I believe the children are our future …

We are reluctant to leave Cambodia. Our time here was relaxing to be sure, thanks to our Mekong cruise and a comfortable stay in Siem Reap. We were able to see the Cambodian people at work, at play, in meditation, and in many unguarded moments of everyday life. When I reflect on the pain the population has suffered in recent times, I think, perhaps more than other countries we have visited, Cambodia must look to the future. The struggle is to create a future that will bring education and opportunity to Cambodia's children, for at present, they are the most disadvantaged even as they are the country's future.

"I believe the children are our future

Teach them well and let them lead the way

"Show them all the beauty they possess inside

"Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

"Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be"

Lyrics from Greatest Love Of All    |   Songwriters: Creed, Linda; Masser, Michael
© EMI GOLD HORIZON MUSIC CORP.; EMI GOLDEN TORCH MUSIC CORP.

Oh, but the fish are nibbling

This post should make you smile. Let me set the scene ... It's our last night in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We take a tuk-tuk from the hotel downtown to Pub Street for a casual dinner. That sounds promising, doesn't it?

We turned a corner and saw a fish spa set up on the sidewalk. We had been seeing fish spas since Thailand and thought they looked weird, even kind of gross. Maybe it was the summery atmosphere of Siem Reap or just knowing it was our last night, but we paused when the young proprietor asked us to consider his fish spa. Rob looked at the fish. He put his hand in the tank. He thought about his rough travel-weary feet and decided to give it a try, especially after the young fellow promised a free beer.

According to the Dr Fish website, "some find the experience ticklish at first but the feeling passes quickly so that deep relaxation can begin." Ticklish? Just check out this expression!

Dr. Fish explains that "the authentic Garra Rufa fish are known for their healing benefits and are native to the hot springs of the Kengal Valley in Turkey. The fish gently nibble the skin to stimulate, rejuvenate and improve the overall health of your skin through natural exfoliation. The experience provides an amazing massage and invigorating sensation similar to that of mini Jacuzzi jets."

"Garra Rufa fish have no teeth and secrete a therapeutic enzyme called dithranol that takes care of your skin. This unique enzyme also reduces the over development of skin cells to ease and prevent the symptoms of many skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis."

Sounds great, right? After about 10 or 15 minutes, the young guy convinced Rob he should try the bigger fish for an even better and more soothing result. Always brave, Rob took his advice. And here's our man as he gets a first ticklish nibble from the bigger fish.

This expression alone was enough to convince me to pass on a fish spa. For some things it's really best to be the one responsible for documentation.

 

Banteay Srei - Citadel of beauty

We walked in the morning light past the linga -- sacred symbol of Shiva -- towards one of the smallest temples in Angkor. As we came to the main gate we saw why this temple is known as Banteay Srei -- meaning the "Citadel of Women" or perhaps "Citadel of Beauty". It is a temple in miniature when compared to the grand state temples of Angkor Wat or Banyon and its stonework glowed a warm shade of red thanks to the pink sandstone that is used throughout.

We were instantly captivated by the delicate carvings of female figures and detailed mythological narratives that cover every available surface.

Banteay Srei was built in the later half of the 10th century by Yajnavaraha, guru to the future king Jayavarman V. The temple, which is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, has remained in use at least until the 14th century. It was rediscovered only in 1914, and was the subject of a celebrated case of art theft when a young Frenchman, André Malraux, stole four devatas in 1923 (he was soon arrested and the figures returned). Ironically, Malraux later became the French Minister of Culture in the deGaulle administration.

The main sanctuary stands on a t-shaped platform. The monkey guardians are reproduction sculptures.

Below stands one of the two library buildings; in the centre is a false door for spirits.

Rob asks Mr. Thy a question as we stand in the second gopura of Banteay Srei.

 

 

In Nature's relentless embrace

The heat and humidity of the Cambodian jungle are, in their way, relentless, but our visit to Ta Prohm -- a temple complex in eastern Angkor -- taught us about the living jungle's relentless ability to overtake monuments.  Ta Prohm is perhaps most famous today for the massive tree that dominates the first gopura or gateway into the temple enclosure, as shown in this iconic image.

Photo Brian Jeffery Beggerly

Unlike the majority of Angkor temples, Ta Prohm has been largely left to the clutches of the jungle. Why?

In 1177 and 1178, invasions of the Angkor region by the Cham had left the the Khmer capital in near ruins. Jayavarman VII decided to move his capital to Phnom Penh. While a few monks remained at Angkor Wat, the temples quickly succumbed to nature.  Seeds germinated in the stonework, weakening walls and roofs and causing collapse. In time, the temples were nearly lost to the jungle.  As French explorers came to Cambodia, they were guided by the local Khmer to their long abadoned temples.  In particular, the 1863 reports of French naturalist Henri Mahout published in Paris inspired Western interest. Everyone wanted to see the temple monuments he had described.

drawing of Angkor Wat by Henri Mahout

In time, adventurers were replaced by archeologists. The Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient, founded in 1899, took responsibility for conservation of the monuments. Thousands of cubic metres of soil were excavated was temples were reclaimed from the jungle.  As Maurice Glaize explains in his still-definitive 1944 guidebook, The Monuments of the Angkor Group, "Even though the relentless force of the vegetation is the cause of so much damage, the École Française d'Extrême-Orient felt obliged to leave at least one temple in Angkor as an example of the "natural state" that so marvelled the early explorers, while also showing by comparison the importance of the effort already achieved in its work to safeguard these ancient stones. It chose Ta Prohm - one of the most imposing and the one which had best merged with the jungle, but not yet to the point of becoming a part of it - as but one specimen typical of a form of Khmer art of which there were already other models."

Today, conservation efforts have to protect the trees as much as the stonework.  If a tree falls, it will further ruin the temple remains. And yes, Ta Prohm is also the highly atmospheric temple from Tomb Raider (starring Angelina Jolie as Laura Croft) which was filmed here. Many come to this temple simply for that connection.

In one corner, our guide quietly pointed out an apsara's face which many call Cambodia's Mona Lisa.

Many writers have written descriptively of Ta Prohm. For me, the integrated juxtaposition of stone and vegetation was completely captivating.  I was also drawn to the contrast between restoration and ruin that was very evident at Ta Prohm.

View this short "atmospheric" video if you are interested in seeing the incredible detail in the stone carvings of Ta Prohm.

When the apsaras dance

Dressed in the silk and gold of a traditional Khymer costume, a dancer turns and bends in a closing gesture. She presses a lotus flower to her lips, covering a softly enigmatic smile. The nighttime dance ends, the music fades ...

Created to entertain the Khmer royalty, classical Cambodian dance -- also called Apsara dance -- presents themes and stories inspired primarily by the Reamker (the Cambodian version of the Indian classic, the Ramayana) and the age of Angkor. The dancers in the performance we saw at our hotel had an ethereal quality that reminded us that in Hindu myth, the apsaras -- or celestial dancers -- were one of the 13 gifts born of the Churning of the Sea of Milk, a 1,000-year effort in which the gods and demons cooperated under Vishnu's guidance to obtain the elixir of immortality.

In Hindu myth, the apsaras are paired with the ghandarvas, the court musicians of Indra, king of the demi-gods. The ghandarvas make music to which their beautiful consorts dance in the celestial palaces.

 

Hundreds of carved apsaras decorate the Angkor temples, over 1800 in Angkor Wat itself. To my mind, they give the temple buildings a joyous air. It is said that no two are exactly alike in their dress and hairstyle. Serene, mysterious, the apsaras of Angkor are a captivating expression of femininity and exquisite works of art. View more apsaras and more information about their significance.

The ancient art form of Khmer dance has always received royal patronage; even into the 20th century this has been true.  Queen Sisowath Kossamak "fostered a resurgence in the study and development of Khmer traditional dance, but also helped move it out of the palace and popularize it," according to one Cambodian travel guide.  The Queen trained her granddaughter Princess Bopha Devi from early childhood in the art of traditional dance.  In the 1950s and 60s, the princess was the face of Khmer traditional dance, both in Cambodia and around the world. Many traditional dances that are seen in performances today were developed and refined between the 1940s and 1960s under the guidance and patronage of Queen Sisowath Kossamak at the Conservatory of Performing Arts and the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh. 

 

This video of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia gives a wonderful glimpse into the music, the costuming and most of all the highly stylized gestures of this rich dance form.  Imagine the apsaras have stepped off the temple frieze to perform for a moment in time.

A monk walks in the temple

There is something very right and special about seeing Buddhist monks walking in the Angkor temples. They are tourists, too -- often from Thailand -- come to experience these ancient sacred spaces. I frequently tried to photograph them.

Mr. Thy, our guide, told us that the monks are quite comfortable with being photographed. As this monk walked away, I was wishing I had got a better shot. So I asked Mr. Thy if he could request a photo for me. The monk agreed and I took my picture.

Then Mr. Thy told me to stand with the monk for another photo, telling me to take care not to touch the monk's robes. We stood for my picture, then the monk handed Mr. Thy his camera for his own souvenir shot with me.  Many young men enter a monastery for a period of time, perhaps two or three years, to study the Buddha teachings. To me it seemed like a way of deciding what they wanted to do in life. Some stay and become monks, but many return to lay life, get married and pursue a livelihood. In a country where education is expensive and good paying employment is not easy to find, the monastic life attracts many.

 Below, young monks work on a well at the monastic teaching centre of Vipassana Dhura we visited before coming to Siem Reap to see Angkor. I loved their engaged faces as they worked together in the late afternoon sun. Their robes are almost the same color as the iron-rich earth.

Again, at Angkor Wat, a monk walks on the stones by the reflecting pool. On the road to wisdom, a traveller may consider the words of the Buddha: "It is better to travel well than to arrive."

Sundown at Angkor Wat

For many people traveling to Cambodia, seeing the famous temple complex of Angkor Wat is the centerpiece of their trip. Built in the reign of Suryavarman II in the first half of the 12th century both as the capital and the state temple, it is the world's largest religious monument and the grandest of all the Khymer temples. The scale of the site, which covers 82 hectares, is immense and so hard to capture in photographs. Below, we are standing in front of the reflecting pool which fills during monsoon season. The main temple is behind us.

 

The temple itself stands in the middle on a terrace that covers nearly nine hectares. It is amazing to think that this architectural marvel was completed during the reign of one king. The pyramidal towers, created by means of stepped terraces, are a major feature of Khymer architecture and are meant to symbolize Mount Meru, the centre of the Hindu universe. At Angkor Wat, the summit of the temple is crowned with five towers.

It is possible to climb to the summit, but we were discouraged by the line-up just to begin the climb! We opted to walk with our guide, Mr Thy, and appreciate more of the structures and sculptures.

 

As the light changed with the setting sun, we saw the warm red tones of the sandstone deepen. And the sculptured lions darken.

 

 

The sun pushed the library into sharp relief.

 

And then it was time to walk the wide stone causeway across the broad moat that surrounds Angkor Wat. We left through the king's gate which is always larger than the other entry gates. See, there's my king below, appreciating our day's exploration of a true wonder.

 

 

Splendor of the Khmer kings

With the city of Siem Reap as our new base, we were once again touring on our own. We met our guide, Mr. Thy (pronounced "tEE"), who would quickly win our hearts with his passion for the archaeological sites of Angkor, the UNESCO heritage site that brought us and so many others to this region of Cambodia.

 

Stretching over some 400 square kilometers, and including forested area and manmade lakes, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the capitals of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th century. They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its enigmatic stone faces. In the late morning light, these beautiful sculptures were challenging to photograph.

It would be easy to write a dozen posts about all that we saw in our three days of temple exploration. We'll share a little about the Bayon Temple because it is both famous and beautiful. Your really cannot see the sculpted detail of the temple from a distance; at first site it looks like a pile of rock, albeit a pile of rock guarded by both gods (below left) and demons (yes, below right).

The Kyhmer king, Jayavarman VII, began construction of Bayon Temple in the 12th century. Building was continued by his successors as they too looked to leave their mark on the kingdom. Banyon Temple is a state temple, built by the king to serve the royal city of Angkor Thom. As my guide book, Ancient Angkor by Freeman and Jacques explains, it uses a mass of face-towers to create a stone mountain of ascending peaks. Today there are 37 towers standing, although there is debate about how many towers were constructed.

The complexity of Banyon Temple speaks to the passing of relgious phases in the Khmer kingdom. Again, according to my guide book, the temple was initially built to honour the pantheon of Hindu gods, then shifted to Buddhism. We learned that the religious focus of this and other Angkor temples changed over time, almost like waves washing over a sand beach, as warring groups achieved victory and imposed their beliefs on the temples. Even today, the temple holds Buddha statues which are considered sacred. Often these statues were attended by people who served in a lay capacity as monks and nuns.

This sweet elderly lady (a lay nun) offered me an additional blessing, wishing that the blessings of Buddha would stay with me. I believe they will.

 

Riding in an oxcart

 

In the regional town of Kampong Tralach, we took an oxcart ride. It's a bumpy, but fun way to travel. Again, we were on an excursion with our fellow passengers from the cruise boat. Riding two to a cart in a line of maybe 50 carts, we trundled down a country lane past rice fields and rural homes, laughing all the way.

For generations, country folk in Cambodia have used these light, narrow carts for reach their fields and haul fodder for animals or produce to market. And then it was back on board ship for one last night in our lovely floating hotel.

 

We have enjoyed our time on the Mekong so much, but ahead lies Siem Reap and the splendor of the Khmer kings. We are looking forward to exploring the ancient temples of Ankgor Wat.