Observing the sun rise over Angkor Wat temple is a longstanding tradition, but it requires us to set our alarms for 4:30 AM and leave the hotel by 5. The sky is lightening as we once again trudge across the long bridge traversing the moat, and arrive at the outer gates. The original causeway is under repair, and will be for several years, so a temporary floating structure of connected plastic cubes about 6 m wide and 100m long serves as our passageway. It uses the same technology as the raft at the Konyer cottage, and I believe it has been manufactured by the same Canadian company.
We exit the pathway inside the gate to get to a "library" building about 20 m off to the side, and stand on the steps. We're about 50m from the temple towers, and the sun is actually rising about 20 degrees to the south, so it's not directly over the temple, but still a pretty magnificent site, particularly with the reflection of the temple in the large pond in front of us. Alan wades through some shallow puddles to get his tripod set at a good vantage point.
Next, the coach takes us to the Svay Romiet pagoda & monastery nearby, where we are served a catered champagne breakfast on an outdoor patio beside a very large man-made lake which serves as reservoir for the temple complex and the surrounding farmlands. The meal is great, and we share some giggles and waves with neighbourhood children who play around the pagoda.
Then it's back to the hotel for some down time. We try napping with variable success, and Dan ventures outside to explore some of the nearby markets. Refreshed with a short dip in the pool, we start packing luggage before the 3 o'clock date for yet another Vespa tour. This tour is provided by another branch of the same company used in Saigon, and the drivers are similarly friendly and careful.
We embark on a whirlwind tour of the countryside. We first stop at a local market, and our guide explains how these shops mainly service families of the military workers employed by the temple complex. Lacking refrigeration, most people visit a market such as this twice daily. It offers meat, seafood, produce, beverages, and staples.
Next we stop at a small farmhouse where an elderly woman spends all day weaving baskets for sale in the markets. Her hands work very quickly and we marvel at the amount of labour required to complete a basket about the size of an average wastepaper basket, that would sell in the market for $1.20 USD.
Down the road we stop at a small farm where a family works cooking sticky rice which is stuffed with beans into hollow bamboo shafts then boiled. The wood of the bamboo is then whittled away, leaving a long tube of fibrous membrane surrounding the cooked rice, about 3 cm in diameter and perhaps 20 cm long. The resulting product is delicious, and will also go for sale at the market.
The drivers have been offering us beers at each stop, so a visit to a roadside public "happy room" is welcomed. Scenic covers the per person charge for using the facility.
We then stop on the high stone wall of the reservoir and admire the view. The resulting lake would probably be close to the size of Cameron Lake back home. We tour the market at the side of the road, then back on the vespas for a stop once again at the Svay Romiet pagoda where our guide explains the meanings of the large mural on the side of the building.
The last stop of our tour is to speak with a traditional Chinese medicine man at a local market. He specializes in a myriad of herbs and barks with promises to cure a multitude of ailments.
Duc has been somewhat secretive about our final dinner of the tour, indicating we will be eating outdoors and need to dress a little formally. We are bused back into the temple complex and led by torchlight parade up to the gate of Prasat Kravan temple. This is very ancient, and pretty much only the front facade persists, but it is very impressive, lit with floodlights and adorned by girls in ancient Cambodian garb striking poses under archways. We enjoy champagne and appetizers out front while we watch a short traditional dance, then hike around behind the gate to a magnificent setting of tables under a tent and surrounded by coloured lights and large Buddha ice sculpture. We are served at least five courses, and view a number of performances celebrating ancient kings and battles. We remark this is the kind of spectacle one would expect may be held by a Hollywood studio for it's actors and directors.
Topping things off was a spectacular full moon surrounded by "moon dogs".
The wine flows freely, but Alan is unsuccessful in getting others to join in to sing "Duke of Earl" on the ride back to the hotel. We enjoy one last drink in the lounge with Sally & Gary, James & Robin, and Norm & Tracy.
We exit the pathway inside the gate to get to a "library" building about 20 m off to the side, and stand on the steps. We're about 50m from the temple towers, and the sun is actually rising about 20 degrees to the south, so it's not directly over the temple, but still a pretty magnificent site, particularly with the reflection of the temple in the large pond in front of us. Alan wades through some shallow puddles to get his tripod set at a good vantage point.
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| view of Angkor Wat from the library |
Next, the coach takes us to the Svay Romiet pagoda & monastery nearby, where we are served a catered champagne breakfast on an outdoor patio beside a very large man-made lake which serves as reservoir for the temple complex and the surrounding farmlands. The meal is great, and we share some giggles and waves with neighbourhood children who play around the pagoda.
Then it's back to the hotel for some down time. We try napping with variable success, and Dan ventures outside to explore some of the nearby markets. Refreshed with a short dip in the pool, we start packing luggage before the 3 o'clock date for yet another Vespa tour. This tour is provided by another branch of the same company used in Saigon, and the drivers are similarly friendly and careful.
We embark on a whirlwind tour of the countryside. We first stop at a local market, and our guide explains how these shops mainly service families of the military workers employed by the temple complex. Lacking refrigeration, most people visit a market such as this twice daily. It offers meat, seafood, produce, beverages, and staples.
Next we stop at a small farmhouse where an elderly woman spends all day weaving baskets for sale in the markets. Her hands work very quickly and we marvel at the amount of labour required to complete a basket about the size of an average wastepaper basket, that would sell in the market for $1.20 USD.
Down the road we stop at a small farm where a family works cooking sticky rice which is stuffed with beans into hollow bamboo shafts then boiled. The wood of the bamboo is then whittled away, leaving a long tube of fibrous membrane surrounding the cooked rice, about 3 cm in diameter and perhaps 20 cm long. The resulting product is delicious, and will also go for sale at the market.
The drivers have been offering us beers at each stop, so a visit to a roadside public "happy room" is welcomed. Scenic covers the per person charge for using the facility.
We then stop on the high stone wall of the reservoir and admire the view. The resulting lake would probably be close to the size of Cameron Lake back home. We tour the market at the side of the road, then back on the vespas for a stop once again at the Svay Romiet pagoda where our guide explains the meanings of the large mural on the side of the building.
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| The reservoir and market |
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| Monastery |
The last stop of our tour is to speak with a traditional Chinese medicine man at a local market. He specializes in a myriad of herbs and barks with promises to cure a multitude of ailments.
 |
| Medicine man with barks & herbs |
Duc has been somewhat secretive about our final dinner of the tour, indicating we will be eating outdoors and need to dress a little formally. We are bused back into the temple complex and led by torchlight parade up to the gate of Prasat Kravan temple. This is very ancient, and pretty much only the front facade persists, but it is very impressive, lit with floodlights and adorned by girls in ancient Cambodian garb striking poses under archways. We enjoy champagne and appetizers out front while we watch a short traditional dance, then hike around behind the gate to a magnificent setting of tables under a tent and surrounded by coloured lights and large Buddha ice sculpture. We are served at least five courses, and view a number of performances celebrating ancient kings and battles. We remark this is the kind of spectacle one would expect may be held by a Hollywood studio for it's actors and directors.
Topping things off was a spectacular full moon surrounded by "moon dogs".
The wine flows freely, but Alan is unsuccessful in getting others to join in to sing "Duke of Earl" on the ride back to the hotel. We enjoy one last drink in the lounge with Sally & Gary, James & Robin, and Norm & Tracy.
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