Triumphrat

Rhodie · 02-20-2008

At night Angkor Wat is a magnificent sight

The bridge with the outer walls reflected in the moat

The long causeway with the Temple at the end.

Ghostly images of those visiting.

The lotus shaped towers shining bright in the floodlights.

Rhodie · 02-20-2008

Just north of Angkor Wat is the walled city of Angkor Thom, a 3 kilometre square walled & moated city that was the last capital of the Angkor empire.

King Jayavaraman VII the greatest king the Khmer ever had, had recaptured Angkhor Wat from the Chams [coming present day Vietnam] in a battle on the Tonlesap Lake.

He began an ambitious building programme with his new capital of Angkor Thom housing more than a million subjects -
at a time when LOndon was a 'city'c of 35,000.
Fe fortified his capital with immense walls and giant moats filled with crocodiles with the temple of Bayon at the heart of his capital.

It is the temple of Bayon, which also featured in the the film Tomb Raider, with its 37 standing towers, sporting four faces believed to be the face of the Buddha or King Jayavaraman VII or a composite of both that is the zenith of Khmer art.

When I first came to Angkor some years ago it was forbidden to bring your own transport around the spralling complexes of the various temple cities.

Rhodie · 02-21-2008

The Khmer kings realised that they needed water to keep their cities functioning,
so they constructed a series of huge water reservoirs called barays.
The largest of these engineering marvels is 5 miles long
by one-and-a-half wide enough to fill 17000 olympic swimming pool.

A prominent French archaeologist's theory that these were part of a giant rice growing system.
This tragic theory is said to be behind the Khmer Rouge's idea of returning to Year Zero of previous Khmer glories
and forced the Cambodian urban populace into the countryside to grow rice,
and thereby recreate the glories of yesteryear.

But since the fall of Khmer Rouge studies have failed to find any evidence for such rice schemes.

Today locals swim in the cool waters and Monks use them for their daily ablutions.

Rhodie · 02-21-2008

Ancient & Modern - On the temple circuit road by the smaller Ta Keo temple.

Ta Prohm is a sprawling monastic complex intentionally left in the grips of the jungle embrace that it was originally was found in,
and gives an insight into what the temples must have looked like when the French stumbled across them.

Now the vines, fig & silk-cotton trees are part of the temple's structure.

A truly wonderful experience.

Rhodie · 02-21-2008

Rhodie · 02-21-2008

The decline of the Angkor empire came about as a consequence the Ghengis Khan’s Mongol horde
coming south and squeezing the Thais, who fond the by now weak Khmer empire an opportunity for riches and land.

After a seven month siege Angkor fell and its riches and dancing girls were taken back to Siam
leaving its stone temples to be claimed to the jungle.

In the 1860s decades of clearing the jungle and restoration began.
The last major temple find was 50 years after Angkor's discovery.
Today, haphazard restoration continues.

But it is the hordes of tourists who threaten Angkor's structures.
In 2004 some 200,000 tourists visited the temples.
This year two million are expected.

Steps are eroding, causeways crumbling and the giant slabs of stone are slipping into the moats.

Rhodie · 02-21-2008

After four days of Cambodian history & culture it was time to move on.

A visit to the new impressive Angkor Museum had been instructive in putting the Khmer kingdoms in historical perspective,
but the gift shop was offering modern recreations of old art at New York prices.

Artisans D'Ankor www.artisansdankor.com
- a tenth of the price, probably the Museum's source and a reputable school, rekindling old crafts.

Indeed Siem Reap has become one of those important world destinations for the very wealthy
who are not worried about paying $1000++ USD per day.

Downtown, guesthouses that were $5 a night have become 'boutique' and now charging $40.

Jessie and I went to have a french-style meal with decent wine.
Tomorrow she was flying back to Thailand and I would be heading back on the bike.

Cambodian Sundowner

M700R · 02-21-2008

Incredible stuff Rhodie. Thank you.

Rhodie · 02-22-2008

The following morning I dropped Jessie off at the airport for the one-hour flight to Bangkok.
I also backloaded my lap-top and screw-lensed Leicas as well as other unnecessary kit.
The road from Siem Reap has been purposely kept in poor condition to discourage tourists from driving.
The Cambodian PM has shares in the airline that has the monopoly on flights.
As this is about to end next year the road is finally getting some work done to it.

The first 20 kms are tarred of a fashion as these pigs-to-go home delivery merchants
take advantage of this short but bumpy stretch. Streaky bacon?

For the rest it is a rutted corrugated dustmare of a trip.
Riding with lights is a must - even if it is illegal.

The roadside is populated by stilted farmhouses standing amongst their paddy fields.

After four hard riding and occassionally terrifying hours I arrived at Battambang, Cambodia's second city.
A rather stricking statue celebrates a local-lad made-good who when herding cattle found a 'magic stick' which made him king.
The statue has become a shrine which locals light incense and leave offerings in the hope of some magic coming their way.

Rhodie · 02-22-2008

After a good night's sleep and another french dinner
- a number of French expats have established good hotels & restaurants in both Laos & Cambodia,
both former French colonies.
Sometimes, it is a pleasurable change, from all things asian.

The road out of Battambang is gruesome.
First, it is intentionally kept in poor repair as the town on the border with Thailand, Pailin, is still under the control of the Khmer Rouge
and the centre of the gem trade, with side businesses of gambling & prostitution.
The last thing the Khmer Rouge want is central government coming down the 80 kilometre road and sniffing around in various nefarious businesses.

On the way is this idyllic mountain with its beautiful temple Wat Sampeau

Newly refurbished it holds a grizzly secret.