-tailed macaque with a banana filched from somewhere

Hanging about in the shade of the clothing stall

After lunch we biked back past the Bayon and straight out the south gate of Angkor Thom, where the best statues of heros and demons line the bridge over the moat, and then on south to the main entrance cause way to the Angkor Wat complex. This was built as a temple mountain complex, on three levels with the holiest site at the top. It is also huge, covering 210 hectares and composed of towers and gates and libraries and galleries that link into each other endlessly.

Our group bicycling south. No deer seen by us.

The causeway over the moat into the south gate of Angkor Thom

Demons lining the bridge over the causeway. The heros were on the other side. They were all holding onto a huge naga, which has broken off from this portion

The five towers of Angkor Wat behind one of the gallery walls

A terrace on the main causeway leading to Angkor Wat

Bullet holes in the stone - the temples were not excluded from Cambodia's wars

Active shrines are present in many corners of the old buildings. Many of the statues have been repurposed between Buddhism and Hinduism and the country's religion changed. Statues had arms added and removed, and faces changes.

Some of the elegant and detailed carving

The central towers from the open area surrounding the main complex

One of the libraries

Asian cowgirls??

Have your picture taken on a horse?

Looking across one of the ponds

Terrace with faceless lions

Our guide, Sambo, showing us his name in ancient writing on one of the walls

Young monks making bracelets and blessings. Apparently we weren't supposed to photograph them, but one of the girls in our group was an African American with very black skin and with long braided hair extensions. The young monks stared at her practically with their mouths open so we figured it was even. 

The third level terraces

The original stairs to the third level - a 40 degree angle. You had to climb them on your hands and knees - intended to keep the supplicant humble. And scared shitless I think.

Horses off to battle

As well as elephants

On the way out of the Angkor Wat complex we found the macaques!

This one found his dinner

This one is giving me the eye because I put my water bottle down and then picked it up again. Once your hand leaves the bottle apparently the monkeys think it belongs to them.

This one has his bottle, although by his posture and look on his face you have to wonder what's in there!