Day 2 Of Angkor Wat Adventures

Day 2- Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Pre Rup,Ta Srom
I'll try to do less words, but I don't think I can do less pictures in this post.  My words won't really help you all that much, and I already wrote a lot about Day 1.  Also, I don't want you to get that 'these all look the same to me' feeling about the ruins.  
Day 2 we traveled greater distances to see a few less temples, but they are very popular spots and well preserved for the most part.  
I think Preah Khan- the first temple we visited on day 2- might be one of my favorite temples.  This visit it was made very memorable from a conversation with a Japanese tourist.  Our guide was talking to us about a particular structure in one of the passageways when a man politely interrupted to ask a question.  After the question was answered he asked where we were from.  We responded with the usual "America" as most people in these parts learn that name for the fifty nifty and not really "the U.S." or "the states" as most expats refer to our country as.  His eyes lit up and also began to tear up a little at the same time.  
The earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster had recently struck Japan and this fellow was away from home throughout the whole event.  I can't remember the exact details of the conversation now, but he said he had a daughter that lived in northeast Japan and he had not heard from her yet, or he had not heard from her for a long time after the initial disaster hit.  Of course he was very emotional about that, but when we said that we were from America he got emotional for a different reason.  He immediately responded with some of the most heartfelt thanks I've ever received in my life.  He said that the people of Japan were so thankful to America for all the support they gave his country in their time of need.  It was totally unexpected, my mom and I weren't sure how to act.  We tried holding back the tears while this man thanked us.  After that the day was a bit changed for us.  
As usual we walked through the ruins in a different state of mind due to the heat, sweat, and envisioning days of old in which god-kings wandered these same hallways.  But this event seemed to put us in yet another, strange state.  We hadn't thought about reality much, and what was going on in the outside world.  Sometimes when you're in a jungle for a few days that happens.  
With that, Angkor ruins day two.
 
Preah Khan

This construction is noteworthy because it's not often that this type of architectural technique is used.  A cross beam support and these interior columns are reminiscent of Greco-Roman architecture.  (Am I right mom? Your architectural expertise would be handy...)

Hallways- sometimes shrinking sometimes not, but always leading you to something else breathtaking.

Buddha images sans head.  So many Buddha images are destroyed or etched out of the stonework as a result of battles over ownership of the temples and religious persecution.

Mom getting blessed with a bracelet and all bad things cast out of her by this old with no teeth.

Inside of 2-story stairless building

Whoops- someone was a little chisel happy and carved in an extra toe on the right foot!

Ah the male and female symbol.  You cannot go far at Angkor without seeing it. 

Palm leaf book.  This style of book has been used for centuries in Asia, and is one of the reasons no 'books' remain in the libraries at Angkor Wat. Either they were burned in the various wars over religion and ownership, or they simple disintegrated over time.  This particular book is a fortune book that the old lady was using to tell people fortunes, futures, what have you.

This structure is interesting- there is a second level, although there aren't any stairs.  After both times I've visited I still don't quite understand how it was used, or how people got upstairs!

Big vine growing out of a big tree!  I was trying so hard to stay on the vine for the picture- my hands were very sweaty- it was super hot!

Neak Pean
Neak Pean is a ruin with an artificial island and four surrounding pools.  At each pool there is a chapel with a different character represented- a human, a lion, a horse, and an elephant.  The four pools represent Water, Earth, Fire and Wind. Neak Pean was built to be used as a hospital.  People could come and bath in the pools, which were believed to align all the elements in a person to cure whatever their illness.  
The larger lake feeds into these four smaller pools.  It is possible to walk from the steps surrounding the lake to the inner island except during very heavy rainy seasons, when the 'path' is much too covered.  Of course children will always be splashing around in it.

On the right hand side of this picture is a sculpture that is falling apart.  The sculpture is a horse surrounded by men.

Human

Lion

Horse

Elephant

Incense holder.  These are common in many Southeast Asian countries and are common at many temples and shrines in the region.  I love how jam packed with incense sticks they always are.

Pre Rup
The name Pre Rup translates to "Turn the body".  There is also a crematorium structure , and Pre Rup was therefore known as a funerary complex.  Hiking around the ruins was tough at point in the day.  It was after lunch, around 2 pm so it was pretty hot.  The steps to the ruins are pretty steep, and there's a lot of them, but it's worth it.  It's a pretty impressive complex.   

Uppermost pyramid gallery

Newer additions to the gallery

Ta Som (sometimes pronounced and spelled "Ta Srom")

Ta Srom is another temple that has been left mainly unrestored, so there are a lot of huge trees growing through, over and around the ruins.  All the galleries, hallways and shrines are on one level, and there is a lot of shade, so this visit was pretty easy on the knees and enjoyable.  

Entrance

Old bike I found at the ruins!  Not rideable, but still cool. 

Hallways

Oh her way into the complex.

Thanks for bearing with me on this post- I know it was long and had a lot of pictures!  I hope you'll check out some of the information in the links.  They're all wikipedia links, but hopefully that can serve as a jumping off point if you're more interested.  Here is a great link with more history and maps- "The Monuments of the Angkor Group" by Maurice Glaize.  It was first published in 1944 and has been translated from French to English. Maurice Glaize was one of the early explorers of the Angkor ruins.  This online edition of the book is more informational than pictorial, but quite informative and comprehensive.  Definitely worth a look if you are more interested in learning more details about the ruins.

http://www.theangkorguide.com/text.htm

Mother Daughter Adventures Chronicles III Angkor Wat

It’s hard to describe Angkor Wat with words.  The totality of the entire Angkor Empire is so vast and awe-inspiring.  Everything from the history of its creators, rulers, workers and usage is just amazing.  Every temple in the Angkor complex (and there are many) has its own story.  I’ve been to Angkor Wat twice now, and still I am a novice at understanding Angkor.  I think you could visit Siem Reap several times and go without repeating temples (although many are well worth returning to that’s for sure).  I did return to most of the same temples as I visited with Peter, but I still thoroughly enjoyed my time walking around the ruins.  I was able to take a closer look at some statues, reliefs and the construction.  I was also able to take different types of pictures.  I enjoyed revisiting some temples, and enjoyed visiting temples for the first time.  Something about the mix of heat, sweat, dust, people, and hours spent walking around the ruins takes your breath away, and throws you into another time and place that only your imagination can really unfold for you.  That’s why Angkor is hard to explain- one must really experience it by walking in and out of shrinking doorways, approaching a grand temple to take in the full scale, peer up at a giant Buddha statue, climb hundreds of steps and envision King Gods and priests having done the same, and feel the presence of a thousand Buddha’s eyes watching you as you gingerly make your way in and out of the maze of towers.

I hope the pictures do a better job explaining Angkor Wat.  If ever you get the inkling to visit, don’t push that feeling away.  It is very worth the experience, and every penny.  Angkor Wat is unforgettable, majestic, historic, and beautiful.

Day 1- The Small Tour
The 'Small Tour' is small in overall distance traveled by tuk tuk and walking, but it includes the most culturally significant and religiously important temples.  When touring Angkor Wat you can go by yourself or hire a guide, and I'm pretty sure all the guides will do a very similar tour.  The first two days we had a guide.  The temples we saw on the first day were: Angkor Thom, The Bayon, Bapuon and the the shadow of the reclining Buddha in the silhouette of the stonework, Phimeanakas, Terrace of the Leper King, Sras Srei, Terrace of the Elephants,Ta Prohm (the Lara Croft Tomb Raider temple), Ta Keo, and last but not least, Angkor Wat.  

Outside the gate to The Bayon, standing by a god.  On the opposite side of the causeway are demons. 54 heads in total I think.

One of many bas reliefs of war.

One of the many tricks the guides come up with.

Many faces of Buddha always watching you at the Bayon

View of a gallery from the upper galleries of the Bayon

Approaching the Baphuon

Bapuon- you can see the face of the Buddha- reclining.  Can you see it?  His face is on the left.

Phimeanakas- These steps are more serious than they appear.

Small hallway at the top of Phimeanakas

Elaborate handmade details. 

Ta Prohm- the Lara Croft Tomb Raider Temple.  They've let the trees grow through the temple here. At other temples they manage the trees, but here they wanted to let nature take its course I suppose.

Dis is a take ovah!  Trees consume stone...

Angkor temples are made of sandstone and laterite so they weather easily and it is a lot of work to maintain.

Angkor Wat- in an outer gallery to the central gallery.  Lakshmi statue- Wife of Rama (as her incarnation of Sita).  Rama is believed to be an incarnation, or avatar of Vishnu.  In the Ramayana (ancient Hindu epic), Lakshmi is abducted by Ravana, King of Lanka.  He makes many advances on Sita, but she refuses.  Finally her husband Rama is able to rescue her.  In the Hindu epic, Sita needs to perform a few rituals to prove she has been faithful during her time of captivity. She must walk over fire to prove her chastity.  In the Thai version, Sita goes willingly into the coals to feel clean.  The coals turn to lotus flowers which are very symbolic in Thailand, Hinduism and Buddhism.  It symbolizes purity of body, speech and mind.  When they returned to their Kingdom in Ayodhya, they are crowned King and Queen.  Some of the people in the Kingdom could not accept her long captivity.  She was later exiled again, due to some comments made by a subject of the kingdom.  Rama knew this comment was baseless, but he drove Sita out anyways because he could not be undermined.  Rama is perceived as courageous in his pursuits to rescue to Sita, but I haven't seen much that says Sita was brave throughout her exile(s) and single parenthood.  She raised two boys on her own in a hermitage after she was rescued by a sage.  The Ramayana is an interesting story and it may have many different explanations and versions, so I am not an expert.  But, I still Sita deserves a bit more credit. 

Buddha.

Apsara dancer.  Apsaras are celestial dancing girls, characters in Indian mythology.

Fantastic.  THE Angkor Wat. A 20 year dream come true for Mom.

Monk doing his homework.  Angkor Wat is actually home to an active monastery as well, so the monks can use Angkor Wat as a physical classroom of their cultural history.  How about that for experiential learning?

An upper gallery at Angkor Wat

Hallway in an upper gallery.  This is in the center of four pools where God Kings hung out and splashed around.

Not sure if this is Mt. Meru or one of the four corner towers, but it's still incredible.  I don't think this one is Mt. Meru, but Mt. Merus looks very similar- it's just larger and you can walk up a steep flight up steps to walk around its upper galleries.

Mt. Meru, or Sumeru is the symbolic center of the universe.  It is the mythical mountain home to the Gods that is mentioned in Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cosmology.  In the central structure of the Angkor Wat complex there are five towers, or peaks.  The central tower that is the tallest represents the central peak, and the four corner towers represent the four other peaks.  The walls and moats around the 5 towers are said to symbolize the other mountain ranges and oceans.  I've also heard that those four other towers represent the Sun-God and stars.  Access to the central tower is limited, and last time I visited Angkor Wat were not allowed to climb the steps and walk around the gallery there.  But this time we were.  It was very special and exciting.

 
 

Offering for Buddha.  Lotus flowers are a common offering for Buddha.  Not only does the Buddha appear to be sitting in a lotus flower in many images and statues, but the lotus flower is a symbol of pure mind, heart and thoughts. 

On the way back down Mt. Meru.  Very happy, feeling amazing to be looking out at such an amazing view.