Angkor-age

MANILA, Philippines - The first thing that strikes you after landing in Cambodia is the feeling that you have arrived at some local street, not an international airport. Siem Reap, the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia, has this very rustic air; even the airport looks more like a big traditional house than an aviation building. In the waning light of day, one gets a sense of the mystery that surrounds the history of Angkor, seat of the Khmer (pronounced “Kha-may”) civilization. It is a welcome relief from the motorcycle hive that is Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) or from the concrete jungle of Bangkok, two other popular tourist destinations in the same region.

Siem Reap literally means “Flat Defeat of Siam,” a title arbitrarily selected by King Ang Chan, after the resounding victory of the Khmer over Siamese forces in the 15th century. Its centerpiece is the temples of Angkor, made known to the world through the efforts of French explorer Henri Mouhot who wrote about it around 1892, when Cambodia was part of Indochina (which also covered parts of present-day Vietnam and Myanmar). For centuries after the Buddhist monks abandoned it, Angkor was hidden in a forest that overran the entire ancient city.

Today, anyone who wants to discover the beauty of Angkor, free from the foliage that once engulfed it, only needs a trusty guide who is knowledgeable about its history and capable of communicating all the necessary information in your preferred language. If your guide happens to be a local chap named Sophy Chhay, you are in very good hands. With his good command of English, and affable, even humorous nature, he takes his clients on a magical adventure through the walls of Angkor.

We were taken directly to the Tara Angkor Hotel, one of the older four-star hotels in downtown Siem Reap. With tourists from all over the globe flocking to the celebrated ruins, it is not surprising that many of the locals speak English or some other language alien to most Cambodians. Sophy brags that nearly 90 percent of all city dwellers are in the tourism industry, trained by the Ministry of Tourism, which also regulates all the business that fuels Siem Reap. At the hotel, we were warmly greeted with the traditional lotus-shaped handclasp. The cold towel and lemongrass tea concoction served at the lobby were most welcome on a humid night.

Angelina Jolie was here: Centuries-old kapok tree on the roof of a temple

The people are laidback, much like townsfolk in the Philippines, but once you enter the heart of downtown Siem Reap, their exotic flair comes alive to fill your senses — from the aromatic Cambodian cuisine wafting in the breeze, to the sights and sounds of any typical tropical paradise teeming with foreigners, mostly Caucasians. It would be more fun in the Philippines if only we could match the number of tourists we encountered near the Old Market on a Monday evening.

With narrow asphalt roads and few commuters, the main form of transport is the tuktuk, a term they imported from Thailand to call their motoromo. Unlike the Thai tuktuk, which is a single vehicle with three wheels, the Cambodian tuktuk is a small carriage pulled by a motorcycle, a smaller version of the horse-drawn calesa.

At one of the many restaurants that serve “authentic Khmer cuisine,” we were delighted with starters of shrimp cake salad (minced shrimps marinated with coriander, garlic, coated with bread crumbs and served with fresh vegetables) and chicken coconut soup (chicken meat cooked with mushroom, lemongrass, galangal, lime juice and coconut milk). Champey Restaurant’s main course was comprised of Khmer amok fish, stir-fried vegetable with cashew nut and steamed jasmine rice. The set meal is truly delectable, one that lingers in any food lover’s memory. The dessert, however, leaves much to be desired. Pan-fried pineapple and watermelon skewered on a spit is not quite as satisfying as it sounds, even if cooked in coconut milk and honey from Mt. Kulen.

An early morning trek to the South Gate of Angkor Thom is a good way to start a Siem Reap adventure. A one-day pass that allows access to all the temples costs US$20. It is actually an ID tag, complete with a photo of the visitor, to prevent multiple users of the same pass.

Angkor Thom (literally, “Great City”), completed during the reign of King Jayavarman VII, covers an area of nine square kilometers. It is being restored, one block of sandstone at a time, by a team of Indian and Cambodian engineers, craftsmen, and historians. Apart from the tourists and the artisans, numerous photographers and a few filmmakers visit the site to capture its mystical essence. Sophy claims he starred with Angelina Jolie when she shot one of the scenes in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider at the ancient ruins.

Ancient gods: Smiling faces of Bayon Temple

What makes the temples more remarkable are the kapok trees that have grown on the stones themselves, their massive trunks crushing the roofs, their anaconda roots bracing the walls. The trees present a dilemma to the restorers — keep them to maintain the natural beauty of the temples but risk further deterioration of the walls due to the weight of the centuries-old trees, or cut them down, along with the history they store, to show the world how Angkor looked before the forest took over.

A restored causeway connecting enclosures to the West Gate provides a wonderful backdrop for anyone aspiring to be a temple runner. In the old days, access to the city and its temples could be made only through designated gates, most likely for security purposes. The causeways acted as a link between the land of mortals and the temple of the gods.

At the heart of the Great City is Angkor Wat or City Temple, built by King Suryavarman II. Well-preserved with its Hindu and Buddhist motifs, Angkor Wat is the main attraction of Siem Reap, its towers even depicted in the Cambodian flag. It was designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology. Within a 190-meter moat and a perimeter wall 3.6 kilometers long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. Its inner walls are lined with engraved images of gods or devatas (from which we got the word “diwata”). Oddly, 12th-century engravings are more detailed and of much better craftsmanship than those made in the 16th century. It is believed that more than 300,000 workers and artisans were commissioned over 37 years to finish the temple. Most of the stairs on the four sides of the temple are at a steep 70-degree angle and have eight-inch steps. The reason is two-fold: it makes climbing difficult for invaders, and forces the religious to bow and slowly climb on all fours in a reverential stance.

There are many other temples in the Angkor complex, but no one should miss the Bayon Temple or East Gate. It was the center of Angkor Thom during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. Built a century after Angkor Wat, it has no walls and reflected the simple style of the Buddhist monks who took residence there. More than 200 large smiling faces carved on the 54 towers are believed to depict the god Loki, or Avalokitesvara. Outside the gate, visitors can ride elephants that are maintained, not by a local, but by a Frenchman. Souvenir shops also dot the parking area. The prices are quite reasonable and some are even cheaper than similar goods sold in Thailand, where most of the shirts, pants, caps and scarves originate. Haggling is allowed, and the vendors in Siem Reap, who are generally honest, will most likely not rip you off.

Cambodia’s pride: Angkor Wat is the main attraction of Siem Reap, its towers even depicted in the Cambodian flag. It was designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology.

By the end of the day, there is one climb left. On a cloudless day, it will be worth it just to see the sun setting from Bakheng Hill Temple. But if the weather is not cooperating, a quick visit to Artisans d’Angkor is a fine way to end a day tour of Siem Reap. Here, an in-house guide will walk you through the same processes of stone and woodcarving, lacquer craft and metal ware that were used during the heyday of Angkor. Finished products can, of course, be bought at the end of the tour.

Two days and three nights in Seam Reap is not enough to truly understand its colorful past and vibrant present. A five-day visit will present an opportunity to visit the Floating Village of Konpong Phluk, as well as the Cambodian Cultural Village and the Angkor National Museum. An aerial tour of Siem Reap by hot air balloon may even be squeezed in.

If you wish to go there on a lean budget, the best months are May to July, when most tourists shy away from the dreaded monsoon rains. Sophy insists that during this period, it only rains for about 30 minutes, and the rest of the day is usually sunny. Hotel occupancy is lean, so the room rates are lower and there are plenty of promo tour packages. As for getting there, airfare is cheaper, especially now that there are direct flights from Manila via Cebu Pacific.

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For more information about Siem Reap, contact Sophy Chhay, (855)12404183, angkorguides@gmail.com or Chie Bejar, 0919-8446037/ 0917-8300486, chiebejar@yahoo.com