We awoke early to tackle the temples. I was excited since the temples were precisely the reason why the trip came about and what we came all this way for. Our guide was late but the Mr. Samreth arrived early. When our guide biked in wearing his official Cambodian Tourist Association uniform, he was apologetic and introduced himself as “Kay.” In normal conversations, we understood Kai but when he starts talking “about the temple, about the temple as well,” we completely got lost. I made a valiant effort to understand him and participate actively in the tour. We had paid for the service, and I am interested in history. It was just too hard though; I couldn’t catch up with his accent. It was too bad since Kay seemed to know a lot about Khmer history. Had we understood Spanish, we would’ve appreciated him better since his “Vamos” and other Spanish ramblings seemed crisp and clear. Alas, we could only envy the other tourists their guides who spoke with clear English diction. But we managed to find a special partnership with Kay in the course of the trip so a total loss it was not.

As the official entrance ticket to all the temples, all visitors are required to buy an Angkor Pass.
Checkers at every temple entrance will ask for the Angkor Pass to be shown. Cambodians get in for free. The Angkor Pass can only be bought in designated booths in Siem Reap and have a validity of 1 day (20USD), 3 days (40USD) or 7 days (60USD). Pictures are taken and scanned onto the pass on the spot. There are no extra charges for the picture. We got into a bit of a snafu when Nikki was paying for her pass; the ticket booth lady said that our payment was short. After a few minutes of hostile interaction, off we went that early Monday morning to Ta Phrom.

Originally constructed as a Buddhist monastery in the mid-12th century Ta Phrom is now more known as the location of the Angelina Jolie- starred Tomb Raider. Ta Phrom retains a ruins and jungle atmosphere with the overgrowth not completely cleared. Tree in temple shots are imperative. Ta Phrom gave me a romantic image of adventurers discovering ancient cities buried under stately trees and unruly overgrowth. Despite the presence of a wilderness feel compared to other well-known and mainstream temples, Ta Phrom has been renovated to be more tourist-friendly with wooden planks and clear paths for convenience. Whether or not the conveniences detract from the whole point of Ta Phrom is up for debate.

We headed back to the Villa after the invigorating walk. Finally, we experienced some nature-induced chill after the intense heat of the past few days. We and Kay also defined a crucial relationship, that of subject and photographer. Given the language barrier and his enthusiasm for photography (choreographing poses even), it was the perfect fit. It was perhaps quite trying for him to have no one care about his lectures, but he held up well in all.

A breakfast of thick toast and coffee or tea was part of our Villa package. While the three thick toasts and choice of jam, peanut butter, honey or marmite was good enough to load us with energy, we fancied omelets and sausages to go with the bread. A rich and hearty breakfast served us well for a day of heavy temple-trekking starting with Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat, the raison d’être of the entire 3-Country Odyssey was a sight to behold even after the numerous photos I had seen in the course of the research leading to the trip. The volume of the research was that I felt as though I had gone through the entire trip without physically undertaking it. The pictures may have blunted the awe I would’ve felt upon seeing Angkor Wat for the absolute first time, but being impressed by its grandeur upon stepping foot on the entryway leading to its oft-photographed façade was still an awesome feeling. In a sense, all the photographs have been instrumental in inspiring me and countless others to experience Angkor Wat firsthand. How marvelous that I was finally here!

Angkor Wat (Temple of Angkor) was built by Suryavarman II in the 12th century. Some say that the king built it to be his funerary temple as well. White originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, Buddhist images also populate Angkor Wat since it has been used as a Buddhist temple from the time when Buddhism became Cambodia’s main religion. To attempt to discuss the architectural merits of Angkor Wat is beyond me so simple descriptions and pretty pictures that will speak more than a thousand words will have to suffice for this narration.

Angkor Wat was originally surrounded by a moat; its stones were taken from the Kulen Mountains by elephants. The walls are covered extensively with bas-reliefs and low-reliefs of gods and apsara or celestial beings along with carvings and depictions of ancient Angkor history (battles) and Hindu mythology (Churning of the Sea of Milk, Ramayana). From what I was able to understand, Kay said that he had many stories to tell; that skill just went to waste. The inability to communicate properly frustrated me during the temple-trekking since I couldn’t maximize Kay’s knowledge. We all could’ve had a richer experience if Angkor’s stories were brought to life. We walked through and across dozens of hallways and steps as we explored Angkor Wat. With all of Kay’s knowledge though, I wonder why he didn’t take us to this small hall featured in “The Amazing Race” where one can produce an echo— amazing for such a tiny space that wasn’t even enclosed. It is unfortunate that the show started only when we got back.

We were disappointed to find that a popular area was cordoned off. The steps in Angkor Wat are known to be steep especially in the closed-off area where ropes were used to hoist oneself up. Steps are steeper on the way higher since the peak contained the holiest temple, and upon approaching the presence of holiness, one must be kneeling or bowing. Supposedly, the closure of the area which led to the absolute peak of Angkor was because a tourist fell. We were only able to take pictures of ourselves standing in the bottom part of these very steep steps. It was disappointing but given the punishing heat and my own physical shortcomings, maybe it was for the best.

We returned to the Villa for lunch. The Angkor Discovery Tour consisted of free lunch with choices from the menu. We six each ordered a different dish; high on the list of everyone’s favorites was the orange-colored Cambodian Curry. As with the food in Siem Reap so far, lunch was a feast fit to fulfill the famished.

Angkor Thom (Big Angkor) was the last capital of the Angkor Empire and was built by Jayavarman VII. He drove out the Cham invaders who had controlled Cambodia for the last four years in the late 12th century. He then made Buddhism the state religion and began constructing a large number of monuments and temples that he is credited for being the most prolific builder among all the monarchs. Jayavarman VII also built Ta Phrom and dedicated it to his mother. Angkor Thom has five gates and is the biggest complex among all other Angkor structures. Each gate has four giant faces. The heart of the Angkor Thom complex is Bayon, of which the Smiling Faces are iconic. Bayon was the king’s state temple and is considered the jewel of all that Jayavarman VII had built. The Terrace of the Elephants had an amazing carving of giant elephants on its walls. Their longs snouts are the first things I noticed and were the clues which led me to see the parade of elephants on the walls. The Terrace of the Leper King, so-named for the Leper King statue on top, is nearby. We were unfortunately unable to view it due to the flooding in the pathways leading to it.
To cap off our day, we headed to Phnom Bakheng to view the sunset. We had requested that Phnom Bakheng be incorporated into our Angkor Discovery Tour and when we confirmed it upon arrival, we were informed that we had to pay extra. Luckily the IPod Touch has Wi-Fi access. Melissa was able to show them the email correspondences exchanged between her and “Anthony, Fiona, and the Villa Siem Reap team.” We also discovered that the Villa was run from Australia. All this time, we had thought that Anthony and Fiona were Australians who relocated to Siem Reap to run a bed-and-breakfast. Siem Reap was so overrun by foreigners anyway. In practice however, all correspondences are answered by Anthony in Australia. He then communicates and coordinates with the Villa’s efficient staff.

Phnom Bakheng (Bakheng Hill) was the first major temple in the Angkor Area, built in the late 9th century as a temple mountain dedicated to Shiva and was the state temple of Yasovarman I. It’s the most popular sunset destination, offering views of the Tonle Sap Lake and Angkor Wat. We wanted to take an elephant ride up (15USD) the temple but opted for the one going down instead (10USD) when we were told that we had to wait. At 5PM, we were pressed for time since sunset usually began at 5:30PM so we started the long climb up. I was reminded of the many times we climbed hills in Taiwan from two years back. It’s an exhausting memory but the drive to make it to the top before 5:30PM accelerated our pace.

A set of narrow steps had to be overcome to get to the top of Phnom Bakheng. I was amazed by the dexterity of the mainland Chinese who easily and quickly hefted themselves up while the rest of us struggled to use our hands and feet to achieve balance. Some of the women were even in shoes with heels! The peak provided gorgeous and panoramic views of the Siem Reap countryside. If Angkor Wat were not the popular sunrise destination, Phnom Bakheng would be a great alternative from where to greet the dawn with no edifices to block the view. Nikki and I had a pleasant surprise atop the hill as we bumped into a fellow Legal Management batchmate from Ateneo while waiting for the sun to set. Karl and his friends had just arrived from a grueling ten-hour bus ride from Bangkok earlier in the day.

The hazy sky provided us with no brilliant sunset. The Mall of Asia would’ve done just as well. We climbed down gingerly and the less athletically-inclined of us were assisted by Ernest. We went two by two on the elephants. They walked slowly down winding paths which got me quite jittery especially on turns when I was at the side of the ridge. Gene eased my nerves by pointing out that the elephants had slim legs which fit the narrow pathways just fine. Oddly enough, two foreigners stayed behind our parade the whole time on the way down. Perhaps they couldn’t find an opening to overtake us. I felt stupid when Gene and I forgot to tip the mahout when we disembarked.

We thought to spend the night stuffing ourselves with more of Angkor history and culture by heading to the Koulen Restaurant which was a huge banquet hall with long tables overrun with tourists, buffet tables at the back, and a stage in front. Mr. Samreth left us at Koulen where the Villa had arranged for us to watch an Apsara Cultural Performance. The Villa really made the trip easy for us. We just needed to wake up, choose if we want coffee or tea and climb into the van.

The buffet wasn’t spectacular but I wanted to laugh at the place we found ourselves in. This was the first “tour group” undertaking we had during the trip. What differentiated us from the Chinese, Japanese and Korean tour groups who were there with us? For one, we could leave if we didn’t enjoy the show, which we did after two performances. The overeager tourist who jumped onstage to get better pictures was the highlight of the show for me. It appears cultural shows and indigenous dances were outside our realm of appreciation. Finding Mr. Samreth absent from the car, we decided to cross the street to take a look at a newly-opened mall with only one set of escalators. The mall was being mobbed by the locals who were crowding at the huge second-storey glass window which overlooked Sivatha Boulevard. For us avid mallgoers, Onitsuka Tiger in the department store was the only exciting thing. I got more excited at the nearby convenience store when I saw Jack n’ Jill potato chips for sale. It was my C2 in Vietnam moment.

We returned to Koulen to ask Mr. Samreth to take us to Pub Street where we thought to explore more after last night’s abrupt ending. There was nothing much to see still. We ended up getting a table at the Red Piano and ordering the Tomb Raider cocktail and Angkor Beer. Angelina Jolie Connection Number Two: The Red Piano gained popularity as the bar where Angelina Jolie and the Tomb Raider crew reportedly hung out after work; the Tomb Raider cocktail (Cointreau, lime juice and tonic) was supposedly concocted by Angelina Jolie herself. I had the impression that the place had a nostalgic air with all the white expats and the elevator muzak (Ex. Spandau Ballet) music. It was like we had to try hard to have fun at this place. Given our drained spirits, this place seemed to be apt for our taking our nightcap.