If this is the short circuit….

A breakfast buffet comes with the cost of our rooms.  I found Brett and Brendon enjoying everything (and I mean everything) the buffet had to offer.  I joined them in the effort to get our money’s worth.  It was when Melissa, Matt, Yves and Chinda arrived that we discovered the pancake/waffle/eggs made to order station.  So, of course, we had to get busy and sample what we had previously missed.

At 7 a.m. we met our driver and guide at the front of the hotel for the short circuit tour we had arranged. You must have your shoulders and knees covered to enter the temple, so we were wearing more clothes than the hot day suggested.  We purchased our tickets online yesterday so we were ready to head directly to Angkor Wat, the largest religious structure in the world.  It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu in the 12th century.   It was designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the Hindu gods of mythology. Later it became a Buddhist temple.  It has images of both Hinduism and Buddhism.  War, theft, age, plant overgrowth and climate have caused extensive damage to the temple.  Over its history there have been different attempts at restoration.  In 1992, Angkor Wat became a UNESCO World Heritage in Danger site.  An appeal went out internationally.  France, Japan, China and Germany stepped up and work to safe and restore Angkor Wat is ongoing.

Since Covid, you must walk further to get inside the gate.  We started on the outside of the moat that goes all the way around the large temple grounds. 

We hiked across the bridge of uneven stones over the moat, which used to be full of crocodiles.

Once inside the grounds our guide, Vanna, helped us admire and understand the plethora of carvings found inside the outside wall. Our guide liked this carving of  a woman smiling with her teeth showing.  The carvings are intricate.

There are several dressed Buddhas throughout the temple.

Past the outer wall we walked along another long stone walkway.  

People were getting their wedding photos professionally taken inside the grounds.

We veered off the path to one of the reflecting pools.  The king used the reflections to check if the buildings were going up straight.

On the outside walls of the temple building is a gallery of carvings telling the story of the Battle of Kurukshetra, described in a Hindu epic poem called Mahabharata.  This war laid the foundation for the events of the Bhagavad Gita.

Steps leading to the summit of the temple were so steep one would have to crawl up them.  But they had been blocked off for restoration.  

A set of wooden stairs with a handrail had been constructed so that visitors could get to the top.  

Chinda did the smart thing and stayed at the bottom with Yves. Children under twelve are not allowed to go up the stairs.   I struggled and was crawling by the time I got to the top.

At the top are several courtyards.

You can see why UNESCO initially named this site in danger.  You can see the impact of looting and vandalism.

There is scaffolding everywhere as restorers struggle to figure out how to hold up this massive stone structure.

We made it to the center of the temple.

The hike back down the stairs was harrowing but so much quicker than the trip up.  Back down our guide showed us the stones that are scattered around the base as they slowly restore this marvel.

By then Yves, who had been patient long enough, was starving and needed to be nursed.

We headed to a small outdoor market where Melissa could nurse Yves and we could sit in the shade and drink water.  Then the long walk back to our driver and an air conditioned mini van.  Our driver met us with cold bottles of water and cold towels to cool ourselves.

Our next stop was Ta Prohm Temple, which means “ancestor of Brahma”.  It was founded by a Khmer king as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and center of learning, dedicated to his mother.  Some refer to Ta Prohm as the Tomb Raider Temple because it was used in the filming of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, which features Angelina Jolie.  Another hot hike rewarded us with this amazing place.

The temple was built without mortar.  There are several Sprung trees there, which are found no where else in Cambodia except in the mountains. 

When the temple was abandoned these trees took root in the loosened stones.  

We wandered from area to area and marveled at this temple overtaken by the jungle around it.

This temple is also found in the Angkor Wat Archaelogical Park and therefore there is restoration happening on the site.

Bu the time we left Ta Prohm it was close to noon.  We had been walking through sacred places, navigating steep steps, uneven pavement and a temperature that sucks the life right out of your body.  Again, after a hike back to the vehicle, our driver met us with a smile, cold towels and bottles of water.  We were ready for lunch and we weren’t picky, as long as it was air conditioned. Palmboo was our lunch spot, where we had French fries, smoothies, fried rice, ribs, chicken wings, sweet curry, spring rolls, papaya salad and a fish omelet.  It restored us enough to go to our last temple of the day.

This time we did not have to hike to get to the temple, Bayon.

What makes this temple distinctive are the faces of the Buddha on every side of the towers.  There are 54 towers and four faces on each.  

Our guide enjoyed telling us the stories carved on the walls of the temple grounds.  He pointed out interesting details but I admit that by then my brain was fried.

We happened upon a family of monkeys.  

One woman got up close and personal and the monkey crawled up her torso. She screamed, “What do I do?”  Our guide said, “He wants your water bottle.”  So she threw it down and the monkey preceded to open the bottle.  Obviously they do this all day.  I hid my water bottle and moved on.

By then, Brett and Brendon had peeled off. They explored the inner part of the Bayon Temple.  Brendon found the lucky phallic symbol and touched it for good luck.

Meantime, on the outside of the wall the rest of us were completely done in.  We persuaded our guide to call it a day.  Now to find Brett and Brendon.  Reunited, we got our cold towel and bottle of water from our driver and headed back to our hotel, Saem Siem Reap.  Everyone was exhausted.  The heat was unbearable.  It is the kind where you are standing still and you feel the sweat running down the middle of your back.  Matt had carried Yves the majority of the day.  Everyone else had focused on keeping Chinda and I from breaking a hip.  Completely done in, we headed to our rooms for showers and naps, grateful we hadn’t signed up for the grand circuit.

Tonight Matt, Melissa, Yves and I went out to dinner at the Sugar Palm Restaurant, on the list from Matt’s spreadsheet.  Everyone else opted to stay back at the hotel and recover from the day.  We haven’t been very impressed with the cuisine of Siem Reap and half expected to be disappointed.  We ordered the fish amok, eggplant with minced pork and the beef lok lak.  Every dish was excellent.  Cambodian food was redeemed tonight.  I was shocked by how little we spent for such good food.  We may come here again.

We have made no specific plans for tomorrow. Everyone is too tired.