Day 17 Monday 18 September 2006 Siem Reap

Visiting temples, starting with Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world built by the Khmer kings in the C12. Surrounded by a wide water-filled moat approx 2km square and approached via a long causeway from the west in comprises three concentric rectangular enclosures at progressively higher levels. The area in side the outer walls was occupied by the city but no trace remains of the largely wooden buildings. The temple itself made of sandstone and laterite represents the sacred hindu Mount Meru, the abode of the gods, comprising four towers around a central tower which originally housed a stupa but now is occupied by a Buddha after the state religion changed in the C13.

Around the central temple are cloisters with elaborately carved bas reliefs depicting tales and battles from Hindu mythology and the activities of the various kings. These stretch for 600m around the outer face of the courtryard. The central temple is reached via very steep worn steps on each flank, going up is much easier and safer than descending and one wonders how many tourists are lost each year (or killed by falling stone blocks. Restoration work is progressing slowly in a number of areas with different nationalities working on different projects.

After lunch we travelled to Banteay Srei temple about 20k north. Countryside is lush rice paddies and small farms with roads crowed with bicycles and motor bikes none of which had less than 3 passengers and were often laden with building materials, coconuts and sacks of rice. Also lots of ox carts. Banteay Srei, citadel of women, is the oldest temple complex, constructed in 960 and even more ornately carved. Its smaller both in extent and in scale of buildings such that it might have been designed to house children.

Returning to Siem Reap via the C12 Preah Khan temple, another left largely in its jungle clad state with lots of collapsed cloisters, overturned walls and blocked passages. Quite difficult to explore as there was a thunder storm raging which had flooded many of the chambers and turned some parts into dripping caves.

Dinner at Abacus restaurant near the hotel, run by French expatriates. (v good crème brulee, ****)

Weather 32 Thunderstorms
Distance today 0km
Distance driven from start 4338km
X5s seen today 0
X5s seen since start 7
Creme brulees today 1
Creme brulees from start 3