Nirvana: May 8-12, 2016 Angkor Wat, Cambodia

I really never thought that I would visit Cambodia, but I must admit the temples around Angkor Wat are spectacular. We took a minivan from Ayathaya to near the Cambodian border where we got on a bus that took us to the border, then picked us up on the other side. Crossing the Cambodian border was an adventure. Our guide told us the steps we needed to take, but once off the bus it was really difficult to find each of the official buildings, and every step someone is offering to sell you assistance with your paperwork. First you must clear out of Thailand, then get a Cambodian visa, then get stamped into Cambodia. All steps in different buildings that are not connected and no signs between them. Plus there are people everywhere, tuktuks, heavily laden hand drawn carts, street vendor carts, motorcycles, cars, trucks, all going as fast as they can and having to switch to driving on the other side of the road when they can. In Thailand they drive on the left side and in Cambodia they drive on the right. Summing up the border crossing, Chaos!

We were challenged finding a hotel, first we started in a nice hotel, but the music from the disco across the street kept getting louder and louder, and then the door lock broke. So we left there and moved into a room at a backpackers resort. We felt a little out of place as all the other guests were in their 20s, but we liked the pool, slack line, pool table, drink specials, and cheap price, so we stayed. Axel made friends with the 20 year old guys, and the last night some 40 year olds showed up and Gary partied hard with them.

Of course the main reason for coming to Cambodia was to see the temples of Angkor. Angkor Wat is still the largest religious monument in the world. At the peak of the Khmer Empire, Angkor was the most populated city in the world, some estimates are as high as one million people. The numerous temples in the region were built from approximately 800-1250 AD. Although you normally only hear about Angkor Wat there are over 40 temples in the area, and we visited about 12 of them. Each temple is impressive in its own way, some due to the complexity of construction, some the decorations adoring it, some due to location, some because of the huge moat dug by hand around it, and some due to all of the above.

We spent 3 days touring the temples. We hired a tuktuk and Jake, our driver, was also a good tour guide. On the first day he brought us to some of the older, less known temples, but still impressive. The temples were all built as places of worship, initially as Hindu temples, then later to worship Buddha. Some temples were converted to worship Buddha, but the Hindu artwork left in place.

Gate into Angkor Thom

The trees have started to grow all over the temples.

Angkor Wat from above

To see Angkor Wat in all its splendor, you are advised to watch the sun rise over the temple. So one our second day we woke up at 4:00 am to get there by 5:00 am. The view is impressive, but the toll it took on us might not be worth it. Although the best part of going so early is that you get there before the midday heat gets too intense, by midday the temperature soared to about 40 C (105 F).

The size of Angkor Wat and the intricacy of the bas-relief carvings are by far the most impressive part of this temple. The bas-relief carvings cover the walls of the outer gallery and stretch for almost half a mile. The central pyramid, the tallest temple, was built to represent Mount Meru. This is where Axel was attacked and bite by a monkey, resulting in us having to make a visit to a Cambodian hospital. The facility was exceptionally clean and modern, and the doctor quite helpful. Axel needed a rabies vaccination and will need 4 more over the next month, so we will get to visit many hospitals in many countries.

The monkey that attacked Axel

The third day we toured Angkor Thom, the massive walled city that was the capital from the late 12th century until the 17th century. The most impressive temple is Bayon, it had about 50 towers each with massive heads carved on all sides. The heads represent the king and other important people, not the Buddha. This temple underwent many additions from succeeding kings, thus making it very maze-like inside.