Back to Angkor
Fri 26 Jan 2007
What a difference eight years makes. It’s been that long since I was last able to visit the temples of Angkor. I’ve been meaning to get back for several years, to update my guides and see more, but schedule and budget issues kept getting in the way. I finally decided to just do it and plan far enough in advance to work around it.
I knew that Siem Reap had developed a lot over the years, as memories of the wars faded and tourism to the world heritage site grew. Some acquaintances had commented that the town had actually improved with development, but I was skeptical, since that never happens in Asia. I’m glad to say I was wrong. On arriving today, I’m greeted with a city that is much cleaner than I remembered, with many restored buildings as well as new ones. Sure, some of the new buildings aren’t quite as nice as they could be, but as yet I haven’t seen any outright monstrosities.
Since I’ve arrived rather early, my guide Dara suggests that we go straight to the archaeological park, since the hotel probably won’t be ready for me anyway. He wants to stop at Angkor Wat temple first, which I thought was better saved for later in the day, but as he rightly points out, it will be packed with people in the afternoon, so if I want to get good photos, we should go in the morning. It turns out he is right, and I quickly learn to listen to Dara when it comes to avoiding crowds and finding the best spots for pictures.
After we finish with the temple, we head back to Siem Reap to check into my hotel. I would have liked to stay at the Hotel De La Paix to find out what everyone’s been raving about, but as I’m trying to watch the budget for this trip, I opt for the Bopha Angkor. It’s a really good compromise. While the Bopha won’t win any awards for luxury, my deluxe room is huge, with a large outdoor area to sit, and equally large indoor sitting room, and all the basic mod-cons. It’s also right by the pool, and far enough from the street to be very quiet at night.
In the late afternoon, we head back to the archaeological park, this time to Angkor Thom, with it’s mysterious Bayon temple in its middle. This is another of Dara’s counter-intuitive choices that proves to be right on target. Most people visit the temple in the morning. But in the late afternoon, there’s only a couple of other small groups visiting the temple. The light in the early evening at this time of year gives the temples a great color.
After the Bayon, we walk though the jungle to the Baphuon. The air is rather cool, especially in the shade of the trees, and it’s a very pleasant walk. The Baphuon is still being put back together. When I was last here, there was just an immense field of stones spread out around the base of the pyramid. Now, it’s about half done.
We make our way through an overgrown gate on the north side of the Baphuon into the old royal enclosure. The palaces were build of wood, so nothing remains, but at the center of the enclosure is the Phimeanakas, a small pyramidal temple that supposedly held a magical genie that the king had to make love to every night to keep his kingdom. At least that’s what the locals told a Chinese envoy in the 12th century!
We continue our walk northwards and exit the royal enclosure by another gate. We then come to the small and little visited temple of Prah Palilay. The temple is most interesting for the soaring silk-cotton trees which sprout from around the base of the tower. While the site has been cleared, the temple is otherwise un-restored.
We end our walk at the royal square with the terrace of the leper king and the elephant terrace. The latter is amazing for its size and grandeur.
I end my first day back at Angkor with dinner at one of the many new restaurants that have cropped up since I was here last. I chose Viroth’s based on some recommendations, and the fact it’s closest to the hotel. The garden setting was beautiful and the food was amazing. The menu is mainly Khmer, with a few Thai and other Asian dishes thrown in.
