Angkor Thom
Monday 16th November
We had breakfast over the road in the Mandalay Inn, then took a tuk-tuk
to Angkor Thom. This is not a single monument but rather an entire
city, with walls surrounding a square about 3km a side. It was the
last occupied capital of the Khmer empire and contains some of the most
impressive buildings, in the best condition.
We came in by the south gate, in pleasant temperatures at about 8.15am.
Richard went with the tuk-tuk but I got out and walked the 1.5km to the
centre, buying some bananas to feed to the monkeys on the way; riding
an elephant would have been another option.
Rather than starting with the famous monuments, Richard took me to his
favourite place, the east (or Death) gate. We had this to ourselves
for quite some time. We also looked at the Victory gate, also in the
east wall but to the north.
We went back to the centre of Angkor Thom, then Richard went back to the
hotel, while I explored the Bayon. Built by Jayavarman VII, this features
his head repeated scores of times, and extensive, detailed carvings.
These involve lots of battles, but also scenes of ordinary life.
There were a lot more people here!
Next up was the Baphuon, the restoration of which was the subject of a
seminar I went to in Sydney before the trip.
Different groups have taken on restoration responsibility for different
monuments. A Japanese group is working on the Bayon, while a French
one handles the Baphuon.
Then I walked along causeways and climbed the Phimeanakas.
the Phimeanakas |
Phimeanakas pool |
I visited Preah Palilay, the Tep Pranam shrine, the Terrace of the Leper
King, the Terrace of the Elephants, and the complex of temples to the
east of the central north-south axis.
It was 1pm and pretty damn hot by the time I headed back to the hotel
to shower, meet up with Richard, and have lunch.
Next: the Roluos Group
Previous: Siem Reap + Angkor Wat
Up: Vietnam + Cambodia
