Siem Reap, Cambodia

The Athanas family standing at the back entrance of Angkor Wat.

For Spring Break, we decided to go to Siem Reap, Cambodia.  The flight to Siem Reap is only about two and a half hours.  However, the plane did not have infotainment systems which Spiro feels is “a basic requirement for a passenger plane.” The airport in Siem Reap is nice, in an old school kind of way.  Unfortunately, once we landed, we were in what Spiro described as “the world’s slowest moving immigration line.” We found a currency exchange and got some Cambodian Riel.  We later discovered that pretty much everyone in Cambodia takes US dollars and even the ATMs give you the option of getting US dollars. 

The night market on Southeast Asia New Year's Eve.

We stayed at the J7 Hotel, which is beautiful and centrally located.  We arranged for a tour the next day and found out that at the temples you are supposed to wear pants or skirts that cover your knees and no sleeveless shirts.  Since it is 95 degrees in Siem Reap in the Spring, we had not packed any long pants.  Thus, after having dinner at the hotel we took a tuk tuk to the Night Market.  The Night Market was going crazy because it turned out that we had arrived on Southeast Asian New Years’ Eve (Songkran)!  

The soaking wet Athanas family in the hotel lobby.

It is a South East Asian New Years’ tradition to pour water on statues of Buddha (and everybody else) to wash away your sins and bad luck.  Accordingly, the entire Night Market is transformed into a massive water gun fight with thousands of people blasting each other with supersoakers and hoses.  We managed to remain fairly dry through our arrival and pants shopping experience, but when we left, our tuk tuk ran the gauntlet and we were blasted from both sides of the road.  Spiro said “There were people shooting water guns and throwing water balloons all over the place. It was a circus.” We arrived at the hotel soaking wet. 

The next morning we had breakfast early so we could start our tour before the temples got too crowded.  There are about 50 temples around Siem Reap, so we had to choose which ones to see.  The Angkor area and the various temples were built by the Khmer Empire, which ruled Cambodia, Laos and parts of Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam from 802 to 1431.  “I had no idea how vast and powerful the Khmer Empire was,” Spiro said.

One of the endless halls.

The first temple we visited was Angkor Wat, which we entered from the back.  As we walked through the jungle to the temple, our guide explained that in the 12th century, over a million people lived outside the temple where we were walking, but their wooden homes had long been reclaimed by the jungle.  Angkor Wat is a Hindu temple built in the 12th Century.  According to Peter, “it is the largest religious structure in the world.” It took 50,000 artisans 37 years to build and virtually every square inch is covered by carvings.  There are over 2,000 carvings of celestial dancers alone.  It has very steep steps “because the climb to heaven should not be easy.” “As we wandered through the endless halls of this colossal masterpiece,” Peter said, “we were accompanied by countless worshipers.” Spiro said that Angkor Wat “was the second most amazing place I have ever visited, topped only by Beijing.”

Spiro and Peter walking with the throngs of people visiting Angkor Wat.

Another endless hall at Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat

Spiro and Peter are standing in what use to be a bath in the Temple of Angkor Wat.

This interior photo of Angkor Wat shows how virtually every square inch is covered by carvings.

Details of carvings.

After going through the temple, we came out the front and saw the long and spectacular road that leads from the main gate to the temple.  The road was already filled with throngs of people and the temperature was already in the low 90s.  The temple was built in such a way that when viewing it from the main entrance on the equinox the sun sets perfectly behind the center tower.  Outside the main gate there were numerous vendors selling cold drinks and food.

Carvings of celestial dancers. 

The Athanas boys walking down the very steep steps of Angkor Wat.

Details.

Once again, locals ask to take a picture with the Athanas boys.

Angkor Thom is a massive square walled area containing many temples, including Bayon temple, which we visited.  The walls are each 26 feet high and nearly two miles long.  They are surrounded by a moat that is as wide as a river.  There are five entrance gates that you pass over a bridge lined with statues to enter.  The gates themselves have four giant Buddha faces on them.  Bayon temple was built in the late 12th century and has about 50 towers with four giant faces of Buddha on them, all facing exactly on the points of the compass.  On the outside wall of the temple, there is a huge carving depicting a sea battle between the Khmer Empire and the Cham Empire (which was located in what is now central Vietnam), which Spiro found “stunning.”

Angkor Thom has 26 feet tall walls that are nearly two miles long.

The bridge to Angkor Thom is lined with statues.

Statues on bridge to the entrance of Angkor Thom.

Angkor Thom

The outside wall of Bayon temple showing a huge carving
depicting a sea battle between the Khmer Empire and the Cham Empire

Inside Bayon temple.

Bayon temple.

Ta Prohm temple.

Ta Prohm temple.

Spiro and Peter at Ta Prohm temple.

After lunch, we went to Ta Prohm temple.  Ta Prohm was built in the late 12th century.  It was a 600 room monastery inhabited by 12,500 people.  The jungle has grown into the temple and the trees have become intertwined with the architecture, making it a strange and wonderful place to see.  After that, we saw one last temple and headed back to the hotel, exhausted and overheated.   

That night, the boys just watched a movie and went to bed early.  Stella and Joe ventured back out into the New Year’s celebrations, finding a nice outdoor bar with a traditional Cambodian band playing relaxing music for tips.  The chaos of water gun battles swirled around the outdoor bar, but we were able to stay dry and enjoy the view.  We also, after extensive haggling, purchased a wooden statute at the night market.   

The Cambodian people could not be more friendly or polite.  They seemed to love talking to us to practice their English.   

The next day was spent by the beautiful pool at our hotel and then we cruised back to the airport and headed home.

Showing the intertwining of tree and architecture.