Into Siem Reap #1

Working makes you lifeless.

That's why working pays and having fun doesn't. See it this way: they rob you of your life, hence they pay you back. They give you fun, hence you pay them for the fun.

Simple business stuff.

Just came back from Siem Reap, Cambodia last Saturday. I enjoyed the trip thoroughly: everything was awesome except the food.

We've been eating these 2 dishes for every meal since day 1.

The former is called Amok Fish. We didn't know it's the Khmer name for the dish, we thought the fish was amok when it was alive. Dad said, "We'll most probably run amok after eating it." Amok is actually a type of gravy, something like our curry. We have curry chicken, curry fish head; they have amok chicken and amok fish as well.

It tastes sweeter than curry, very generous in coconut milk and not spicy at all. Imagine our local curry: add a little more sugar, reduce the thickness, take away the spiciness.

The latter is called stir fried pork in sweet and sour sauce. Just like our 'gu lou yok'.

Siem Reap's first greeting to us when we got down of the tiny AirAsia airplane.

I heard that Siem Reap International Airport is bigger and grander than the airport in Phnom Penh. Most probably due to the influx of tourists attracted to Angkor Wat.

The hotel we stayed in. Along the way to the airport, there are rows and rows of hotels. All of them ranging from 4-star (around USD 100 per night per room) to 7-star (up to USD 2k per night per room).

Nearly perfect competition, I tell you.

This is Preah Ko, one of the oldest temples in Cambodia. It's more than a thousand years old. Most of the temples were dedicated to Shiva, so you can find Shiva lingams at every temple.

If you recall your secondary school history lessons, the official religion of the Angkor empire was Hinduism. However, although the official religion of modern Cambodia is Buddhism, the people still offer prayers to the 3 main Hindu gods.

Female guardians, don't know what they're called in Khmer. But you'll find this at every single temple. Funny they should trust the sanctity of the temple to females, and at the same time view females as the weaker sex.

Walking towards Bakong Temple Mountain. A temple mountain is a temple built to resemble the legendary Mount Meru of Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Since Mount Meru is where all the gods live, then a temple that resembles their original home would definitely fit the gods.

Acting like jakuns on the top of Bakong.

This is exactly why I enjoyed my Siem Reap trip. I love climbing steps. I love to climb around. My long white legs need to move around, you know. I'm always climbing here, jumping there.

Might I add: historical monuments are not boring, they are awesome.

Lolei temple. It's built as a memorial temple to Yasovarman I's ancestors. It once stood on an island, only accessible via boat. Unfortunately, the lake has since dried up. The idea of building a temple on an island originated from Hindu and Buddhist mythology as well. It's believed that Mount Meru is surrounded by an ocean.

Now here comes the most exciting part: the walk to Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat, one of the contemporary 7 Wonders of the World. They should play some background music along the causeway, heighten up the vibe. My heartbeat was seriously accelerating, mixed emotions (I don't know whether to cry or to laugh out loud).

I know I sound crazy. But I've been dying to see Angkor Wat with my own eyes.

After what seemed like an eternity, we reached the entrance of the outer wall.

Very similar to the Forbidden City of China, you have to walk about a kilometre to reach the main complex. First, cross the moat; second, choose an entrance; third, walk towards the main complex.

Another thing is, all these huge temples are surrounded by moats. There are various reasons as to why there must be a moat:

• The priests said it resembles the ocean surrounding Mount Meru.
• The civil engineers said that the water of the moat provides hydraulic pressure, essential to the stability of the temples, which are mostly built out of sandstones.
• The army said that the moat is the classic defense must-have for every fort or VIP buildings. Since ancient Angkor was a very religious country, temples are the top priority.
  

BEHOLD, ANGKOR WAT. A dream come true.

Look how beautiful her reflection is upon the still waters of the lake. Tagore said that the Taj Mahal is 'one tear drop... upon the cheek of time'; then Angkor Wat is the deep grey pupil in the eye of time, never to fade and never to change.

Angkor Wat is the best preserved Khmer temple, as well as the biggest Hindu temple in South East Asia.

We get to climb up the main tower. The way up was a 75 degrees slope. The way up was easy, if you don't turn and gaze at the world below. The way down was freaky.

The outer walls of the main complex are fraught with large scale scenes of intricate carvings, retelling selected stories from the Mahabrata and Ramayana epics. Scenes included the battle between Rama and Ravana (remember the secondary school Malay classical prose "Sikap Terburu-buru Membawa Padah Buruk"? thats the story); the 37 heavens and 32 hells; one battle scene from the Mahabrata; ceremonial procession of Suryavarman II and the beautiful Churning of the Sea of Milk scene.

Too bad the latter, also the piece de resistance, was under restoration works.

I flew all the way from Malaysia and they said it's under restoration. Urgh.

Had a sumptuous buffet dinner at Siem Reap town. There were traditional dance performances as well: apsara dance, coconut dance, courting dance, etc.

That's all about Siem Reap for now.

Merry Christmas

To all my darlings, dears, machas, 'family members' and friends