US Army:Wall of China Dull compared to Angkor Wat

[Guest guest]

Angkor temples, centerpiece of Cambodian tourism

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=103&article=16600

 

"In the Silver Pagoda, a building with 5,000, two-pound silver tiles, a

180-pound solid gold Buddha is in a display case."

 

By Jeremy Kirk, Stars and Stripes

Stripes Pacific Travel, Thursday, July 17, 2003

 

The Great Wall of China is an unimaginative zipper of dull rocks when

compared to the mystical temples of Angkor, the most popular of

Cambodia's attractions.

 

Featured in the recent movie "Tomb Raider," the largest and most

commonly visited temple is Angkor Wat.

 

Here, ancient stone spirals jut heavenward. Thousand-year-old

walkways lead to the temple's main complex, and tourists feel the

21st century slip away as they enter.

 

Young Buddhists with smooth- shaved heads navigate the grounds clad

in their orange robes and sandals.

 

Intricate pictorial bas-reliefs line four sides of the temples. At

nearly a half-mile long, the stone carvings depict Hindu and Buddhist

epics. They are a testament to the two religions' influences on

Cambodia.

 

Inside, shafts of light beam down, illuminating small worship areas.

 

For a few riel — the exchange rate for the Cambodian currency is

about 559 riel to a U.S. dollar — visitors can buy incense. Placing

lighted incense in worship areas is a tradition here, and shows

respect for local traditions.

 

Built over 600 years, the temples spread over 77 square miles north

of Siem Reap, a small town near Tonle Sap Lake. Even through their

decay, the temples are spectacular evidence of Khmer architectural

feats, hubs of religious and cultural finesse.

 

Some of the temples have been made accessible only in recent years by

the removal of land mines and cutting of jungle vegetation.

 

Siem Reap is a small town that mostly gears itself to visitors. It's

entirely a service economy boosted by its greatest jungle resource:

the temples.

 

Angkor Wat — the most often visited site — is one the largest

temples, the best restored, and recently was featured in the

movie "Tomb Raider." Surrounded by an enormous moat and short-trimmed

grass, Angkor Wat's stone spirals jut heavenward.

 

It's an awesome feeling, bridging the moat to the main complex,

walking on stones almost 1,000 years old and feeling the 21st century

slip away. Young Buddhists with smooth-shaved heads circulate through

the temple's grounds, clad in orange robes and sandals.

 

Pictorial bas-reliefs line four sides of the temples, almost a half-

mile long intricate stone carvings depicting Hindu and Buddhist

epics. The bas-reliefs come from Angkor's heavy influence from the

two religions, which were modified according to the prevailing rulers

of the time.

 

Angkor Wat is perfectly modular and angular. Shafts of light from

overhead illuminate the inside, where aging Buddhists staff small

worship places. It's respectful to place lighted incense, purchased

for a few riel, the Cambodian currency.

 

Dozens of the structures are scattered through the jungle; many have

been made accessible only recently by the removal of land mines and

the trimming of aggressive jungle vegetation.

 

Gnarled, fat banyan and fig trees grip Ta Prohm in a slow wrestling

match. The huge stones resist, but the tree wins, dislodging them and

augmenting the structure's raw, undiscovered look.

 

Archeologists have debated what to do with the encroaching jungle and

how to preserve the temples. But it would take major reconstruction

to remove foliage from crevices and between stones.

 

But it is this decay, and westerners' fantasies of being like Indiana

Jones, that account for the area's increasing tourism.

 

Ta Prohm was built around 1186 for the royal temple center of

Jayavarman VII. At its height, the kingdom encompassed more than

3,000 villages, 80,000 temple workers and 600 dancers. But today, the

jungle holds the ruins in an embrace that eventually will be fatal.

Its nooks and crannies are rough: Some signs warn of falling rocks;

one must progress with care on the damp, jumbled stones.

 

Such signs of eventual destruction may account for increasing tourist

visits. Still, finding a silent spot among the soft buzz of insects

remains easy — at least within temple grounds.

 

Outside, however, thriving service industries have popped up. Dozens

of children rushing to tourists with trinkets; older women

aggressively hawk food — signs underscoring that the Cambodian

economy is on life support.

 

When he's not studying, 20-year-old Buddhist-in-training Tuan hangs

out around the Terrace of the Elephants.

 

The temple group is undergoing restoration, thanks to Japanese

donations.

 

On his days off from studying, he sells postcards and books. He also

offers guide services through the ruins.

 

"I'm very poor and have no mom," Tuan said. "My father is very old."

 

Outside the nearby temple of Banteay Kdei, police officer Pahn Phal

Cahouk lounges against a large stone.

 

Flicking his shiny police badge, he, too, sells souvenirs.

 

"All the police, they have to find some other job to get money,"

Cahouk says. "If they had no tourists come here, it would be very

difficult."

 

A one-day pass to Angkor is $20, although even a blitzkrieg tour

can't cover all the territory. The best way to see the most may be to

hire a moto driver — a scooter you pay to get a ride on — for about

$7 for the day. The moto driver can take you on popular routes where

you can see the most. Taxis, fewer in number, cost more.

 

Siem Reap has dozens of hotel and guesthouses, costing from $2 per

night up to $300. Clean, air-conditioned rooms with a television can

run from $10 to $15 per night.

 

 

The grounds of the Royal Palace have Khmer architecture along with elements of

its French influence.

 

Royal palace still fit for a king

 

 

The Royal Palace, an amazing collection of architecture, today still is King

Samdech Norodom Sihanouk’s official residence. This 80-year-old patriarch — who

endured French occupation, the Vietnam War and Pol Pot — is highly respected, as

is his wife. Their pictures are displayed side by side throughout the country.

 

Even though much was looted during the Khmer Rouge reign, the Royal Palace’s

buildings contain an extensive collection of Buddhist metalworking and

figurines. In the Silver Pagoda, a building with 5,000, two-pound silver tiles,

a 180-pound solid gold Buddha is in a display case.

 

The Throne Hall has two royal chairs used only when a new king is crowned. As in

all of the Royal Palace’s buildings, you must remove your shoes before entering.

 

A must-see is the Russian market, where prices on clothing and trinkets are very

low by developed country standards. T-shirts, Khmer-style dress and wood

carvings are sold, but be skeptical of anything labeled an antique.

 

— Jeremy Kirk

 

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Getting there ...

 

Where: Siem Reap is about 192 miles from Phnom Penh.

 

Transportation: A cruise on the Tonle Sap river is the best way to

get there from the capital city.

 

For $25, a tour boat carries you to Siem Reap in style. You can

lounge atop the boat and get a tan. Or you can watch Khmer movies

broadcast in the vessel's air-conditioned cabin.

 

For information on the cruise to Siem Reap, contact the Generalate of Tourism in Phnom Penh.

 

You can also fly or hire a driver.

 

Flights on Cambodian Airlines are available twice a week between the

capital and Siem Reap. They cost about $50 each way.

 

A car and driver can be hired for between $200 and $300 each way. Be

prepared for a long, bumpy ride.

 

If you take the boat, near Siem Reap the vessel will slink through a

narrow causeway where people live in incessantly bobbing wooden boats.

 

There, children wave to tourists while guesthouse proprietors and

moto and taxi drivers hold up signs to attract business.

 

Where to stay: Siem Reap is a small town geared toward visitors

heading to nearby temples.

 

There are dozens of hotel and guesthouses, costing from $2 to $300

per night.

 

Expect to spend at least $10 to $15 per night for a clean, air-

conditioned room with a television.

 

Information: For more information on travel in Cambodia check out the

Royal Embassy of Cambodia Web site at www.embassy.org/cambodia or the

Cambodia Information Center homepage Web site at www.cambodia.org.