Day Two at Siem Reap (part 3)

In the midst of studying for Media Law and my Final Theory Test (of which I flunked the first!), I had a sudden revelation that I HAD to complete posting my photos of Siem Reap, Cambodia.

I suppose its due to reasons like this that I do not do well for tests. Well, let's just hope and pray a miracle happens for my second FTT tomorrow (:

In case you've not been reading on the Cambodia series, here are the first few posts:
Day One
Day One (part two)
Day Two
Day Two (part two)

Let's continue from the end of Day Two (part two), which was when we left the temples and had a BREAK! Hola, lunch!



Meet the Continental Cafe & Guesthouse, a cheap yet good place to get some local / western eats.

This is my Mixed Fruit Shake - which is seriously yummy, chock full of fruits that sucking on the straw makes you feel like your mouth is getting a workout. Mango is definitely a main component of the shake - and its only $1! (:



Here's a Beef Noodle Soup, also $1, but although it looks good, it apparently doesn't live up to its looks! Oh well, still cheap (:



We also had the Chicken w Pineapple Rice, of which I forgot the price. But so far, the food here is really rather affordable... and we came back for seconds (:



After a short nap (cos of the scorching heat), we were back at Angkor Archaeological Park.

The weary tourists trudge on...



Meet Ta Prohm, famous site of filming for Tomb Raider, I think.



Not that I watched it. But this site was allowed to remain in its overgrown state, with large trees growing out of the remnants. It was pretty much held up by a lot of wood beams.



Which, IMO, spoilt the photos!

The trees had particularly shimmery bark too, which means you should photograph there NOT during noon. As you can see, I was facing a lot of shiny reflective problems.







The ruins were particularly interesting though, as compared to the reconstructed / repaired buildings from the Angkorian era which although beneficial to the public, was not how it looked when adventurers discovered the place.



Rubble and tree roots...



Probably restored carvings:



Pardon the flare here, and stare at the gorgeous humongous tree with its roots encircling the ruins. BIG!!! :D



A place of worship within...



Nature regains its stranglehold on the ruins





A very naughty boy who KEPT HITTING THE ROOTS and making a commotion! I actually wished the tree would kinda come to life and swallow the kid whole like in the Lord of the Rings. Alas, none of that happened except in my vivid imagination. Neither did his irresponsible father give the boy a whooping.



And then, I catch a glimpse of the elusive monks in their saffron robes. Maybe their elusive only to me.



Sure, they are going away from me.



Some even run away, with a polite smile on their face.



Oh well, maybe I look scary to monks (:

The next post will bring us to Angkor Wat!

Day Two at Siem Reap: Angkor Archaeological Park (continued)

Finally, a continuation on the Cambodia trip (:

After our visit to Bayon, the state temple of Jayavarman VII during the late 12th to 13th centuries, we headed to the nearby Elephant Terrace and Terrace of the Leper King.

Similar to Bayon, the Elephant Terrace was built during the reign of Jayavarman VII.



Three hundred metres long, the terrace is decorated with elephants (yes, you guessed it), multi-headed horses, naga balustrades and garudas.

Elephants



and garudas



The terrace seems to be crumbling though, sadly.

However, it should be noted that both the Elephant Terrace and Terrace of the Leper King have 'hidden' walls (if I remember correctly) which have better preserved carvings.

When you visit the Terrace of the Leper King, do not just climb to the top to visit the copy (the original is in the National Museum)



but go into the hidden reliefs by walking into a thin sort of trench.



It sometimes gets flooded though, so the whole short distance is not walkable.



Next stop was Bapuon. The temples are all very close together in the enclosure of Angkor Thom.

Built in the middle of the 11th century, the causeway towards the entrance in the east is supported by short pillars.



We did not visit the temple though, for it was under renovation.



Instead, we got a bit lost walking towards Phimeanakas...

But were pointed the right way by a cripple selling paintings in the middle of nowhere.



Don't ask me why its slanting (:



This mini pyramid is crumbled on the top, and VERY small. Meaning you climb up very steep steps, for not really much of a view either on the pyramid, or of the surrounding areas. Not recommended.

Next post will have the famous Ta Prohm temple!

Day Two at Siem Reap: Angkor Archaeological Park

The second day started at 0430, as we headed to Angkor Wat for the sunrise.

Here's the part where you need a torchlight. When we reached, it was pitch dark. No lamps or any form of light except that you bring yourself. And yet there were already so many Angkor pass checkers, sitting in the dark at the start across the moat.

If you're a photographer, you might want to wake up earlier, for the sky was starting to brighten up as we were in the tuktuk on the way there. I kept squealing, panicking that I would miss the good light, but fortunately I reached in time.

Now, if you're there in the darkness, remember that this shot below, is not what you should be seeing if you're planning on taking the sunrise.



It was taken on the bridge across the moat. Just so you know, I was one of the first there, and did not recognise anything as nothing remotely looked like there were the reflecting ponds, but thought it was just the darkness so I set up my tripod in the middle of the bridge. The moon is still high though.

Here's another shot, you can see the sky is lighting up already.



After awhile, I realised that there were people with their guides streaming past me, so I wisened up that the sunrise was to be seen from somewhere further inside.

Lo and behold, its a long walk across the bridge, pass a building... and on and on you'll see Angkor Wat in front of you, with two ponds on either side of the long walk in. The one on the right is pretty dried up now despite it being the rainy season, so head for the one on the left.

I didn't do that, and instead headed up to the steps to take a closer shot... And ended up running to the pond when I saw the light begin to change.



The light is coming out as you can see above!! Got me so excited, perspiration was pouring off my brows. The sky was actually a soft dusty pink where you see the highlights, but stupid digital camera couldn't capture it ):

DA DA DA! The light changes again...



But it is blocked by clouds. Fortunately the clouds are red and beautiful (:



Ain't it a sight for sore eyes?

Then the sun pops up, and all beauty is gone, clouds become white and dreary.



Another view of the morning light at Angkor Wat.



You can probably see the flare in the photo. I forgot my lens shade, so please remember to bring yours. Cambodia is a very flarey place.

One of the 'libraries' behind the pond:



By then, I had squatted and kneeled and squatted for the longest time ever just waiting for my sunrise, that when I clambered up the steps I thought my legs would give way. Learning point here: bring a taller tripod (eye level) or a foldable chair.

Here's one of the seven-headed naga balustrades at Angkor Wat.



And here's the building/gate you will walk past on your way to the ponds. Its taken as in the direction out of Angkor Wat.

What's recommended is that the light at Angkor Wat is better in the late afternoon, as it is backlighted during the morning. So we headed to Angkor Thom before backtracking in the later part of the day.

Before I hopped on the tuktuk, I noticed two girls at the side of the super huge moat surrounding Angkor Wat. They were washing clothes.



and wringing them.



I walked a little further down, and ta da the reflection on the water is different!



Sometimes I don't understand photography.

We had a short breakfast at the stalls nearby Angkor Wat. Food there is not very cheap, about USD3-5 a meal. So either head back to town for a meal, or if you're on familiar terms with your driver, ask him to bargain the price down.

Here's the south (and most famous) gate of Angkor Thom.



Reason being that it is one of the more 'complete' gates, as the rest are in greater state of ruins, and have more missing heads / body parts. The big head you see above is a reconstructed one of an asura, otherwise known as a demon. Leading up to the gate, you will see a row of asuras and gods, grasping on to a naga (serpent god). Its based on the scene of the 'churning of the ocean milk', which is based on a Hindu myth, where the asuras and gods pull on Vasuki, a snake coiled round Mount Mahendra, to churn the ocean of milk and produce the elixir of immortality. Its a scene quite commonly found in the Angkor Archaeological Park.

Here's the south gate alone. The entrance / exit is sized enough for one car to pass through.



Here's the gate again, with an older asura. Not sure if its the original, or just an older reconstructed one.



Next stop was Bayon.



Looks like a huge pile of stones from far, but going closer, you notice the big carvings of heads everywhere.

Apsaras (beautiful celestial females) carved on a pillar.



One of the entrances to Bayon:



A reconstructed carving of apsaras on the temple.



The big carved heads... How many do you see?















Part two will be up when I have the time (: