Temples of Angkor and the Scene that is Siem Reap

     Today is our last full day in Siem Reap, the home to the complex commonly known as Angkor Wat.  We have visited the temples four of the five days we have been here. The other day was just as interesting as we visited the Cambodian Land Mine Museum and a butterfly farm.  Needless to say, quite the contrast.  Landmines are a curse in Cambodia that is still ongoing as I write.  Contrary to my previous belief that the Vietnam War was to blame,  most of them were set in place during the Cambodian Civil War that raged between varying factions in the 70's, 80's and early 90's (once again Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge raise their ugly head).  We are talking thousands upon thousands of them.  Of course there is no record of the location of their placement so totally innocent people have been maimed by the score.  Both in Siem Reap and outside several of the temples there are various troups of land mine victim musicians who perform their unique style of music.  A small sign will be posted that explains who they are and asks for contributions to help their families.  Frankly an explanation is hardly needed as most of them are missing various limbs.  Yesterday we visited one of the more remote temples, Beng Mealea. Outside a sign read that land mine clearing around that temple had begun in 2003, a mere 12 years ago, and that over 450 land mines had been discovered.  They indicated the clearing of the mines was still in progress.  So this really brings home what an issure it is for the Cambodians.

     The temples themselves do not disappoint.  The park which contains most of the temples is immense.  One needs a vehicle, usually a tuk tuk, to get from one complex to the next as distances are not necessarily short.  Rather than try and explain the temples I will write of what stood out to me.  Number one has to be the number of sculptures and carvings that are contained in the temples.  Literally thousands upon thousands of them. And they are in such good condition.  Most of them date from 800 a.d. to 1200 a.d. so we are talking a 1,000 years.  The detail on so many of them is still so exact.  I would be exploring around what seemed a pile of ruble and come upon a perfectly executed and preserved carving.  I try and think why this is the case with the Angkor Temples and not the Mayan ones.  True the carving and sculpting here is more intricate but time has not diminished them as one would expect.  Perhaps the Spanish Conquerers are somewhat at fault for the condition of the Mayan ruins, I am not sure.  

     I am quite impressed with how the Cambodians, and whomever else is responsible, has approached the treasure they have.  In Myanmar we noticed that many of their ancient pagodas had had major restoration done.  Not at Angkor.  Today we visited the huge complex (I can't really call it a temple) of Preah Khan.  I was amazed at its immensity, the number of carvings and sculptures (thousands), and the way that it has been left much as it was found.  Huge boulders lie about in disarray. Much has been naturally preserved, but much is not.  On the way out we stopped at the small information center.  They said that the idea of this temple was to treat it as a ruin and preserve it as ruin.  Most things that had been done to it were for the purpose of not allowing further deterioration, not to restore it to what present day archeologists think it looked like at its hey day.  Smart I think.

     One can not visit Angkor and not wonder "how the hell did they do this". The huge boulders brought from the mountains that in todays standards would be considered nearby.  Well not then.  It just boggles the mind that humans, a thousand years ago, were able to mine this stone, transport it by whatever means (elephant, river), and proceed to build these immense structures.  THEN, they would carve, sometimes every available surface, with works that were an ablsoute stunning statement of art. There is no doubt that slave labor was involved, and it surely demonstrates the power of the kings who were the driving force behind their construction.  I guess that scenario was played out to a large degree with many other wonders of the world. Today man does amazing things when it comes to architecture and building.  But 95% of the time there is a profit motive.  Not so with these.  Religion and ego seemed to be the driving force.  I can only be thankful that they exist and that I was able to make the journey to witness them.

     To contrast with this ancient wonder is the city of Siem Reap.  And what a scene it is. The town is actually aesthetically quite pleasing.  Set along the not large Siem Reap River it is relatively clean and well laid out.  There are parks and many pleasant places to pass away a hot afternoon (and believe me, it's HOT).  And then there is the Psar Chaa area. What a trip.  The main street in the area is called Pub Street and that is not an accident.  At night they close the area to traffic and the streets are packed. Tons of restaurants and things to buy.  Every kind of cuisine imaginable. (Witness a restaurant that advertised a mix of Mexican and Khmer.  What?) Lit up like a Christmas tree.  Kind of like Kao San Rd in Bangkok, but a bit more up scale.  We have hit the area every night that we have been here so you know it has some appeal, at least to the likes of us. So when one comes to Cambodia to experience the Temples of Angkor, you don't have to go without.  We are in the nicest hotel of the trip ($75 for 3) with a killer breakfast.  A 10 minute walk takes one to an eating, drinking, shopping paradise.  No, we haven't suffered in Siem Reap.

     So tomorrow sees the three of us going to the airport together, but going different directions.  Kathy flies to Bangkok and then heads back to the States.  Cynthia and I fly to Vientiane to continue our adventure in Laos.  The three of us have gotten along remarkably well and have managed to entertain each other in numerous ways.  Not all full of laughs, but mostly so.  As always I want to thank you for reading the blog and know that we are healthy, happy, and learning new things each day.                  JB