Cycling the temples of Siem Reap

January 16, 2023

A tuk-tuk came at 4:30 to ensure arrival at Angkor Wat for the sunrise. The temple is oriented in the cardinal directions, so the sun rises directly behind the central tower on the equinoxes, when large crowds of locals come to see. Being January, the sun appeared a few degrees south of the tower.

Construction of the Angkor Wat temples began in 1121 during the reign of Khmer King Suryavarman II, and was completed by 1150. The endeavor required 100,000 people and at least 8,000 elephants to move the stones from the distant quarry, set them in place and complete the temple. The complex measures 1.3 by 1.5 kms, and is surrounded by a wide moat. The central tower rises to 65 meters (more than 200 feet).

The first level of the central temple is surrounded by detailed bas-relief scenes. The east and west sides depict the glories of the Khmer army in battle. On the south are scenes of the fates awaiting both saints and sinners in the Hindu afterlife. On the upper level, those in heaven are depicted reclining at ease. Below are those in hell facing rivers of flame and various other punishments tailored to the sins committed. At about the same time thousands of miles away, Cathedrals in Europe were being built with similar admonishing messages (1).

A guide and I cycled a few miles north to the Bayon Temple, built in the reign of Jayavarman VII, who ascended the throne in 1181 at age 55 (well past life expectancy at the time) and ruled for 39 years. He converted the country to Buddhism, repurposing Angkor Wat from Hinduism to the new religion. While the land and moat surrounding Bayon are bigger, the temple itself is smaller than Angkor Wat. 

Due to war, drought and famine, the population of the Angkor region fell from about 1 million people (2) to about 100,000 inhabitants in the late 1400s. The temples surrounding Siem Reap (3) began to molder and crumble with neglect. The French colonial authorities (4) began archeological work on the temples in 1910. 

Bayon temple was constructed with smaller stones than Angkor Wat, making the stones more susceptible to toppling, especially by the roots of banyan trees, which grew on the walls of the temple. Restoration work funded by the Japanese government continues here today. Work crews were high up the scaffolding surrounding a Banyan tree in preparation for the tree's removal.

The third stop on the bike tour (I was the only guest today) (5) was Ta Phrom, restoration of which began in 1994, currently funded by the Indian government. Many Banyan trees rooted in temple structures remain here. Their shallow roots reach out horizontally along the ground, and cause havoc to the stone temples. 

The guide said something I did not quite undestand; I eventually realized he was saying "Angelina Jolie." Apparently, scenes from the movie Tomb Raider were filmed here. Peddling back to Angkor Wat completed the circuit of about 12 to 15 miles. I had time for a quick swim at the hotel pool before hopping into a tuk-tuk for a ride to the airport and a flight back to Thailand (6).

(1) I could not help but think of Voronets Monastery, one of the painted monasteries of southern Bukovina in Romania. While built later (in 1488), the bas-relief at Angkor Wat were reminiscent of the final judgement fresco at Voronets, with the Saints ascending to heaven, and the sinners cast into hell, with special punishments for different types of sinners.

(2) For comparison, Paris was considered the largest city in Europe in 1400. While difficult to know with certainty, Paris's population is estimated to have been about 275,000 inhabitants in 1400.

(3) The name means "Thailand defeated" in Khmer. Thailand was, until recently, also known as Siam.

(4) The French ruled the colony of Indochine, consisting of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos from 1853 to 1954, except during World War II.

(5) Tourism has been slow to recover here, mainly due to strict policies keeping many potential Chinese visitors at home.

(6) Changing planes after clearing immigration at Bangkok DMK, the security guard seemed utterly perplexed by my boarding pass with said my destination was HKT, the airport code for Phuket. There are over a dozen flights a day between the 2 airports.

Dawn at Angkor Wat

Bas relief of Battle Scenes

Endless torment, the fate of sinners around the world

Fight too much in life? In hell, your heads will be perpetually banged together

Christ crucified? No. The fate that awaits in hell for those who damage temples

Very steep steps leading to the top level of Angkor Wat. Getting to heaven is not easy either. 

The Buddha statues survived for almost a millennium before being destroyed to loot jewels during the brutal Khmer Rouge period in the 1970s

Ice delivery outside Angkor Wat

Entrance to Bayon Temple complex

Bayon Temple

Man climbs a tree to avoid a tiger

Tiger gets him two panels later, bas-relief at Bayon Temple

Monkey mom at Bayon complex

Entrance to Ta Prohm

At Ta Prohm

The shallow routes of the Banyan tree slowly prying the stones loose

Three dimensional jigsaw puzzle: pieces to restore Ta Prohm

Cycling through the temple area

Tiny kitten by hotel pool

Back to Thailand

The morning train to Cambodia

January 15, 2023

An early train heads east from Bangkok to the Cambodian border, covering the 255 kms in a little more than 5 hours, at a cost of 49 Thai Baht (only US $1.50). Never too crowded, the number of passengers varied, but generally decreased as we left the outskirts of Bangkok. The windows opened wide to let in the warm breeze and there was an oscillating, rotating fan on the ceiling (1).

Hawkers come on the train selling food and drinks, calling out their wares in sing-song voices (in Thai, but I can point). The steady procession of them getting on and off at various stations ensured warm food and cold drinks (2). The fried egg with rice and carrot bits was tasty and set me back 20 Thai Baht (about 60 US cents).

The train ran through the southeastern Thai plains, with rice fields obscured by the morning fog, which lifted as the sun rose. Further east, the rice fields yielded to groves of tall, spindly trees planted in neat rows. Many flocks of birds were flushed by the noisy train, taking to the sky.

The train arrived at the border station on time. Clearing outbound Thai immigration (very grouchy officer) and inbound Cambodian immigration (officer, indifferent) took about 45 minutes. Nothing in the border town of Poipet invites lingering, so I moved on, opting for an air-conditioned taxi (3), rather than a crowded bus to Siem Reap. 

At the hotel in Siem Reap, A local family, friends of the hotel owner came by banging a drum and jumped on the pool. Playing an informal pool basketball game, I was the ball retriever when it bounced out of the pool. As dusk, the mosquitos appeared (4), followed by the hotel proprietor with a mosquito coil, then the muezzin's sonorous call to prayer from a nearby minaret.

A later walk revealed the city to be noisy and loud, with a very honky-tonk feel. The girls working in the massage parlors were particularly aggressive, standing beside each other to try to block my passage down the sidewalk.

(1) A man sitting opposite asked (in mime) if the fan bothered me and showed me how to shut it off if I wished. I didn't.

(2) This is common practice in South Asia. On a Vietnamese train a few years ago, the vendors would said "hot" or "cold" and put the food or drink against my arm as proof.

(3) Bit of a disaster. Nearing Siem Reap, a Police officer pointed at the taxi driver to pull over for talking on his phone while driving (a). Instead, the driver dashed down a rutted dirt road to avoid the fine; the police, not wanting to endanger the undercarriage or suspension  did not follow. I was glad to get out at the hotel.

(a) While I rarely take taxis, I had a similar experience in Bucharest a few years ago. The taxi driver was clearly manipulating the meter and I called him on it. Coincidentally, a cop soon pulled him over for mobile phone use while driving. I simply got out of the cab and walked to the opera in the rain.

(4) Malaria is considered eradicated in Siem Reap, but not in the surrounding countryside. 

Hua Lamphong station (in daylight the afternoon before)

Pictures of the Royals at Hau Lamphong train station 

Easy to find the right train

The cowherd gave a nice smile and wave

Tidy railway station

Grove of spindly trees

The Royal Standard (in yellow) and the Thai national flags fluttering in the light west wind

Temple north of the tracks

Three clangs of the bell is the equivalent of "All aboard"

Poking about Bangkok

January 14, 2023

After an overnight layover in Manila (never again), I arrived in Bangkok (1) mid-morning and hopped the train downtown. Walking to the hotel, a man started chatting with me: "You're not Thai, you're too tall" (2). He seemed genuinely proud to tell me of the wonderful things to see and do in Bangkok.

I wandered from the hotel (near Hua Lamphong station) through the warren of streets that appeared to be the metal-working part of town. There was a dock with a ferry approaching; I hopped on. The ticket seller jangled a metal canister of coins, while the deckhand in back blew his whistle (3). The boat headed north, affording fine views of the old city to the west and the new city to the east. 

At one bridge, I noticed the metro high above. An elevated metro is another good way to see the city; off the boat and onto the metro going down the west side of the river (4), seeing the other side of many of the buildings and temples on the river.

A local bike company offers a night tour of the city. I joined two Americans on vacation from the US consulate in Almaty, Kazakhstan (5). We rode on streets, on sidewalks, down alleyways too narrow for bikes, and through a market. We were either in danger or endangering others. After passing through the woodworking and basket weaving part of town, we crossed the river by ferry. The tour finally stopped at the Wat Arun (Dawn Temple) to hear some of the city's history.  before stopping (at a 7-11) to get drinks and sample some street food (6) at the night flower market. The trip ended by circling the Royal Palace on car-free streets.

(1) "Bangkok" means place for olive trees, although the city's official name has too many syllabus to count: "Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit."

(2) My B.S. radar detected no danger. As an older man travelling alone, I am ocassionally approached by people trying to scam me, or to "find me a girl."

(3) The deckhand's whistle pattern sermed to be:

1. approaching a stop: 

a. one short whistle: no need to stop, nobody getting off

b. multiple short whistles: stop requested

2. at a stop:

one long whistle: the boat is cast off & ready to go.

(4) For a metro without a flat fare, Bangkok's is very visitor friendly. Hit the station you want to go to on the screen and it tells you the fare; deposit the fare and you're good to go. Or, you can just tap your credit card at the entrance and exit gates with no thought needed (a).

(a) Unlike the train from the International arrivals hall, which does not take credit cards, only local currency (but not the dominations dispensed at the adjacent ATMs). They obviously did not think this through.

(5) The guide was pleased I came; I was the first walk-in they've had in 3 years (most of which they were closed due to Covid).

(6) I had already pointed at random meat on a stick on Bangkok's sidewalks a few times today. It which worked out well (usually for me, occasionally for the stray dogs which are common in the city).

In the metal working district

The river ferry, reminiscent in form and function to a Venetian vaporetto.

View of Wat Arun from the river

Cable stay bridge from 2012 over the Chao Praya linking the old and new parts of the city.

View of temple complex from the metro

View from hotel rooftop terrace

Wat Arun at night

Detail of Wat Arun, made of porcelain

In the Wat Arun complex

View of the Royal Palace across the river

Igreza Santa Cruz, built by the Portuguese Catholic Community in Bangkok. Judging by the small bells ringing, the Mass (in Thai) was at the moment of the consecration of the hosts.

The night flower market

The Royal Palace complex

Snorkeling the coral reefs of Palau

January 13, 2023

Arrived in Palau, a small nation comprised of some 200 islands, just after midnight. Palau reopened a few months ago, having been closed to visitors for more than 2 years due to Covid. The passport entry stamp is a pledge written by the children of Palau:

Children of Palau,

I take this pledge,

as your guest,

to preserve and protect

your beautiful and unique 

island home.

I how to tread lightly,

act kindly and

explore mindfully.

I shall not take 

what is not given.

I shall not harm 

what does not harm me.

The only footprints 

I shall leave are those

that will wash away.

The immigration officer stamp the pledge in my passport and made me sign it before admitting me (1).

Wandered to a dive & tour shop this morning. "No tours today. Our boats are in the shop for maintenance." Enquiry at the hotel front desk yielded a snorkeling tour with space available (2). There were three Taiwanese and another American (3). Before departing, we had to buy a pass to enter the national park; while nobody checked the passes, everyone took the process seriously. 

The first stop was the "milky way," with crushed limestone sand on the sea bottom that people rub all over themselves to take pictures to post on social media. I noted the care with which the guides washed off the docks before leaving. 

The tour stopped at three snorkeling sites above coral reefs. The two other boats doing similar tours all cooperated to ensure no overcrowding. The vibrant colors of the fishes and corals were beautiful. 

I was admiring a luminescent blue piece of coral when it moved; a crab apparently that slips into the crevices of the coral. At one stop, Grant (our guide) said "Nemo's here." I thought I misheard him, but he was referring to the clown fish, which is the species depicted in the movie Finding Nemo. Swimming at a beach, a group of sharks swam over.

On the ride back, we stopped at a natural arch, where the limestone had worn sway. At a natural cave, the Japanese had stored fuel during WW2; the charred remnants are still there. 

Overall, there is a very nice ethos here in Palau. People seem to appreciate where they are, and respect the environment. The relative small number of visitors probably helps; there is one daily flight to Guam, two flights per week to Manila, and one flight per week to Taipei.

(1) I hopped in the hotel shuttle and noticed the right side steering wheel. Although they drive in the same side as in the States (being a former American protectorate), most of the cars have a steering wheel on the wrong side. Most cars here are used vehicles imported from Japan, where the population likes newer cars, creating a glut of late model used vehicles with right side steering wheels.

(2) A popular tour in Palau goes to swim at Jellyfish Lake. Long ago, the lake was separated from the sea by volcanoc activity. The jellyfish trapped in the lake faced no predators, and they evolved to be stingless. Due to overuse (especially of sunscreen) by visitors, the jellyfish population was threatened, and the lake was closed to visitors for a few years to permit the population to regrow. This tour was not available, which was OK for me; let them rest.

(3) As it happens, he also booked the snorkel tour this morning. He was on my flight from Guam last night and we are on the same flight to Manila tonight. He was flying standby yesterday to Manila and they offered him either a night in Guam or a night in Palau.

Sharks at the beach

Notice the erosion of the limestone at water level

Where the Japanese stored fuel for seaplanes

Japanese cannon

Palau, with its 18,000 residents is divided into 16 states, the smallest of which (Hatohobei) has population of 25.

Japanese anti-aircraft gun

Night flight to Manila. Sitting at the gate, I noticed the runway lights come on, signalling that the plane was within range (4)

(4) No need to leave the lights on all night for one plane.