Moe and Irene's RTW blog: Angkor Thom and the Bayon

Dear Blog Followers,

This bog is about Angkor Thom and the Bayon; Angkor Wat, Terrace of the Elephants and Ta Prohm are covered in another post.

Getting There

Angkor temples are just a few miles from Siem Reap, Cambodia. The airport at Siem Reap is a nice facility and a fair number of flights are available; we departed on a Bangkok Airways Airbus 320.

It was 99 degree and 74% humidity when we visited the temples. We have been in HOT territory for 3 weeks and have adjusted to the heat. We still drip sweat but we weren't miserable.

The hords head for Angkor Wat

Our travel tip for the temples: Go early when the UNESCO site opens (at 6 a.m. when we visited), rest during the midday (go back to the hotel for a swim and nap), return and stay until sunset.

You can rent a tuk-tuk (motorcycle towing mini-carriage that seats four) cheaply in Siem Reap. Negotiate before you board; some drivers will wait for you to return to Siem Reap or pick you up at a designated time. Your hotel may have a list of recommended drivers and arrange a driver and tuk-tuk for you.

My tuk-tuk driver in Siem Reap

This yuk-tuk has a throne-like seat

Scenes from the tuk-tuk: bicyclist bundled up for the 90 degree weather with face mask. Bike helmets very rarely worn

Angkor--UNESCO World Heritage Site

Angkor, a region of Cambodia, served as the seat of the Khmer Empire. Americans may be unfamiliar with this empire but we can relate to the Roman Empire, Mayan Empire, etc. Much the same here.

Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Stretching over some 154 square miles, including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century.

They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations and Ta Prohm with it's entwined trees. UNESCO has set up a wide-ranging programme to safeguard this symbolic site and its surroundings.

Visitor numbers approach two million annually, and the entire expanse, including Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom is collectively protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Restorations in this area are cooperative ventures between Cambodia and other countries. Cambodia itself does not have the funds to restore and protect this amazing area

Angkor Thom--the Capital City

Angkor Thom was last capital of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by king Jayavarman VII. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon.

approaching Angkor Thom from the east

The figures on the right and left of the causeway are holding a naga in kind of a tug-of-war fashion. Naga is a diety or being, taking the form of a very great snake, found in Hinduism and Buddhism. A female naga is a nagi or nagini (cf. the snake in Harry Potter books). Generally a good being in Buddhism and having one to seven heads, naga sheltered Buddha during a great rain storm by lifting him up on his coils and spreading his heads over Buddha like an umbrella.

Deva (gods) line the left side

Asura (lowest form of deities, could be wicked, perhaps) line the right side

Temple of the Capital City--The Bayon

The Bayon was the official state temple of the Buddhist King and stands at the center of his capital, Angkor Thom

According to Angkor-scholar Maurice Glaize, the Bayon appears "as but a muddle of stones, a sort of moving chaos assaulting the sky."

Outer Gallery

The wall of the outer gallery features a series of bas-relief depicting historical events and scenes from the everyday life of the Angkorian Khmer. I know these may be difficult to figure out--the amazing thing is the detail remaining after so many years.

Elephant with distinguished person and mahout behind foot shoulders

The person who carved this scene had a sense of humor. It shows a woman (left) holding a turtle that has bitten the soldier in front to her. The soldier has turned his to look at her and he doesn't look amused.

"Ouch"

another elephant

These foot soldiers are Chinese

Upper Terrace

The upper terrace is home to the famous "face towers" of the Bayon, each of which supports two, three or (most commonly) four gigantic smiling faces.There were approximately 200 faces.