Siem Reap, Cambodia 2006

All images and associated pages copyrighted © by Don Chesnut, 2006

My travel agent, Frances Woollam, booked my stay in Viet Nam, Cambodia and Thailand through Brendan Vacations (www.brendanvacations.com). They, in turn, booked certain segments with other regional travel services, including Indochina Services (www.indochina-services.com) and Pandaw Cruises (www.pandaw.com). I traveled alone (except for the river cruise) and in the hot and humid season when few other tourists were there; perfect for me.

15 July 06, Saturday

     I got up about 5:30, showered and had breakfast. We disembarked the boat at Udong with many goodbyes and boarded our bus. They said the bus trip was about 4.5 hours with one comfort stop. There was a bathroom on the bus, but it didn't flush. The bus driver apparently decided to drive all the way to Siem Reap without a comfort stop. Did I mention that the bathroom didn't work? When we got to Siem Reap, the driver didn't know where to take us. His helper jumped out of the bus at numerous places, asking for directions. We finally got to our drop off hotel where we met our guides for the day. My guide and driver took me to my hotel "Le Meridien Angkor," a very nice place (their webpage). I checked in and took my bags to the room.

    Afterwards, I met my guide, Nay at 2 PM and we toured Angkor Wat. The Sleeper family also had the Brendan tour and I saw them and the Australian couple there as well. I took a lot of pictures at Angkor Wat.

• my guide Nay and my hotel
• map of Siem Reap and Mekong River from Google Earth
• map of Siem Reap area and the Angkor temples from Google Earth
• map of Angkor Wat from Google Earth
• close-up map of Angkor Wat from Google Earth
• causeway; closer view of temple
• the causeway at Angkor Wat to the main temple complex
• on the causeway
• lion at causeway
• side of the causeway
• temple complex
• view through the front gate building
• courtyard and next building
• seven-headed cobra
• very detailed carvings
• view along the building
• doorway carving
• bas relief of two dancers
• two more dancers
• bullet holes from the Pol Pot regime
• multi-armed deity in orange
• offerings
• walk to next set of buildings
• side building
• view from lake
• multiple spires
• attempt to assemble some of the blocks
• view of complex from forest path, much like when it was "discovered;" another view; view from gate
• bas relief (fuzzy); bas relief (fuzzy); better view
• deity and two horses; better view
• another relief with two horses
• long row of bas reliefs; another view with vault; detail of relief; detail with chariot; another view; different chariot
• edge of pool (a pool at one time) (also the Plowmans); another view; another view of pool
• small, carved stone items
• more carved pieces
• Nay, my guide
• side of building and ornate column
• steep steps leading up to one of the spires
• same compound
• other side of compound
• spire and steps; another view
• other end of spired platform
• view from top of steps; view into distance; another view; view of compound
• dancing girls at spire entrance
• sitting Buddha with cobra heads
• building with columns
• building with columns
• one of the spires
• spire over columns; another view
• view toward forested area; another view; yet another view
• reclining Buddha
• bas relief of dancing girl
• carved lintel?
• carved-stone facing and volcanic stone core; closer view
• stupa; another view
• area next to stupa
• bas relief of multi-headed cobra, part of the "Churning the Sea of Milk" icon; another view
• bas relief with fighting elephant; another view; another view

After I came back, I showered and went down to the pool. I signed up for the cultural dance and dinner at the hotel. I joined the Sleepers and we watched the dances. The costumes, dances and music were interesting and I took lots of photos.

• young lady playing the traditional xylophone in the hotel lobby
• man playing the erhu?; another view
• dancers with spired hats; another view; yet another view
• musicians (fuzzy)
• another traditional dance
• dancing monkey deities; another view (fuzzy)
• young lady in white and orange; another view; same lady with monkey deity
• girls with baskets; walking around; holding baskets
• lady in white and gold; several dancing girls; another view; elevated foot
• all the dancers; dancers with guests; the two big ones were surprisingly good dancers

16 July 06, Sunday

     The Sleepers and I doubled up with the same guide and driver and we met in the lobby at 8:30. Nil Soknay was our guide (Indochina Services). We headed out in a Mercedes van to Ta Prohm, then to Angkor Thom and its Bayon temple (with all the big heads). I took lots of pictures of these ancient structures.

• lobby of  Le Meridien Angkor; other side
• map of Ta Prohm from Google Earth
  1. close-up map of Ta Prohm from Google Earth
  2. map of inner Ta Prohm from Google Earth
  3. musicians along path (fuzzy)
  4. one of first structures along the way (fuzzy); another view; Ta Prohm was stripped of vines, but the trees were kept in order to show what the site looked like when found
  5. trees in front of structures
  6. structure with large tree on top; another view; yet another view
  7. jumbled rocks; very little has been reconstructed; some areas have been shored up to prevent casualties
  8. jumbled blocks
  9. walkway with tourists (fuzzy)
  10. fractured building
  11. vaulted buildings
  12. carved niche; another view
  13. entrance next to tree; another view
  14. tree roots growing into wall
  15. vaulted building with columns
  16. high vault; another view
  17. big roots; another view; people posing with big roots
  18. damaged post and lintel refitted with concrete supports
  19. beams supporting another post and lintel
  20. tree on wall
  21. small pagoda
  22. big tree roots; another view; yet another view
  23. smaller structures; another view; another view; another view; yet another view
  24. large tree root; another view
  25. ribbon-like buttress roots
  26. massive roots over carvings
  27. tree roots with small bas relief head showing through
  28. jumbled blocks
  29. root mass
  30. girl posing under root mass; same Australian girl shortly before a bird pooped on her head
  31. sitting priests?
  32. walking under post and lintel structure
  33. jumbled rocks and guard
  34. two dancing girls
  35. more carvings on the wall
  36. big roots; toddler and roots
  37. tree over vault
  38. another building with tree in middle
  39. compound with tree roots over wall; another view; another view to the right
  40. between buildings
  41. tree on vault
  42. vaulted colonnade
  43. walk back
  44. light-blue and black butterfly; another view
• sign in restroom
• gateway to Bayon at Angkor Thom
1. map of Angkor Thom complex from Google Earth
2. map of Bayon complex at Angkor Thom from Google Earth
3. map of Bayon at Angkor Thom from Google Earth
4. "Churning the Sea of Milk" carving on causeway
5. seven-headed cobra at end of "Churning the Sea of Milk" carving; another view with Chris
6. heads holding cobra at Sea of Milk
7. other Sea of Milk banister on causeway; close-up of carvings
8. gate
9. stone heads at the top of the gate
10. back side of gate
11. elephant heads; columns are trunks
12. view of wall
13. wide load for narrow gate
14. another set of elephant heads and trunks
15. walkway to main complex
16. lion on walkway
17. to the right of the walkway
18. next set of structures
19. upper part of structures; look for the heads
20. entrance with square columns
21. square columns and carvings; close-up of doorway carving
22. dancing girls
23. carving on square column
24. elephant army bas relief; another view
25. elephant army
26. another bas relief; close-up
27. dancing girl in doorway
28. one of several four-headed spires
29. sitting bas relief
30. view through corbelled arch
31. close-up of another spire
32. lost blocks
33. rectangular doorways with guards
34. sword-bearer at doorway
35. altar care-taker
36. another four-headed spire; another view
37. bas relief with many people
38. two spires
39. artist with drawings of heads
40. close-up of heads
41. big heads
42. view between buildings
43. platform between heads
44. silhouette of head
45. view of altar (low light); same with flash
46. girl posing in front of head
47. cousins Chris and Kevin with big head
48. another big head
49. many heads
50. young lady posing for her friends
51. mis-located blocks
52. sitting Buddha
53. large sitting Buddha outside main Temple complex; worshippers; view of the Buddha
54. map of Baquon temple and Elephant Terrace at Angkor Thom from Google Earth (aka Baphuon temple)
55. close-up map of temple and terrace from Google Earth
56. Baquon temple complex behind Elephant Terrace
57. disassembled blocks during French reconstruction effort; they were expelled by Pol Pot and all notes were destroyed; now, no one knows where the blocks go
58. view of Baquon temple
59. walkway to temple
60. row of elephants at the Elephant Terrace
61. elephants in bas relief
62. elephants at end of platform, columns are trunks
63. long wall with carvings of elephants
64. small building across parade ground
65. parade or procession ground
66. one of several platforms for viewing parade ground
67. platform held up by monkey gods?
68. one of the platforms; lions and monkey gods?; another view
69. close-up of wall on platform
70. gate near one of the platforms; another view
71. carvings on wall; another view
72. carvings on platform; close-up of platform carving
73. more elephant trunks
74. edge of another platform

After lunch (at a park restaurant), we went to Preah Khan.

• map of Preah Khan complex from Google Earth
• close-up map of Preah Khan from Google Earth
• close-up map of Preah Khan from Google Earth
• walkway to gate at Preah Khan
• kids
• sign for Preah Khan preservation (fuzzy)
• carving at wall; another view
• "Churning the Sea of Milk" railing at causeway; close-up
• missing heads at causeway; another view
• entrance gate to temple complex
• view through gate
• entrance with some broken columns
• another entrance with intact columns
• black and yellow beetle (very fuzzy)
• temple structures
• entrance to temple
• swordsmen with missing heads
• carvings over entrance
• guard at entrance
• windows and door
• misplaced blocks
• broken wall
• doorway carving misplaced
• another doorway carving
• collapsed corbelled vault
• figure near doorway
• altar in hallway
• many carvings
• vaulted buildings
• carvings on wall
• seated figures in wall
• stupa
• headless, seated Buddha
• hallway
• several hallways
• carvings over door (fuzzy)
• jumbled blocks in front of buildings
• guard at doorway
• tree growing over small building
• another entrance
• red columns
• carvings over door, pieces missing from niches; closer view
• fitted blocks in wall
• wall carvings and tree root
• western-style round columns; influence from western traders
• more wall carvings
• same round columns and wall carvings
• perhaps brown and white Color Sergeant butterfly (Parathyma nefte Cramer) on guide's belt buckle
• colonnade
• base of large tree; another view; yet another view
• view down series of hallways
• same round columns behind wall
• another entrance; our exit
• lions and cobras at entrance walkway; another view

After that, we went to Siem Reap and a tour of a craft workshop where they made sandstone carvings, silk screen paintings, lacquer ware, etc. Here they train young people a craft that they can take back to their village and earn a living.

• sandstone carving; reconstruction of artifact
• sandstone Buddha carving; also a reconstruction

     After the city tour, we went back to the hotel and met at the pool. Later, I went out for a walk, but found that it was not too easy, because of construction, lack of consistent sidewalks, etc. When I came back to the hotel, I packed because we leave for Bangkok tomorrow.

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