SEPTEMBER 2014 : CAMBODIA : Day 2 : Angkor Wat

                                      

                                 

Today we were collected at 7am and were taken to Angkor Thom to focus on the amazing temple of Bayon and then on to the world's largest religious building, Angkor Wat. Both built about the time that European cathedrals of the twelfth century.

We drove up a causeway, lined by stone statues of demons and gods, many of which were decapitated by the Khmer Rouge and sold to international buyers. Now being restored.

Angkor Thom was the last great capital of the Khmer Empire. It is set over 10 square kilometres. At the heart is the temple of Bayon. It has 54 towers with the face of Avalokiteshvara on each side. What most impressed us were the bas-reliefs of life at the time and contact with other neighbouring tribes, mainly through warfare. 

     

       

       

                                             

Then a stone's throw to the Palace.

        

        

                                  

Then on to Angkor Wat, a fifteen minute drive away. Angkor Wat is surrounded by a man-made moat which is 190m wide. The temple was built by King Suryavarman 11 (1112-52) and dedicated it to the god Vishnu.

     

The entry pavilion.

8-armed Vishnu

                                 

The first sight of Angkor Wat.

Exquisitely carved bas-reliefs, featuring Hindu mythological stories, on the lower level.

     

There is access to three floors. The lower level features open galleries of sculptured murals, the second floor has meditation spaces and the top floor was solely for the king and his senior officials and spectacular views for us today.

      

      

       

                                      

Then lunch, included, in a scenic restaurant close to the site.

      

Back to the hotel to process all that we'd seen.

A tuk-tuk ride to a local market. We stopped at Soya's favourite stall, where they sold fried crickets, silkworms and water beetles.

      

        

    

        

       

M&M

29/9/2014

SEPTEMBER 2014 : CAMBODIA : Day 2 : Siem Reap

                                    

      

We flew to Siem Reap today from Ho Chi Minh City. We were met by our Indo-China Voyages' guide, Soy, who drove us to our hotel, The Tara Angkor, which was excellent. We didn't stand on ceremony and jumped back into the car after checking in for the first part of our Angkor tour.

Our destination today was Ta Prohm one of the many temple sites and during its heyday in the twelfth century was the home of a huge community. This temple was dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman V11. Much of it has been engulfed by the jungle and although extensively excavated much of the vegetation now binds it together. As the Lonely Planet guide mentions this site is as much a tribute to the velocity of nature as to ancient architects and stonemasons.

Here are some of the highlights.

                             

                                 

       

                                    

                                        

       

                                                

       

Meanwhile back at the car park...

                                              

                          

                                                  

Cultural performance at a large restaurant with bunfight buffet.

       

        

        

M&M

28/9/2014

SEPTEMBER 2014 : VIETNAM

                                     

September - October school holidays 2014

Day 1 : Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat)

Our mission in the next two weeks is to complete a  tour of Angkor Wat, which we had to postpone in April. The local company, Indo-China Voyages, very graciously agreed to reschedule at a day's notice, so we are very grateful not to have forfeited our money and the experience. I found this company on the internet and was impressed with the recommendations on a forum on local and international travel companies.

We will start the tour with 2 days in Siem Reap and Angkor Wat in Cambodia before a whistlestop tour of Vietnam travelling from south to north.

To start off our adventure we enjoyed a walk in one of the local parks in Ho Chi Minh City. Sunday is Children's Day and they were well represented in the activities but the adults take advantage of the beautiful surroundings. The beautiful parks were establised under French colonial rule.

Here are some of the sights we enjoyed :

Modern and ancient sculptures

Scouts aplenty

Exercise

Gardens

Boys and their birds

Great to see communities embrace their environment like this.

28/9/2014