We passed through several rice paddies. These differed significantly from the ones we saw in Vietnam. They were much more sparse and not as neat and organized. These plants were also turning brown rather than the lush green fields we saw in Vietnam. I thought perhaps these fields were in a different stage in the planting/harvesting process. At the temple, they had an exhibit on rice production. I read that the type of rice they grow in Cambodia only takes 130 days from planting to harvest.
We saw several cows, water buffalo, and chickens, all of which were very thin. Some were so thin that you could see their rib cages - quite a contrast from American livestock which is injected with hormones to fatten them up.
As we drove through the different areas of the country side, the sounds of the bugs changed. I guess different species prefer different habitats. We passed a cell tower and a health center. One house in particular stood out. They had huge towers of speakers set up outside, like you would see at a rock concert, with music blaring. It was a Saturday so I guess that was the Cambodian equivalent of a block party.
Cambodia has a large population of monks who shave their heads and wear bright orange robes. The monks ride around on the backs of motorbikes driven by non-monks.
Before we left town, Mau stopped at a “gas station” to fill up with petrol for the long ride. A gas station in Cambodia consists of a woman on the side of the road who comes out with a glass bottled containing two liters of petrol which she pours into the tank using a funnel.
Mau dropped us off at the main entrance to Banteay Srei. Construction began on the temple in 967 and it is one of the few temples that was not commissioned by a king. It is built from a red stone that was different from what we had seen used at the other temples and is know for its intricate carvings. The temple itself is rather small and much of it is roped off so you need to admire the carvings from a distance. However, this temple is probably the most tourist friendly with interpretation centers, bathrooms, cafés, and a well organized market.
After we finished exploring the temple, we took a walk down the jungle path, through some small rice paddies to one of the interpretation centers, which taught us a little about the symbolism used in the carvings in Banteay Srei.
On the way back to the main temples from Banteay Srei, we passed the Cambodian Landmine Museum. We asked Mau to stop so that we could have some time to look around. The museum was established by Aki Ra. Aki was orphaned by the age of ten and went to fight for the Khmer Rouge. Later, he defected from the Khmer Rouge and joined Vietnamese forces who were liberating Cambodia. He has spent much of his adult life disarming landmines and bombs throughout the Cambodian countryside. Aki and his wife also established an orphanage and rehabilitation center for children who are victims of landmine attacks. They obtain prosthetic limbs for the children, educate them, and provide full scholarships to university.
From there, Mau drove us to Pre Rup. Pre Rup is very symmetrical, two concentric walls with a three-tiered pyramidal temple-mountain in the middle. It was likely used as a crematory. This was a temple where we could climb all the way to the top, so of course we did. From there, we could see the surrounding rice paddies. There were very few people at this temple, so we actually sat at the top and ate the peanut butter crackers we had brought with us for lunch.
Our next stop was Ta Prohm. Exploring this temple is kind of like being in an Indiana Jones movie. The jungle has literally grown into the temple with tree roots completely consuming whole walls. There was a conscious decision to leave this temple largely un-cleared so visitors could experience it the way that French explorers found all of the temples. Some scenes from the movie Tomb Raider were shot here. (Yet another movie I haven’t seen. Now that I visited the temple, I’ll have to put it on my list of movies to watch.)
Because it’s in ruins, the temple is like a maze. You’ll start down one corridor only to find that you must turn around because it’s blocked by a pile of stones or completely flooded with water. The colors in this temple are amazing - lots of greens and pinks. I’m not sure if this is a characteristic of the type of stone used to build Ta Prohm or residue from the trees that have grown within the temple.
Our final temple of the trip was Preah Khan, or “Sacred Sword,” which was consecrated in 1191. This temple is another maze of vaulted corridors. Preah Khan was originally a Buddhist temple. When the king who commissioned the temple died, his successor was a Hindu king. Therefore, all of the images of Buddha within the temple have been defaced and replaced by images of Shiva. After finishing Preah Khan, we asked Mau to take us back to the hotel. The quickest way to get there was through Angkor Thom, so I was able to see the elephant sculptures that I had missed the first time at the Terrace of the Elephants.
Just a block away from our hotel was a restaurant that put on a traditional Khmer dance performance during dinner, the Koulen II Restaurant. Dinner was this amazing buffet with every type of cuisine you could possibly imagine, including pizza and spaghetti with marinara sauce. I tried to stick to things that I couldn’t get at home and tried to choose Cambodian dishes whenever possible.
Traditional Khmer folk dance is called Apsara. The movements of the dancers are often times very slow and graceful, almost like someone doing yoga. Most of the dances seemed to communicate a narrative, either folklore or a glimpse of village life.
After dinner, it was back to the hotel to try to pack all of the souvenirs we accumulated along the trip into our luggage for Sunday’s trip back to Hong Kong.
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