the majesty of Siem Reap

When I was plotting the Asian destinations that I want to go to a few years back, I must admit that Cambodia wasn't on my priority list. Therefore I was glad that the deadlock in the family meeting on where to go resulted more on, “which places that I haven’t been to that are accessible by Philippine passport that is palatable to the rest of my family”, than “where do the rest of my family REALLY want to go?”, which then translated to this amazing place that will be stuck in my mind for many years.

Going to the different ruins in Siem Reap was like an onslaught to the senses, it really is too much to take in at first glance that it warrants a second (and a third) look. Because of the tight schedule, we only have 1.5 days for the trip, and I think that would suffice to go to the main ones (but obviously you must not expect to go through the entire floor area of each site or else you’ll spend a night there), both for the Grand and small circuits. I’m awe-struck by how huge everything is and how intricate and carefully-planned everything is. The weather was also perfect at that time (December), I swear if it was summer I would’ve passed out despite the heaps of cold towels that our reliable driver has in his tuktuk.

So here’s a brief run through of each site we went to (in order, hehe):

• Bayon – it’s hard to take a decent picture here with all the tourists, the large stone heads are overwhelming (and I bet scary at night)
• Baphuon – I love how there’s a bridge going to the area, makes it more grand. It also looks like a bigger English mansion for me, without paint.
• Terrace of the Elephants – this was a doozy, we were wondering where the elephant reference comes from and apparently we were at the side of the Terrace and therefore didn’t see the elephant carvings (we turned going to Phimeanakas)
• Terrace of the Leper King – I just remembered being in a hurry to take a picture so that I can get out of the sun. the backstory of this place is fascinating though.
• Phimeanakas – My sister and I are the only ones who went here, ‘cause my brother and mother are already tired from all the walking
• Banteay Kdei – It’s interesting to see the different structured halls and visualize that this was a place of learning during that time
• Ta Phrom – okay the only thing I remembered in this place is that this is where they shot Tomb Raider and also the giant roots with the matching platform.
• Pre Rup – this is my favourite since it has a burnished red glow when I saw it (we went there late afternoon) and therefore stands out from the others (it’s made from brick instead of stone).

Before climbing the stairs at Pre Rup  
• Ta Som – all I remember again is the tree at the end with the big roots, hehe
• Neak Poan – I like the fact that we have to go through a long wooden bridge going through mangroves (it was really long) before seeing this place…change of scenery
• Angkor Wat – what can I say, books are not enough to fully appreciate this place. The sheer size and imagined opulence is just astounding. I’m happy that we saw this right after sunrise and therefore we don’t have to contend with large tour groups

Early morning, just "chilling" at Angkor Wat

• Preah Khan – Sadly, I can’t remember much of this place, maybe I was still hung over on Angkor Wat :|
• Baksei Chamkrong – this is a small ruin that serves as a guarding post of sorts for Phnom Bakheng
• Phnom Bakheng – wow, this is an apt conclusion to the entire route we took. The fact that we have to walk up a mountain to see this one makes it more satisfying. We spent a lot of time here since the fact that it is a mountain temple gives us a grand view of the other structures below.

High up at Phnom Bakheng

What I love about the whole experience is that it really lends itself to go beyond what you see and imagine the history behind it. I’ve seen a lot of ruins and cultural sites before but nothing tops this so far. It’s like the structures are still breathing and it won’t take an intellectual discourse or even a very thorough guidebook to fully appreciate and respect what these structures are and what they stand for.

I felt that although we covered A LOT of ground, it is still not enough to fully take in how wonderfully complex the Khmer culture is. The moment we left Siem Reap to go to Phnom Penh I was already raring to go back again. Thank God that we finally have direct flights going to Siem Reap, I can’t wait to experience it all again (this time by biking) and go to the far-flung areas which our guide said also feature awesome carvings. I am fully appreciative of the painstakingly detailed restoration work that they’re doing to the different sites, I can just imagine the future generations having a more fulfilling experience than I had when all of these are finished.

And, as a testament as to HOW MUCH we enjoyed our trip, here's a video showing the highlights of our trip. Just for pure fun, thank God that my siblings and mom got on board with the idea. Kindly do not share though, I might take the video down after a month or two and just put it on private since my sister doesn't want it publicized (you'll see why). Play at your own risk :D



Thanks to Sam (facebook.com/samtuktuk) for being our trusty tuktuk driver. He comes highly recommended: speaks good English, very patient and gives all the necessary information, and has unlimited cold water and cold towels (a must!). We stayed at Angkor Pearl Hotel, which is also highly recommended (definitely value for money).