June
18, Monday
Our tour of the Angkor Temples continues today, starting with Ta Prohm Temple or “Old Brahma”, which was “consecrated” in 1186 and was dedicated to King Jayavarman VII’s mother. (Preah Khan was dedicated to his father.)
The four faces of Brahma on the main entrance gates
Monks visiting the site. This is the trail from the entrance gates to the temple itself.
It is still a ruin, although some restoration continues to be carried out by the Indian Government on this site.
You can really see the difference they are making in restoring and stabilizing the area
A ruin yes,
but a beautifully graceful one
Some of the carvings are still beautifully undamaged
And the trees have taken over everywhere, giving it an eerie SciFi look
This is one of the sites used in Tomb Raiders with Angelina Jolie
Some of the reliefs are still peeking through the tree branches/roots
It is great to see these `before`and `after`pictures
And then compare to the what they have been able to recreate, so that the world can enjoy
And there are still more puzzles to be completed. Still years of work..... or not.
It is a relatively small site with small structures, and because of the red sandstone used for the carvings, they are still in amazing condition.
The lintels and pediments are still exquisit
I could add about 12 more pictures here of these beautiful carvings
The area knows as the ``library``
The carvings look like they could have been done yesterday!
We make our way back to the elephant platform and leave the park through a different Brahma Gate, where we see one of the best restored bridges of Angkor
One of the figures on the bridge
Some with restored heads, or heads made of a different type of stone
Ladies driving back home after going to market
One of the heads looks rather new!
And at the gate out of the complex I realize that the figures are not pulling on a rope, they are pulling on Naga, the snake
How beautiful is that!
We went back into Seam Reap for lunch at a bakery near Pub Street and then did a bit of shopping,
Dyed crocodile skins in a leather shop
I bought a bracelet, from a `fair trade` store, which was made from the metal of bullet casings!
On the outskirts of Seam Reap, on the way to the Tonle Sap River
Family of 5 on a motorcycle.
The road to the river for outing
A small village along the way
We arrive at the river where all the tourist boats are waiting. In the distance (white buildings) is a new resort being built.
Our boat for the cruise
The owner of the boat had his two little boys on board, and they actually helped along the way. They actually tried to give us massages by giving us karate chops on the shoulders. OUCH ! Those little bones are sharp.
Some people live very poorly on the shores of the river. We are told by our guide that most are Vietnamese boat people, who never returned to their country.
These floating platforms are used as houses and stores, all along the river to the lake.
They use any material they can scrounge to build their floating homes.
Some are sturdier than others
Little girls playing on the verandah of one floating home
Merchants use their boats to try to sell their wares
Fisherman abound on the river
This sign was quite intriguing
These little girls had snakes with them, trying to get tourists to pay for photos with them. SNAKES ! No thanks.
We arrive at Tonlé Sap Lake: normally 2,700 sq km and only 1 meter deep, but increases to 16,000 sq km and 9 meters deep during the rainy season. The river flows in one direction for half the year, and in the other direction the other half depending on the amount of water in the lake. Just to give you a comparison, Lake Ontario is 19,477 sq km.
Fishing on the huge lake
Other boats on the water
A floating school and church on Lake Tonle Sap
We stopped at a large floating establishment and found.... crocodiles.... Some of the skins, drying.
Crocodile pits on the floating market
There must have been at least 30 crocs alive down there
Some bigger than others
Check out the splayed hands and feet on this one
We headed back up river and back to our mini bus. Some farmers actually had floating fields !
and dry dock areas to fix their boats
Bringing in some fire wood
Love this shot, just as evening was arriving
We returned to Siem Reap for our last group dinner together. Melissa was leaving us the next morning to return to Phnom Penh, where she was volunteering in an orphanage for one week.
Our tour of the Angkor Temples continues today, starting with Ta Prohm Temple or “Old Brahma”, which was “consecrated” in 1186 and was dedicated to King Jayavarman VII’s mother. (Preah Khan was dedicated to his father.)
Monks visiting the site. This is the trail from the entrance gates to the temple itself.
It is still a ruin, although some restoration continues to be carried out by the Indian Government on this site.
You can really see the difference they are making in restoring and stabilizing the area
A ruin yes,
but a beautifully graceful one
Some of the carvings are still beautifully undamaged
And the trees have taken over everywhere, giving it an eerie SciFi look
This is one of the sites used in Tomb Raiders with Angelina Jolie
Some of the reliefs are still peeking through the tree branches/roots
I am dwarfed by the trees that encase some of the ruins
And then compare to the what they have been able to recreate, so that the world can enjoy
And there are still more puzzles to be completed. Still years of work..... or not.
Only the best puzzle solvers need apply!
We then continued on to Banteay Srei Temple built in the
late 10th century (inscriptions found in the temple). Where Apsara and the Swiss Government are
working together on the restoration and maintenance.
It is a relatively small site with small structures, and because of the red sandstone used for the carvings, they are still in amazing condition.
The lintels and pediments are still exquisit
I could add about 12 more pictures here of these beautiful carvings
The area knows as the ``library``
The carvings look like they could have been done yesterday!
We make our way back to the elephant platform and leave the park through a different Brahma Gate, where we see one of the best restored bridges of Angkor
One of the figures on the bridge
Some with restored heads, or heads made of a different type of stone
Ladies driving back home after going to market
One of the heads looks rather new!
And at the gate out of the complex I realize that the figures are not pulling on a rope, they are pulling on Naga, the snake
How beautiful is that!
We went back into Seam Reap for lunch at a bakery near Pub Street and then did a bit of shopping,
Dyed crocodile skins in a leather shop
I bought a bracelet, from a `fair trade` store, which was made from the metal of bullet casings!
We then headed out in late afternoon for a boat trip down the Tonle Sap river and on to Tonle Sap lake.
Family of 5 on a motorcycle.
The road to the river for outing
A small village along the way
We arrive at the river where all the tourist boats are waiting. In the distance (white buildings) is a new resort being built.
Our boat for the cruise
The owner of the boat had his two little boys on board, and they actually helped along the way. They actually tried to give us massages by giving us karate chops on the shoulders. OUCH ! Those little bones are sharp.
Some people live very poorly on the shores of the river. We are told by our guide that most are Vietnamese boat people, who never returned to their country.
Some are sturdier than others
Little girls playing on the verandah of one floating home
Merchants use their boats to try to sell their wares
Fisherman abound on the river
Getting ice from the local floating store. The floating homes do not have electricity.
These little girls had snakes with them, trying to get tourists to pay for photos with them. SNAKES ! No thanks.
We arrive at Tonlé Sap Lake: normally 2,700 sq km and only 1 meter deep, but increases to 16,000 sq km and 9 meters deep during the rainy season. The river flows in one direction for half the year, and in the other direction the other half depending on the amount of water in the lake. Just to give you a comparison, Lake Ontario is 19,477 sq km.
Fishing on the huge lake
Other boats on the water
A floating school and church on Lake Tonle Sap
Little girls floating around in metal tubs !
Crocodile pits on the floating market
There must have been at least 30 crocs alive down there
Some bigger than others
Check out the splayed hands and feet on this one
We headed back up river and back to our mini bus. Some farmers actually had floating fields !
and dry dock areas to fix their boats
Bringing in some fire wood
Love this shot, just as evening was arriving
We returned to Siem Reap for our last group dinner together. Melissa was leaving us the next morning to return to Phnom Penh, where she was volunteering in an orphanage for one week.
It had been a long day, and that drink went down beautifully. CHEERS !
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