As the last big adventure of 2017, I brought my visiting mom and brother to Siem Reap, Cambodia, one of my favorite cities in Asia, to visit the legendary Angkor Wat Historical Park.
Part 1: Angkor Wat
I've been to Siem Reap, Cambodia every year since I first moved to Bangkok. Over the years, it's become one of my favorite places to visit, and I've gotten really comfortable with the quiet little town. I had to renew my passport this year, and after transferring all of my Thai visa extensions and entry permits into the new book, my first new entry would be a Kingdom of Cambodia visa. This time, I was very excited to be traveling with my mom and brother on their very first visit to the little southeast Asian kingdom.
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| a Cambodian tuk-tuk |
We flew out of Bangkok's Survarnabhumi Airport after work on a Friday, on their first full day in Thailand. Our Thai Smile flight was touching down on the little airstrip at the tiny Siem Reap airport just 35 minutes later. We walked across the tarmac to the arrivals terminal, through the smoky and humid night air, quickly cleared immigration, and met the driver from our hotel who was waiting for us with his tuk-tuk.
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| arriving at Angkor Wat |
After landing in Bangkok just the night before, my poor jet-lagged family weren't quite up for waking up at 4:30 to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Instead, we took a leisurely morning and enjoyed breakfast and tea at our hotel before meeting our driver, Mr. Kim San, who would be taking us around the historical park's Small Circuit. Entry to Angkor Wat has doubled in the past few years. The previously $20 one-day ticket now costs $40, but with that, I can definitely see lots of improvement since the last time I visited. Now, instead of walking over the ancient stone pathway across Angkor's magnificent moat, there is a new bridge just for visitors, to help preserve the old construction.
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| approaching the ruins |
I've been to Angkor twice before, but it never stops being an incredible experience, despite the crowds of tourists. There's something somewhat magical about walking about, touching, and exploring the ruins of a long-gone ancient empire.
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| mom, bro, and me |
The first stop on the Small Circuit is Angkor Wat itself, the iconic hulking ruin of the Khmer Empire's most important temple. When Pinky and I visited Cambodia last year, we didn't make it to Angkor Wat, so it was exciting for us to be visiting the ruins for the first time together as well.
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| at the temple |
Arriving after the sunrise meant the worst of the crowds had already dispersed, and although the ruin was still very popular, it was possible to find quiet parts of the old temple where you could feel like you were all alone.
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| looking out from the ruins |
After a few hours of exploring Angkor Wat, we took a rest at the Angkor Cafe, a branch of the wonderful Blue Pumpkin Cafe just outside the ruins. After a delicious Khmer coffee, it was time to move on. Amazingly, as soon as we stepped out of the cafe, Mr. Kim was there to meet us! That man was awesome! He was always able to find us immediately when we were ready for him, and constantly provided us with cold water from an ice chest built beneath the seats of his tuk-tuk.
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| Angkor Wat |
The next stop, my favorite bit of the Small Circuit, is Angkor Thom, the capital city of the ancient empire. The most remarkable ruin in the park, in my opinion, being the Bayon, the official state temple of King Jayavaraman VII, who converted the empire from Hinduism to Buddhism in the 13th century.
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| Angkor Thom |
Not all of the Bayon's complex is as completely restored as Angkor Wat. Although the main building is in great condition, some of the outer walls have crumbled away.
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| ruined wall |
The most iconic part of the Bayon are the faces looking out to all directions from the upper level prangs atop the temple. These serene faces are believed to be that of the king, who identified himself as a Boddhisatva, a Buddhist saint.
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| Bayon faces |
Angkor Thom was quieter still than Angkor Wat. It is still warm in the winter time in Southeast Asia, although the air was not uncomfortably hot, and there was a decent breeze from time to time. The relatively cooler weather made for a much more pleasant time exploring the dark stone halls of the old ruins.
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| exploring the ruins |
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| atop the Bayon |
Unlike Angkor Wat, which was built as a Hindu temple, Angkor Thom was constructed by the empire's first Buddhist king. The Bayon is a definitively Buddhist temple, and still regarded as a holy site for the religion.
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| a small Buddhist shrine |
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| Angkor Thom |
From Bayon, we walked past a few lesser ruins, some of which were no more than a pile of stones.
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| the ruins of a long-lost empire |
The Terrace of the Leper King is a small ruin, but one which has been preserved amazingly well! The carvings and reliefs in the walls are in excellent condition for their age.
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| Terrace of the Leper King |
Some of the temples were so small and forgotten, that we were more or less the only people there. We didn't learn the names of these smaller temples, which were definitely overshadowed by Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, but which hold no less history.
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| a small temple |
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| looking out over the historical park |
The final stop on the Small Circuit is Ta Phrom, a ruin which has been partially reclaimed by the jungle.
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| Ta Phrom |
Ta Phrom was an ancient Buddhist monastery dating back to 1186, and has deliberately been left in more or less the same condition in which it had fallen, with crumbling stones and twisting tree roots gripping the old buildings.
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| tree roots at Ta Phrom |
We received a prayer and two blessed strings from a Buddhist nun inside one of the dark, cool chapels of the old temple. She tied the strings to our wrists, said a short prayer over us, and told us "good luck to you". In Thai, Buddhist chanting is done in the ancient Pali language. Pinky later told me that this woman was not chanting Pali, as she wasn't able to recognize the words. Perhaps she was praying in Khmer, or another ancient Cambodian language.
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| receiving a blessing |
Tired and happy, we returned to our hotel in the afternoon, exhausted after seeing just the smallest fragment of what Angkor Wat Historical Park has to offer. The Small Circuit, however, is the best way to see the most amazing and iconic sites in a short time. Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Phrom are the three sites we surely couldn't miss!
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| going back to the hotel |
Part 2: Christmas in Cambodia
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| kramas, Cambodian scarves |
It was just days before Christmas, and we would be celebrating in Cambodian style! The hotel was decorated with a tree, beautiful lights that glowed during the night, and welcoming Santas at the door.
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| Santa welcoming us to the hotel |
The morning after visiting Angkor (after watching the amazing Phare circus the night before), we visited the Angkor National Museum. The grounds outside were also decorated for Christmas, and a great photo op!
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| outside the National Museum |
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| Santa at the Angkor National Museum |
After spending the morning at the museum, we visited the Blue Pumpkin Cafe in town, which was also very festive! A few scoops of homemade ice cream later, and we were off to explore the Old Market (where we bought some souvenirs and traditional Cambodian krama scarves) and Pub Street.
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| Blue Pumpkin Cafe |
It was a warm day, and the big temple at the end of Pub Street was quiet. We walked around the grounds a bit. I've visited before early in the morning before the main building was open.
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| at the big temple |
This day, however, we were there in the early afternoon, and I got to go inside the temple building for the first time!
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| a large reclining Buddha statue |
On our way out of Pub Street, we asked Mr. Kim San to take us to the Artisan's Village, a really cool project that helps people learn traditional Cambodian crafts in order to teach them valuable artisan skills and help revitalize the Cambodian economy while providing jobs to local people. We got to see how all of their handmade products are made, and one of the craftsmen gave my mom a one-of-a-kind crucifix carved from soapstone.
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| even the giftshop at the village was Christmassy! |
Tired from a fun weekend, we flew back to Bangkok late that night, our adventure in Cambodia at an end. It was a really special time to be able to bring my family with me and share one of my favorite places with them.
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| Mr. Kim San, our trusty driver |
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Here's to many more adventures ahead in 2018!
