ankgor what?

I was roused from my slumber two days ago by the insistent beeping of my iPod alarm. It was 3:55 in the morning, and I had things to do. Namely, I had to gather my belongings, and get out of the country. There was no sinister motivation behind my early morning flight to the boarder, I was just trying to give myself plenty of time to cross the notoriously congested and disorganized boarder between Thailand and Cambodia.

I spent my last full day in Thailand under the threat of rain.

After hailing a cab in the pouring rain, I made it to the bus station in time to catch the 5:00 bus to Aranyaprathet, the city in Thailand closest to the main border crossing into Cambodia. We were served "breakfast" on the way, which consisted of a roll stuffed with what I believe was lemon-flavored Crisco, and a "make-your-own" coffee. Pouring instant coffee, sugar, and non-dairy creamer into a glass of room temperature water while riding on a bus proved hopelessly ridiculous. After I sloshed half the water out of my cup, I discovered that non-dairy creamer does not dissolve very well in room temperature water, and the whole thing was a pretty pathetic, poorly thought out, badly executed, gooey mess. The same could be said of the border crossing.

Loads of Thais cross at Aranyaprathet to take advantage of the casinos looming just across the Cambodian border. So I queued up with them, and after a healthy wait, I got my passport stamped and I was out of Thailand. The fun was just getting started. I passed through a Cambodian heath quarantine-cum-scam (which only targets Westerners) without paying for the form I had just filled out, and made my way to the Visa-on-Arrival booth. There I filled out a card, which, because it didn't actually have enough room on it for my contact information, was totally useless, and I handed the official a U.S. twenty-dollar bill. Its important to use U.S. currency at the border (I'll get into Cambodia's attachment to the U.S. dollar a little later) because they'll try to get you to pay 1000 baht. That translates to a little more than US$30, so it's best to insist on giving them American currency. I also declined to pay the 100 baht bribe that they asked me for (the official tried to legitimize this request by pointing out that they had scammed the American in line ahead of me out out of more money) and I had soon secured a visa for the appropriate cost.

After an accidental diversion to a casino (the first kilometer along the border is treated like a long Duty-Free zone, and I hadn't realized that I had yet to enter Cambodia) I got my passport stamped, and hopped on a shuttle bus to the transportation station. There I secured a shared taxi for US$12 from the border to Siem Reap. When enough Westerners had showed up at the transportation station, they loaded up the taxis, and I was on my way through the Cambodian countryside.

Cruising through Cambodia.

The countryside was gorgeous, expanses of flat, mostly flooded ground as far as the eye could see. The landscape was occasionally punctuated by a small collection of huts raised on stilts above the flood level, as well as clusters of trees defiantly growing despite the absence of visible land. The weather was sunny, the views were beautiful, and the car was air-conditioned, making it an overall excellent drive. When we arrived in Siem Reap, I was met by a tuk tuk driver who took me to my hostel for free, but with the expectation that I would avail myself of his services for my visit to the temples the next day. I agreed to meet him early the next morning, and then checked into my hostel.

The hostel is fantastic, one of the best I've stayed in. For only US$8 a night, I have a large air-conditioned ensuite room to share with two other people. I can avail myself of the movie lounge (stocked with new and not-yet released films... got to love those Pakistani pirated DVDs), play a round of billiards or fooseball, pop down to the bar, or jump into the pool. I spent my first night relaxing, and acquainting myself with the hostel and my surroundings, before climbing into bed at the end of a long day.

A traffic intersection in Siem Reap.

I was up bright and early the next morning to meet my tuk tuk driver, Jui, at 6:00. Our first stop was an ATM, that I might have enough of the local currency to buy a ticket for the Angkor Archeological Park. The local currency, in this case, is the U.S. dollar. I don't many countries, other than America, that spit U.S. tens and twenties out of their ATMs, but Cambodia is one of them. The Cambodian Riel is pegged to the dollar at a rate of 4000 : 1, and typically the only time you'll use riel is in lieu of U.S. coins (1000 riel equaling a U.S. quarter). So having stocked up on greenbacks, Jui and I sped off to Angkor.

The main seat of the Khmer Empire, which flourished between the 9th and 13th centuries, Angkor is home to one of the most fantastic archeological sites in the world. For the better part of four centuries, the Khmer Kings built massive temples to the gods out of materials durable enough to survive through to modern times. The same cannot be said of anything else they built, as their homes, commercial buildings, and even palaces were constructed almost exclusively of degradable materials. And so, much like Petra, only the temples and city walls remain of this once-powerful civilization.

A procession of giants involved in the Churning of the Sea of Milk of Hindu mythology.

My first stop was Angkor Thom, which was the largest of the enclosed cities of Angkor, and is now home to an array of temples. Grabbing a quick breakfast, I was soon climbing over ruins and through jungle overgrowth. While there were other tourists about, I found that as soon as I left the beaten path, I could experience almost total isolation from the modern world. It was fascinating to think that the jungle floor I was walking on could have at one time been the site of a bustling street market, or the foundation for a pre-modern home.

An elephant terrace, reflected in the marshy pool.

I made several stops throughout the day, taking plenty of time to explore each of the main temples in the area. The main temple of Angkor Thom, known as the Bayon, was especially impressive. Built up by a long succession of kings, the Bayon took on a size and complexity that make it a lot of fun to explore. The other notable feature of the site is its excessive use of face towers. There are 35 of what may have been as many as 49 faces, most pointing in each cardinal direction, scattered throughout the Bayon, and they have become one of the iconic images of Angkor.

A raised road leading to the Palace temple.

Face towers on the Bayron.

My favorite stop of the day was at a small temple known as Ta Prohm. Its architecture is not all that fantastic, nor is its size that impressive, yet Ta Prohm has become one of the most photographed temples in Angkor by virtue of its state of ruin. More than any other temple in Angkor, Ta Prohm fits the classic image of a ruined jungle temple, with vines crawling up pillars, and tree roots bursting through walls. Its been used by many filmmakers, most recently in the Angelina Jolie film "Tomb Raider", for the way that it so perfectly fits the stereotype, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it.

Heading into Ta Prohm.

A silk cotton tree working its way into the architecture.

Reclining in the shade of a temple, and a tree.

After leaving Ta Phrom, I made a pit stop back at my hostel to grab batteries and eat a late lunch/early dinner. The last site I saw that day was atop the only hill in the area, on which a temple has been constructed. The temple itself is not remarkably distinct from most of the others in the area, but the views is offers are spectacular. Watching the sun set over Cambodia, the convolution of the setting sun, and a far-off thunderstorm threw a rather impressive rainbow over the temple. It was a good way to to end the day.

Rainbow.

Crainbow. (haha, get it?)

The sun, slowly setting over the Khmer ruins.

Painting the sky.

Today has gotten off to a slow start, as this morning it was pouring down rain. I've rented a bike for the day, and once I get this posted, I'll be heading out into the sunny afternoon to take a look at some more temples. With any luck, I'll make to Angkor Wat today, and perhaps revisit Ta Prohm, depending on how much cycling I'm up to. For now, it's time to hit the road and see some more temples.