So we woke up, managed to obtain tea and coffee from the security guard before setting off in darkness. As we travelled more groups funnelled in from the side-streets forming a convoy of tuks rallying toward the temples ready for the dawn of another day. We crossed the bridge to Angkor Wat again - we didn't have a torch so were glad of our familiarity and for the other tourists wayward lights when we reached the steps of the gate. Tucking in another cup we sat waiting for about half an hour til the skies started to brighten and more people flocked to the grounds - mostly taking up pitches in front of the pond to capture an early snapshot. We joined the battle for space and got some pictures before getting some food in and heading inside to be ready for the queue to form below the pagodas we'd avoided the day before. Though we weren't first to arrive we wangled our way to the head of the line ready for it to open - then felt pressured to conquer the steep steps to the entrance. Another interesting area with wonderful views of the surroundings - a balloon was rising in the distance though by its height I'd assume we had the better vantage point - for free. There were several pillars engraved with different writings and languages - including less refined graffiti and tags etched in from over the past century - and also a buddha that had been saved somehow; the other statues that should fill the Hall of 1000 Buddhas we'd unwittingly seen at the National Museum in Phnom Penh so didn't miss their presence quite so much. As we left we reached the last set of steps to the grounds and encountered monkeys in the grounds for the first time - one having claimed a monks robes as its toy or trophy, much to the envy of the rest of the troop. No thievery on this occasion and we left, then steaming straight on through Angkor Thom and exiting to the North onto a new, vaster route.
First stop was Preah Khan, similar in a fashion to Ta Prohm with trees climbing upward and collapsing parts but without the walkways and number of tourists. The two were built at the request of the same monarch, Jayavarman VII the former for his mother and this, his father. Various religious and symbolistic features can make this apparent even to casual observers - and other buildings referring to his defeat of the Cham are portrayed in an equally depictive manner.
We moved on to Neak Pean which meant walking a long thin wood bridge path over the vast man-made lake Jayatataka - or Baray of Preah Khan. Sadly this was mostly fenced off so we could only really see about a third of the site so we soon set back to carry on. We moved on to Ta Som, quite a nice smaller site with the roots of one particularly large tree encircling the entrance at the rear. At each site you have locals offering you a vast array of tat, from postcards to bracelets, wooden jews harps to all manner of drinks and food and here we spoke to one lady for a while - a large village settlement sits to the North of the Srah Srang and others are dotted around the site so unlike many UNESCO World Heritage sites there are thriving communities within the grounds, earning from tourism - sadly this applies not only to adults but also to children of all ages.
We carried on out and made our way to East Mebon, a similar era temple to Pre Rup in it's form and having been made from pink sandstone though here with the added bonus of elephants on most corners - though I wasn't certain as to the age or authenticity of these adages.
We thought that we were then finished, tired, exhausted, dehydrated and so hot that cooking a fried egg on a car might not have been out of the question - alas, there was one last place on the schedule, Prasat Kravan. This was on the initial road and our lack of enthusiasm to take in another temple wasn't disappointed by what greeted us. In fact we spent more time attempting to coax some horses to our tree shade for a stroke. A fairly bizarre place seemingly modern or renovated to such clinical precision that the stone work was stamped..
Well that was that, we'd finished the two main routes and a large number of temples at a leisurely pace, so when asked 'what time tomorrow' I think our valiant driver was as greatful as we were to not be returning. That night although we were quite tired we headed down to the Temple Club for dinner as they had a nightly performance of the traditional Aspara dancing, there was a band seated cross legged to the side of the stage playing backing Pan Peat music while we were treated to around six different dances - from fishing to myths the whole thing was quite fun to see.
After taking a few days to recover we headed round to the Angkor Night Market and the Psar Chas Market to collect some last odds and ends. Our plan from here was to get to Banteay Chhmar - another Khmer relic around 60km North of Sisophon, the next main town on our way to Thailand via the border at Poipet. This would be our last stop so although completely uncertain of the area, where to stay and what would be available to eat we set off on the bus another bright shiny morning, emergency biscuit rations in hand.
No comments:
Post a Comment