Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm and Banteay Srei temples

It does kill me that the giant, thorough post under this heading that I wrote for hours yesterday, pffff… disappeared. So f*cking cross.

So I recall I started the post with this wicked photo:

NOTE: “Feels like…” because it so did!

This post cover two days of temple visits: Angkor Wat and Bayon Temple on 25 April and Ta Prohm and Banteay Srei temples on 26 April. ALL jaw dropping. My photos are poxy in comparison to the ones you can easily find on credible sites on the net.  Accompanying those photos are no doubt, good quality historical accounts. You really don’t want my version so I won’t be entering into a struggle to deliver something credible on the topic.  Instead I’ll say I found episode 5 of podcast Fall of Civilisations : the Khmer Empire - Fall of the God Kings, great.

I can share a couple of general observations before I provide a stack of photos of each of the 4 temples:

1.  The lack of policing!!! You need a ticket and it Is checked at a point well away from the jaw dropping sites.  End of policing!  Along with all other tourists and monks, you just take yourself around, often with a guide, as was our case. At most there is a feeble rope hinting to you not to touch the ancient carvings right there within reach, and there is an occasional unobtrusive sign, requesting likewise.

And really, that is all that is needed. There was no touching going on at all! We all behaved well (that said, a rubbish bin every now and again could be useful. At one point I was standing near a Canadian woman who was completely outraged when a tourist just threw their empty water bottle onto the ground and walked on. She called them back and they Ignored her. 😢 I felt her outrage too and picked the bottle up… not a bin in sight!  Bugger!)

2. Be very careful when taking photos…relating to the no policing is no barriers ! In lining up a photo, it would be incredibly easy to back back off the edge and to become a ruin on the ruins way below.  Again, hats off to Cambodia - faith in people to use their own senses and rightly so in my book. 

In the two points above, you have the best possible experience of these incredible sites, without being treated as a child. Well done Cambodia, well done. Awesome.  

3. Hinduism to Buddhism - the Hindu representations in carvings are seriously amazing. Gradually (13th century under the pretty impressive King Jayavarmin Vll seen below) they were superseded by the less amazing but also wonderful, Buddhist representations.

4. It was shockingly hot. Our tour bus had icy water and we were advised to bring along our hand towel from our resort.  We did. Our guide Channa drenched our towels in icy cold water, which we then put around our necks. The cold was brilliant while it lasted.  

My ticket valid for three visits in a week - we visited twice

The first of the four sites we visited,was the mega-city of Angkor and its Wat - extract from Wikipedia :

Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century.

Here are just a few of my snaps:

With Carole on approach to Angkor Wat

I swear it was 10 degrees cooler under that tree

Seriously huge. In the length just under the peaks is where we would shortly be walking and where I had those thoughts relating to points one and two above. Can you see the people walking on that high level? This structure is MASSIVE. 

I get the need to be fanned

Childbirth

Odd numbers are auspicious- structures with 3, 5 , 7 or 9 features can be seen everywhere

Anne and Carole with steps people no longer climb. Phew 

Worthy of a standing ovation, Anne climbed to the top and descended about 20 minutes later wide eyed about the view. She said it was worth it! 

Wow 

Channa said this where people take their Instagram shot. Ok. 

A wedding at Angkor Wat!!! 

10:36am - For our public (note Anne sporting wet hand towel)

10:37 - the bald truth

BAYON TEMPLE /ANGKOR THOM - 

Bayon was built in the late 12th or early 13th century with the exact date being unknown. It was constructed well after Angkor Wat by a century or so and whilst not the last temple built in Angkor, it was certainly the last of the large state temples to be built. It was the centerpiece of the Buddhist king Jayavarman VII’s massive temple building spree that included nearby temples such as Preah Khan, Ta Prohm, and Banteay Kdei.

Friend Irene also pointed out that Jayavarman Vll  gave the population Medicare! 

Jayavarman VII

The faces of the Bayon temple are amazing!  It is a stunning temple! Here are a couple of inadequate photos:

Worth a read

Childbirth

Carving so much stronger than those in Angkor Wat 

Domestic scene I think

Bayon Temple was incredible!!! Much much much smaller than Angkor Wat, and build a bit later. Buddhism driven rather than Hindu.

Next, my favourite of them all (big call, I know) is Ta Prohm.  You have likely seen pics of this temple and now you’ll see a stack more. Recognisable by the melding of tree and stone…extracts from Wikipedia:

It was built in the Bayonstyle largely in the late 12th century and early 13th century.  It was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and center of learning dedicated to his mother.

The temple is referred to as the "Tomb RaiderTemple" or the "Angelina Jolie Temple" due to its depiction in the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001).^[1][2]

The temple was built without mortar and, after it was abandoned, trees took root in the loosened stones.^[3] The trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of the most popular temples with visitors to the area.^[3] It has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1992.

And rightly so!!! It is a complete knock out. 27 photos coming your way now…

Anne, Carole and me with our public stance belying the blasting heat. 😂 

Carole with amazing tree in background!

Distance shot

💖💖💖

Anne with incredible trees!

Me with incredible tree

And’s just like that, un-policed and trusted, we walk amongst these incredible ruins

Anne, Carole and me with persistent photo bomber Channa 

Yes… for real

So accessible so wonderful

Yep… 

Roots

In this alcove, tap strongly on your breast bone and hear it amplified! 

Bye bye wonderful Ta Prohm!!! I’ll never forget you!

And now for our final temple! Banteay Srei was built in 10th century!  Extract from Wikipedia :  

Banteay Srei is a 10th century CE Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and Parvati. Located in the area of Angkor, Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. These factors have made the temple extremely popular with tourists, and have led to its being widely praised as the jewel of Khmer art.^[2]

As I mentioned above, the Hindu carvings are on another level of amazing.  Included here too is a photo which puts the temple into a timeline with others ancient structures. Not a great photo of it but with magnifying, you might be able to gain something from it:

Worth  a read - historical perspective

I hope you can read this

Anne, Carole and me swelteringly hot with cold towels around our necks

From here we returned to our hotel and plunged into the pool that would’ve been more restorative were it less like a thermal pool.  Still, can’t complain. The beer with lumps of ice within was lovely!

Carole and Anne with cocktails

Nice looking pool, (but not cold enough)