Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 3): Angkor Grand Circuit

Day 3 (22/12/2016) : Grand Circuit

Grand circuit (photo from Angkor Travels)

Angkor Wat – second sunrise attempt

Opening hours: 5.00am until 5.30pm (except Central Tower from 7.30am to 5.30pm)

Reached: 5.15am (sunrise spotted 6.45am)

Beating the crowd strategy: Is this even possible?

Personal thoughts:

Everyone will probably tell you the same – sunrise at Angkor Wat is a must do. It’s stated in almost all available travel guide, asking you to wake up early for a nice spot at the lotus pond, where the crowd would be gathered. Having missed the sunrise the day before, I woke up early, fighting my sleepiness, and finally reached Angkor Wat while it’s still dark. 

When life gives you a second chance, grab it and don’t screw up again

Waiting patiently for sunrise

 It was a little past 5 and the site was opened. Together with the rest of early birds, we walked through the west entrance and to the lotus pond. It’s a long wait until the sky slowly brighten up, that everyone started snapping the silhouette of Angkor Wat, all while waiting for the sun to peek through its hiding. 

Lotuses

However, by the time it was 6.15am, there was still no sign of the sun even though the sky was bright. Thinking there was no hope, I walked to the other side of the lotus pond, to take some photos of the beautiful lotus in full bloom.

Look at the crowd!

Surprisingly, as I was snapping lotuses from various angle, I heard camera shuttering from the crowd. “Perhaps, sunrise?” I thought to myself, so I walked back to my previous vantage point, and sure enough, the sun’s finally up and rising from the back of Angkor Wat’s towers. It’s just a pity that my photography skill ain’t that good yet. Well, at least I saw how beautiful it is with my naked eyes. 

Sunrise

Be patient and you will be rewarded handsomely. Good things come to those who wait   

Phnom Bakheng

Opening hours: 5.00am until 7.00pm

Visited: 7.30am to 8.00am

Beating the crowd strategy: Huge Success!

About Phnom Bakheng:

Phnom Bakheng was built during the reign of King Yasovarman, dedicated to Shiva, but was later converted into a Buddhist temple. It is a temple mountain and built as a symbolic representation of Mount Meru. It is built in a pyramid of seven levels, representing the seven heavens, and at the top level, five sandstones sanctuaries stand in a quincunx pattern, with one in the center and one at each corner. Originally, there were 108 small towers surrounding the temple symbolises the four lunar phases with 27 days in each phase, but most of them had already collapsed.

Phnom Bakheng

Located atop a hill, Phnom Bakheng is extremely popular among tourists, notably famous for sunset views. However, these days, only 300 visitors are allowed access at any one time as the authority’s effort to preserve the temple for potential damage to this historical monument. To get a spot for sunset, visitors have not been coming as early as 4pm. 

Phnom Bakheng

Phnom Bakheng is also a great alternative for sunrise for those who wish to avoid the overcrowded Angkor Wat. 

My thoughts:

Inside of fighting for a sunset spot, I set my visit to Phnom Bakheng in the morning, right after sunrise, where the temple is at its quietest, and it was indeed so, when I reached at 7.30am. The hike up the slope was an easy one and in the cool morning weather, I hardly sweat, making the entire visit a pleasant one. I could hardly imagine walking up to the temple in the afternoon under the hot Cambodian sun, and having to wait there for 2 hours just for a sunset photo. I guess I made the right choice, scrapping off sunrise and sunset off Phnom Bakheng. The temple’s small and there wasn’t any interesting carvings to be seen, so I left after half an hour. 

Baphuon

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 8.15am to 8.55am

Beating the crowd strategy: Success!

About Baphuon:

Walkway to Baphuon

Baphuon

Located in Angkor Thom, at the northwest of Bayon, is a three-tiered temple mountain which was built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman. It was originally a Hindu temple dedicated to God Shiva but later converted to a Buddhist temple. Similar to other temple mountain, Baphuon is another symbolical representation of Mount Meru. 

Carvings

As the temple was built on land filled with sand, and due to its immense size the site was unstable throughout its history. It is possibly the most poorly constructed temples in Angkor and by 20th century, much of the temple had largely collapsed.  Being called the 'world's largest jigsaw puzzle' by some, Baphuon was painstakingly taken apart piece-by-piece by a team of archaeologists before the Civil War, but their meticulous records were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge regime, leaving experts with 300,000 stones to put back into place. After years of excruciating research, this temple has been partially restored.

Do not touch, sit nor stand on these

My thoughts:

View from the top

Being the second temple I visited for the day has it perks, as the weather was cool in the early morning, and I was still fresh and energetic. Baphuon, though not as impressive as Bayon, was one of my favourite spot of the day. Walking towards to temple, I find myself imagining myself in the world of ancient Khmer, where this site used to stand as the empire’s state temple.

Ascending to the top

As I ascend to the top, the Athens-like columns and pillars was quite mesmerising that I had fun pretending I’m in Greece. The place were quite in the morning, and I had most of the spots to myself. 

Grecian columns

Royal Palace and Phimeanakas

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 8.55am to 9.15am

Beating the crowd strategy: Success!

About Phimeanakas:

Located in the walled enclosure of the Royal Palace, lies Phimeanakas, which literally translated as “Celestial Palace”, is a three-tier pyramid Hindu temple in Khleang style, built at the end of the 10th century, during the reign of Rajendravarman, and later completed by Suryavarman I. On top of the pyramid was a tower known as “Golden Tower” which according to legend, lived a spirit in the form of a nine headed Naga, which is the supreme Lord of the Khmer Kingdom. Every night, the spirit appears in the form of a woman and the king must spend the night with her, or calamity would strike his land. If the spirit fails to appear, the King will die.

Phimeanakas

 Next to the temple are two pools, that may have been used for bathing or aquatic sports events.

Pool

About Royal Palace:

The exact location of the Royal Palace itself is unknown, but remains of buildings have been found south of the Phimeanakas, which are believed to be the foundations of the Palace. At the eastern side of the enclosure is a large cruciform terrace and four sanctuaries, that were possibly library buildings, while in the western section is an enclosed area, that might have been where the King’s concubines lived.

Gate to Royal Palace

My thoughts:

Phimeanakas was undergoing restoration during my visit, and was off-limits to visitors. Hopefully, as you read this blog post that the temple’s restoration is complete and ready to be visited. 

Elephant Terrace and Terrace of Leper King

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 9.20am to 9.35am

Beating the crowd strategy: Success!

About Elephant Terrace:

Built by King Jayavarman VII at the end of the 12th century, the Elephant Terrace stretches out over a length of more than 300 meters from the Baphuon in the South to the Leper King Terrace to the North. The terrace is named for the elephant carvings and sculptures. 

Large elephant heads protrude out from the wall, their very long trunks forming pillars extending to the ground

According to records, the King appeared daily on the terrace to listen to the complaints and problems of the citizens of his Kingdom. The parade grounds in front of the terrace were also used for several festivals, games, and possession. It is also said that the King used to view his victorious returning army from the platform.

Elephant carvings

About Leper King Terrace:

Named after the “Leper King” statue that was found here, the terrace was also built by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century, directly North of the Elephants terrace. The terrace is believed to be built as a representation of Mount Meru. 

The statue was called the "Leper King" because of the discolouration and moss growing on it was reminiscent of a person with leprosy. It coincides with the Cambodian legend of an Angkorian King Yasovarman I who had leprosy. However, the statue actually represents Yama, the God of death, and the Terrace of the Leper King might have been used a royal cremation site. 

Well preserved carvings on inner wall

The terrace consists of inner and outer walls, and the inner walls were built first and became buried under the soil when the outer walls were constructed. Thanks to that, the carvings of Naga serpents, demons, princes and princesses on the inner wall were well-preserved, looking as fresh as if they had been carved yesterday. The outer walls contain carvings like a Palace scene with a sword swallower and Shiva holding a trident. 

My thoughts:

Being there early in the morning, standing on the Elephant Terrace and looking out to the road where tourist buses passed by, was what I did that day. Imagining myself as part of the ancient royal Khmer guard, or perhaps, the King himself, watching the return of the victorious army, was a form of entertainment in itself. It’s a quick tour for these two terraces, but a joyful one indeed.

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere

Charging point – Preah Khan Restaurant

It was a long ride from the northern gate of Angkor Thom to Preah Khan Restaurant (about half an hour), the first of the two charging points available along the grand circuit. After handling my e-bike to the restaurant owner, I crossed the road to Preah Khan which was just located opposite the restaurant. 

Again, I didn’t buy any meals after my visit to Preah Khan either, but remembering that the staffs at Green e-bike did told me that this restaurant is managed by some poor family, I bought a can of drink while waiting for the bike to finish charging. Contrary to the other charging point, the business here wasn’t that good as this place is certainly more run down and the traffic along grand circuit was noticeably lesser. 

Preah Khan

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 10.00am to 11.00am

Beating the crowd strategy: Success!

About Preah Khan:

Preah Khan

Literally means “Royal Sword", Preah Khan is another creation of King Jayavarman VII, built to honor his father. The temple is flat in design, with a basic plan of successive rectangular galleries around a Buddhist sanctuary complicated by Hindu satellite temples.

Linga

As King Jayavarman VII was a devoted Buddhist, Preah Khan was built as a Buddhist temple but most depictions of the Buddha have been destroyed or changed into praying Rishi figures during the Hindu reaction of King Jayavarman VIII in the 13th century.

Rishi carvings

Collapsed chambers

Preah Khan was a temple city occupying a large around surrounded by a moat, with its outermost enclosure built up with wooden houses where common people lived. The temple's foundation stele states that close to 100,000 people were dedicated to serve the temple, including rice farmers, monks and dancers. It also lists the wealth of the temple, including silver, gold and gems. The stele also mentions that a statue of Lokeshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion was consecrated, carved to resemble the King’s father. 

Fallen rubbles

Preah has four entrances in each cardinal point, with the east entrance as the main entrance. Each entrance has a causeway over the moat with nāga-carrying devas and asuras similar to those at Angkor Thom, which indicated that the city element of Preah Khan was more significant than those of Ta Prohm or Banteay Kdei.

North of the hall of Dancers

One of the significant structure in Preah Khan is the “North of the Hall of Dancers”, which is a Grecian-style two-storey building with large circular columns. Although it is not known what the purpose of this structure was, some speculate it might have been a granary building.

My thoughts:

Preah Khan immediately captured my heart when I first walked in. The temple was huge and you walk through from one chamber to another, it feels like a maze. I had fun exploring this massive temple and found myself being impressed with its beautiful architecture with every new discovery. And that picturesque Grecian-style structure? I love that, very much. 

Neak Pean

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 11.45am to 12.05pm

Beating the crowd strategy: It doesn’t matter…

About Neak Pean:

Boardwalk to Neak Pean

Neak Pean, which literally translated as “the entwined snakes” is a small temple located on an artificial island in the center of the now dry Jayatataka Baray. The central pond of Neak Pean symbolizes lake Anavatapta, a lake located in the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology. Four smaller ponds and chapels surround it at each of its four sides, where pilgrims used to wash away their sins in the cleansing waters of the central pond.

Neak Pean

In the center of the central pond, stands the sanctuary on a circular stone based, encircled by two Naga snakes, guarding the East entrance of the temple. At the west entrance is their tails intertwined. 

Mirror of the sky

There are several lingas scattered round the central sanctuary, and in front of the East entrance is statue of the flying horse Balaha. According to one of the Jataka tales, a group of merchants were sailing the ocean when their ship was wrecked by storm. The merchants cling on the pieces of wood from the broken ship and ended on stranded on an island named Singhala. The merchants were welcomed by attractive women disguised by demons, who took them home where they had children and lives as family. They eventually came to know about the truth and tried to escaped the island. Once a month, the flying horse Bahala would appear on the island and the merchants were seen clinging to the horse’s manes and tail, escaping the island.  

My thoughts:

Reflections

Neak Pean is probably the least impressive temple along Grand Circuit, but the stroll along the boardwalk that leads to it was the actual highlight. Be sure to visit Neak Pean in the day when the sun shines the brightest, when the dead trees are reflected on the calm reservoir. 

Ta Som

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 12.20pm to 12.40pm

Beating the crowd strategy: Fail!

About Ta Som:

Ta Som

Ta Som is a small Bayon-style temple built at the end of the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII. The temple is dedicated to his father King Dharanindravarman II. The temple consists of a single sanctuary tower in the center and surrounded by enclosure laterite walls.

Smaller in scale compared to Preah Khan and Ta Som

The Bayon style is evident in both the temple’s entrance which are decorated with large faces of Lokeshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion , facing all four directions. 

A pediment standing on the ground, not restored

Like Preah Khan and Ta Prohm, Ta Som was left largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins, making it another “jungle temple”, but in a much smaller scale. 

My thoughts:

I had literally temple-out by the time I reached Ta Som, and nothing could interest me at that moment. Every carving looked familiar and every corner seemed like somewhere I’ve been. Come to think about it, it might be a good idea, to take a break before continuing.

There is a limit to a human’s ability to absorb, even the finest beauty

East Mebon

Opening hours: 7.30am until 5.30pm

Visited: 1.10pm to 1.40pm

Beating the crowd strategy: Somewhat okay!

About East Mebon:

East Mebon is a mountain temple build by King Rajendravarman II in the 10th century. The temple was constructed on a man-made island in the East Baray, a huge water reservoir which was only reachable by boat. The baray, however has now dried up. East Mebon was not Rajendravarman II’s state temple, but was dedicated to Hindu God Shiva and honoured the parents of the kings. The King’s state temple was Pre Rup which was build outside of the bray 9 years later.

The 5 towers of East Mebon, symbolising Mount Meru

The temple was built on a north–south axis with Pre Rup, and lies on an east–west axis with the palace temple Phimeanakas, another creation of Rajendravarman II. This reflects Khmer architect’s concern with orientation and cardinal directions. The construction of East Mebon consists of three types of materials, namely sandstone, brick, laterite and stucco. 

Built from laterite

Like Phnom Bakheng, it is built to represent Mount Meru. At the top of the temple is a central santuary on a square platform, surrounded by four smaller sanctuaries at each corner, altogether symbolises the five peaks of Mount Meru. The linga Sri Rajendreshvara was placed in the central sanctuary and the outer four surrounding sanctuaries were dedicated to Shiva, Parvati (the wife of Shiva), and the Hindu Gods Vishnu and Brahma.

My thoughts:

Having been temple-out at Ta Som, a visit to East Mebon was a breath of fresh air. Being a temple mountain, the site was big, spacious and open, unlike the dark, enclosed jungle temple of Ta Som. Built with laterite, the temple was bright orange and upon being shined under the hot son, it was a beautiful sight. I had a pleasant time wondering around, and spacing out. It wasn’t crowded during my visit, probably due to lunch hour, and the place was quiet and peaceful. 

Pre Rup

Opening hours: 5.00am until 5.30pm

Visited: 2.00pm to 2.45pm

Beating the crowd strategy: Consider a Success!

About Pre Rup:

Built as the state temple of King Rajendravarman, Pre Rup is also a Hindu temple dedicated to Hindu God Shiva. Besides also a temple mountain which represents Mount Meru, Pre Rup is also built in the similar architectural style as East Mebon, it is a temple mountain of combined brick, laterite and sandstone. The main difference between the two temples is that Pre Rup is a stepped pyramid while East Mebon isn’t. 

Pre Rup

The temple’s modern name means "turn the body" which supports the common belief among Cambodians that funerals were conducted at the temple, with the ashes of the body being ritually rotated in different directions as the service progressed. The temple may have served as an early royal crematorium. 

View from the second tier

Pre Rup is a built in the form of a three tiered pyramid, and on the second level are 12 small sanctuaries grouped around the structure that each used to contain a linga, a representation of Shiva. At the center of each side of the pyramid is a stairway leading to the platform with the five towers. The stairway is guarded on both sides by lion statues. The central tower and its surrounding four towers at each corner were dedicated to Shiva, Parvati (the consort of Shiva), Vishnu and Lakshmi (the consort of Vishnu).

Three-tiered pyramid

My thoughts:

Pre Rup was my last stop of the day, marking the end of my grand circuit tour. Just like East Mebon, the temple shines under the bright sun in vibrant, orange hue due to the use of laterite. I had wanted to stay for sunset, since it would have been a fantastic spot, as highly recommended, but had a last minute change of mind since the sky started to turn gloomy and I was afraid that it would be raining. Turned out it was false alarm after all, as the sun shone brightly on my ride back to town. 

Returning e-Bike

The plan was to stop by Khmer Cooking Empire for another round of charging but judging from the balance voltage, I figured it was enough to get me back to Green e-bike, so I decided to leave straight to Siem Reap town. I contemplated for a moment, whether to revisit Angkor Wat, which seemed to have a lot more to be explored, but in the end, choosing to return to Siem Reap. It’s been a long day, and I was already exhausted from the long ride along Grand Circuit, and the hot weather certainly didn’t help one bit. I reached Green e-bike in time before my 48 hours of rental is up, and after returning the bike, I walked back to the hotel for a satisfying shower. 

Third night in Siem Reap

Fried rice for dinner

Dinner for the night was settled at a roadside hawker stall right in front of Siem Reap Art Center Night Market. I had a plate of fried rice for US$3 and a cup of mango shake for US$1. The night was still young by the time I returned from my stroll at the night market, and I tucked in early, ready to rejuvenate myself for another long day ahead.

Mango shake

Lost Soul Fish Incident

(Remark: In Cantonese, “lost soul fish” is used to describe a scatterbrain, whom carelessness and forgetfulness causes a series of misfortune to oneself and others)

Having torn my pants once the day before, I was extremely careful, so not to cause the same mishap again. But bad luck strike again, as I torn the side of my pants this time as I climbed onto the bike at Neak Pean. As if that wasn’t enough, I was clumsy enough to have dropped the bike onto my feet at Ta Som. My arms might have been tired from riding around the whole day. Thankfully, I only lightly injured my toes.

Lesson learnt: Stay focused!

Careless girl

Epilogue

At the end of my third day in Siem Reap, I was grateful that I did this impromptu trip. It started because I wanted to take the chance to have a short trip before starting my employment in a new company, and I only started planning and reading up on information days before departure. Albeit not doing a thorough research on the temples prior to my visit, I was in other way surprised every time I across new interesting things. Should I have read more about the temples, would I have been overwhelmed with information and got sick of seeing so many temples? I probably could be. In fact, even with minimal research, I was slightly burnt out by the time I reach Ta Som, so I’m glad the little knowledge on the temples made me a little gleeful girl who was happy and excited as she explores each and every new, unfamiliar site.   

The key to enjoying the journey is being open to the unknown

• 4 Days Siem Reap Itinerary In Less Than USD160
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 1): Old Market, Night Market and Pub Street
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 2): Angkor Small Circuit
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 4 & 5): Banteay Srei & Beng Mealea