After so many years of dreaming, the moment is at hand – Angkor Wat.
Will it live up to my expectations?
Another hot and humid day. Vuttha has brought us in on the opposite side to most, so that we can take photos without the posing Chinese visitors. (more anon)
The first thing is the moat – you see it on the maps, but need to see it in real life to get the scale.
The first building we run across is an oulying library – a taste of things to come.
As we circle round the back of the building, we find people overcome by the architecture, and sitting silently in awe.
And there it is – Angkor Wat – but first, take time out for a group selfie.
An aerial view of Angkor Wat I stole from Wiki-Pedia, just to get the scale of the building. There are corridors upon corridors, all carved in astonishing detail
But first the main entrance. Note the lack of steps. The Kings simply stepped onto the back of elephants
One such corridor inside, and this is just one section of it
This bas relief is of the tug of war between the demons and the gods, using Naga, the serpent king as the rope, with Vishnu in the centre. It is referred to as the ‘Churning of the Ocean of Milk’ and is trying to extract the essence of life ftom the serpent.
Not all the intricate detail was finishedm note the lack of scales on part of the serpent’s body.
Miscellaneous views inside Angkor (hard to cull from the hundreds I took)
The size of the place comes into perspective when you look at the people in one of the grassy courtyards. (No Don, not the grassy knoll)
This is angkor time, so you make the window blinds out of stone:
Vuttha holding forth with one of his stories. His knowledge is encyclopedic, and delivers it all with warmth and humour.
Hardest thing to get in Angkor Wat is a clear shot of things. All the interesting points have a steady stream of Chinese tourists posing and draping themselves over every interesting spot, and it is not a 10 sec selfie, it’s conducted like a professional photo shoot. I just feel, ‘for heavens sake it’s Angkor Wat, not a backdrop for you’.
Heading out the other side, and looking back to the main building, is the iconic relection pond.
For reasons that baffle me, there is a horse in all its finery beside the pond, looking somewhat uncortable in the sun, but at least getting his head in the shade of the lone palm tree.
Heading away from the main temple to the causeway, on the right hand side is the northern library. Too hot to visit!
And striding along to meet us is the always smiling Vuttha.
This is the old stone causeway across the moat, Fore safety reasons, it is closed and the new bridge is in the top left hand corner of the pic. Now when you build a new bridge at a heritage listed ancient monument, what do you build it out of?
Plastic of course! Interlocking plastic panels that float on the water. So you call it the floating bridge and add it to the list of attractions. (And yes you feel it sink and rise as you walk on it.)
If you are stuck in a carpark, waiting for the bus and the stragglers, don’t waste a minute! Fit some clothes shopping in.
This is the original gateway leading to Angkor Wat, and the reason we had to take a mini-bus and abandon the coach for the day,
Farewell Angkor what (even though on the way to more of the complex). Yes, I love you, but the Sphynx still holds a special place in my heart.
As an alternate form of transport, there are always the elephants, with the advatage that you can text and drive. Note the cyclist getting a free ride by hanging on to the elephant’s robe.