Cambodia: The Hot Temples of Angkor Wat

Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor Wat are one of those “bucket list” sites where you have an image in your mind of what it will be like long before you arrive in person. Sometimes it meets your expectations, sometimes not, sometimes it is exactly how you imagined it would be like, and sometimes it surprises you with the unexpected.  Siem Reap and the Angkor Wat Archeological Park were all the above.

our lovely 1st world hotel pool

We had a day to first explore the city of Siem Reap before visiting Angkor Wat. Understandably, it is an economy based almost entirely on tourism with beautiful hotels (next to families living in shacks), hip and trendy restaurants (next to small family-run stands selling food cooking in pots right on the street), and shops and artisan galleries (next to street vendors selling souvenir trinkets). Another day in Southeast Asia!  I guess the city of Siem Reap was a bit more touristy than I 


expected, with overhead neon banners

shacks just outside our hotel window

designating “Pub Street” (a restaurant street) or the night markets. There seemed to be more tuk tuks than tourists, with each one offering you a ride as you walk down the street.  In fact, most people don’t walk around as it is very hot and humid.  There are no sidewalks, and thousands of scooters and motorcycles weave in and around the automobiles on narrow streets with no apparent rules, creating chaos everywhere! Not sure which was riskier- walking or riding these diesel-spewing tuk tuks. Needless to say, air quality was an issue.......

pedestrian bridge over river in Siem Reap

An interesting phenomena we discovered in Siem Reap is the number of non-profit restaurants in operation.  These restaurants, run by local NGOs in Siem Reap, help young adults, who have left orphanages, as well as disadvantaged young adults find opportunities in the workplace for jobs in the hospitality industry.  We dined at several restaurants that served as training grounds for these energetic youth to learn cooking skills, food and beverage management, and serving skills.  The food was delicious and the service energetic- sometimes staff were trying too hard!  Another interesting fact is that the currency used is the American Dollar.  Going to an ATM, you will be withdrawing US Dollars, not the local currency, which we found was rarely used.

The next day we were picked up early at our hotel by our tour guide, Mr. Pichet Sieng, who would lead us through and around the Temples of Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat

First thing we learned is that Angkor Wat is only one of the many temples in the Archeological Park. It is huge and is considered the largest monument in the world comprising 402 acres, with the wall surrounding the temple grounds is 2.2 miles in length. The temple itself was originally the Royal Temple for the king and higher officials in the royal household, while ordinary citizens of the ancient cities that inhabited the area were never permitted to enter Angkor Wat.  It was built in the 9th Century as a Hindu temple for the God Vishnu, in the traditional temple mountain style- where the temple towers resemble a mountain reaching up to the heavens. During the 12th Century it was converted to a Buddhist temple, then later, back again to a Hindu temple- each dynasty removing or destroying the religious artifacts of the previous one. Carvings along the walls were not destroyed as most depicted mythological stories of battles, creation, and daily life. Subsequent dynasties even added to existing mural carvings.  The differences in craftsmanship and details were interesting to note. Angkor Wat is probably in the best condition when compared to the other temples in the complex, and is constantly undergoing restoration and preservation. No mortar or concrete was used to construct the temples, and there are holes evident in the building stones that showed how they used bamboo sticks to transport the heavy limestone blocks. Statues were placed upon stone pedestals with carved pegs fitting into reciprocal carved holes.

After about two and a half extremely hot and humid hours in Angkor Wat, we finally emerged on the opposite end of the temple with a greater understanding of the temple structure, history, rituals, and mythical legends of the period.

Angkor Thom

Established in late 12th Century, it covers an area of nine square kilometers, and includes several different monuments and temples from earlier eras. 

- Bayon Temple 

Located in the center of Angkor Thom, this richly decorated temple is known for face carvings, which are evident everywhere you look- on all the towers and monuments with detailed serene and smiling Buddha images carved into the stone facing all four directions.

- Baphuon

Another temple from mid-11th Century, a three-tiered temple mountain dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva.

Elephant terrace, part of the walled city of Angkor Thom, was used by the king as a platform to view his army and address the citizens. The terrace is named after the carvings of elephants, life-sized Garudas (legendary bird-like creature found in Hindu and Buddhist mythology), and lions.

- Royal Palace

Built originally in the 11th century, it was transformed and restored many times up through the 16th century.  Built of wood and other organic materials, it has decayed over time and now only the stone wall remains.

Ta Prohm Temple

Built in late 12th/early 13th century, and unlike most of the temples in the Archaeological Park, Ta Prohm is pretty much in the same condition as when it was first discovered. With trees growing out of the ruins, and the surrounding jungle encroaching within the structures, it is one of the most known and popular sites, also made famous as a filming site for Tomb Raider.

A final stop for the day was a quick visit to one of the “Killing Fields” sites to understand what occurred during the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot reign of terror. We learned that the average age in Cambodia today is 30 years old, as many began having children only after the war ended in 1979, when Vietnam invaded Cambodia and destroyed most of the Khmer Rouge army.  It was a very somber site- not much to see, but full of explanation and stories as to what happened.

"Through stories, we understand the beauty and diversity of the human spirit which shines through the most incredible hardships and the most depraved evils.  A diverse society is a healthy society, which values open-mindedness, innovation, and freedom.  These are difficult qualities to obtain for all societies, which is why cultural diversity is so crucial to a post-conflict society's development.  Cultural diversity is a fragile characteristic that can be easily eroded by a society's ignorance of its past.  Indeed, cultures can be eradicated just as easily during peacetime as during war.  While looting and the illegal sale of cultural antiquities are the more flagrant examples of cultural destruction, mass ignorance and indifference can be more pernicious.  

All generations bear a civic duty to preserve, protect, and restore the country's diversity of cultures through a conscientious study of culture and history.  This project is one critical step forward in meeting this solemn duty."

This memorial includes a sample of the human remains from a mass grave found at one of the Killing Fields.

Lounging in Laos

the main street through Luang Prabang

After crazy, big, hectic, polluted, and congested Bangkok we arrived to charming, quaint, and chill Luang Prabang, Laos. Nestled in a mountain valley at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, Luang Prabang served as the royal capital of Laos until 1975, and is a UNESCO-protected town.  The French have certainly made their claim here- we hear more French spoken than any other language; French businesses, restaurants and bakeries (YESSSSS!), schools, and tourists!

along Nam Khan River

It is quaint, lively, and very relaxing here.  We love the French food (we were so done with curries and pad thai), and my high school French has made a surprise encore performance!  We loved walking through the night market, and I must say I'm incredibly frustrated at all these "shopportunities," being unable to buy everything I want, as we are unable to carry much in our backpacks and having just purged ourselves of all the "stuff" we collected over the years cluttering our home!


We took the first day to wander the lovely streets and alleyways, visited the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center to learn about the diversity and richness of the most well-known Laos ethnic minority groups: Akha, Hmong, Kmhmu, and Tai Lue.  Their unique cultures are explained through their textiles, jewelry, household tools, handicrafts, and ritual and religious artifacts.

We then strolled the lanes behind the museum up to Mount Phousi, a small mountain right in the middle of Luang Prabang, which houses a small temple and monastery near the summit. The latter of which is mostly known for the views and enjoying the sunset, which we did!

view of Luang Prabang from the summit of Mount Phousi

The hand-woven textiles here are amazing, and we stumbled into one of the textile boutiques, Ock Pok Tok.  There we were offered a tour at their local heritage center- a women-owned cooperative where they bring local villagers and visitors to share and teach the arts of making natural dyes (from local herbs, roots, and trees), silk weaving, wax batik, and bamboo dying/weaving.  This tour prompted me to take a one-day silk weaving workshop with a master weaver from one of the nearby villages (no English but we communicated just fine!).   After seven hours sitting on a hard wooden bench (overlooking the Mekong River), and operating a hand-built wooden loom with my bare feet and pushing a hand-carved shuttle with raw silk bobbins (of which I spun the silk onto the bobbins), I now go into local textile shops with a new appreciation for the effort and skill that go into these textiles!  We were also served a beautiful lunch together with other participants doing dying and batik workshops.

Master Weaver	my"office" for the day...."	chart of natural dye sources "
spinning the silk	...and then weaving the silk	my finished silk scarf

There is beauty surrounding Luang Prabang, and we ventured out on a tuk tuk we hired for the day to see the Kuang Si Waterfalls.  Set in a lovely forest, this terraced series of waterfalls are bright blue/green due to the limestone, and one could swim in any one of several natural pools (a bit cold for our taste), or hike up along the falls to the source of the spring.  At the entrance is a rescue bear sanctuary, where an NGO has rescued bears from the “bear-bile” industry.  Look it up........it’s a grim story. 

enjoying the fish spa!

Just down the road from Kuang Si was the butterfly sanctuary.  A private project of a Dutch couple- it houses over 80 species of butterflies in a large, beautiful garden where they have volunteers to share live caterpillars, and explain the different stages of their life cycles, including the nurturing of the chrysalises until they emerge as butterflies.  At their own cost along with entrance fees and donations, they bring school children from the surrounding villages to educate them about butterflies.  Luang Prabang itself has a huge, natural butterfly population.  A mini fish spa within the butterfly enclosure was an added bonus.

Our final stop was at the Organic Buffalo Dairy.  This private farm educates local buffalo farmers as to the use of its milk.  Most farmers raise the livestock for meat which takes many years before they realize a profit.  So, an NGO came in and built this farm to teach local buffalo farmers how they can properly vaccinate, feed, and milk the buffalo until they are ready for slaughter.  They can sell the milk, learn to make cheese and ice cream, and use it to feed their undernourished children.  Since many Lao people are lactose intolerant, the buffalo milk (almost lactose-free) is a perfect solution.  Oh BTW, buffalo milk ice cream is AMAZING... (what’s not to like...it has a 10% fat content!)

Now, it was time to experience The Mekong River.  Growing up during the Vietnam War era, I remember hearing about this river and expected to see a wide, gushing river.  But we are here during the dry season, so most of the riverbed is exposed with only one deeper channel navigable through the river valley.  We took a leisurely cruise up the Mekong past villages, an elephant camp, and stopping briefly at Xanghai Village to see how they make homemade whiskey (bottled with snakes, scorpions, and other insects inside).  First, what is the purpose of these bottle inhabitants, and second, do they live around here.....should I be looking out for them?.....  After a few hours peacefully riding the river, we arrived at our destination- the Pak Ou Caves.  Not unlike the Pindaya Caves in Myanmar (see Inle Lake blog post), these two limestone grottos contain approximately 4,000 Buddha statues and images.  On our return trip, we were served a traditional Lao lunch on the boat.

farming along the Mekong River
local cattle enjoying the Mekong	scorpions in this liquor!	Buddhas in Pak Ou Cave
offerings in Pak Ou Cave	cave view of Mekong	surrounding mountains along Mekong River

UXO Information Center

Other notable sites in Luang Prabang included the UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) Information Center, housed within the UXO Base Center.  During the Indochina and Vietnam Wars, thousands of cluster bombs and land mines were dropped in Laos during the war and later dumped at the end.  Most did not explode and have been lying on or under the ground for 40 years.  Farmers, in cultivating land for crops, still hit these hidden bombs and they explode, killing or maiming them.  Children especially are vulnerable as they come across these metal objects while playing and pick them up out of curiosity.  Many, knowing the danger, often choose to try and disarm them in order to collect and sell the valuable scrap metal.  The UXO Center not only goes out looking and GPSing the location of UXOs, they disarm or explode them, and have an extensive community outreach to educate children of the dangers and what to do should they come across one.

No visit would be complete without visiting a temple and monastery.  We chose to visit the Wat Xieng Thong (build in 1560), the largest and most significant Buddhist monastery in Laos.  It has intricate mosaic murals depicting life in the village, and a "flame tree of life" mosaic.  We stayed until 6 pm to hear the monks' daily evening chanting.

Perhaps one of the most popular sites is the two bamboo bridges across the Nam River.  These two bridges are re-erected annually after the rainy season has concluded and kept up for about six months, then taken down at the commencement of the next rainy season.  They are not sturdy enough to withstand the strong river currents during the wet season.  They are built by hand by local families and there is a small fee to to cross the bridge, which goes towards the cost of constructing the next season's bridge.

We loved Luang Prabang- it’s charming relaxed vibe, restaurants, cafes, and especially its croissants, baguettes, and patisseries.

Luang Prabang sites