September 9, 2008
Let’s Get Physical!

Sunrise at Angkor Wat was the first order of the day. I had set my alarm at 3:30AM in time for the 4:30AM call time. I was shivering the whole time I was taking my bath due to the AC chill and rain. The cold shower failed to douse me to my senses; only upon stepping out of the bathroom did I realize that Cambodia time was one hour later than Manila time. Because I didn’t adjust the time on my cellphone and watch, I had woken myself at 2:30AM. No wonder Nikki and Gene were still peacefully slumbering. Good thing I hadn’t woken them up. With nothing better to do, I went back to sleep only awakening at the proper time.

The crowds were already positioned, tripods were set up and only the weather was not cooperating when we arrived at Angkor Wat. Our sunset and sunrise jaunts proved to be disappointing, but our enthusiasm for taking pictures was not dampened. We took positions at the pool reflecting the distinctive lotus-like towers of Angkor Wat. It is said that during clear days, the pool stays still; thus, allowing light and shadow shots at sunrise to play out well. It would’ve been a sight to have seen the day’s first rays break out from Angkor Wat’s towers. Alas, it was a sight not for us to behold.

Pre Rup Temple was the first stop for the day. Pre Rup (Turn the Body) is dedicated to Shiva and a statue of his form as the Nandi Bull can be viewed. Aside from being the state temple of Rajendravarman II, funerals were also held here. The temple has three levels and two sets of fairly steep and narrow steps have to be climbed to reach the top where one will be rewarded with panoramic and sweeping views of the countryside. A man dressed in a Tourism Authority uniform approached us and began to talk about the temple and its surroundings. His English was clear. He seemed to be the guide we should’ve had. He explained that honey and palm sugar were used to put the bricks and laterite together. Gene and I even took a picture with him. As we turned to leave, the guide asked Nikki for some money to buy food. Surprised, we reacted by casting him dumbfounded looks until Ernest gave him 500 riel (0.25USD). He protested by saying that the money wouldn’t be enough to buy him anything, but Ernest brushed him off. How annoying to find con artists skulking around for gullible tourists even in tops of temples where not a lot of people go to. Belowstairs, Kay excitedly asked us if we had seen the lingas and wouldn’t elaborate on what it was when we pretended not to know that lingas were phallic symbols. If Kay had accompanied us up the temple, we probably wouldn’t have been approached.

We piled onto the van after to proceed to Kbal Spean to get our fill of 1000 Lingas. The ride was very long, and I fell asleep on the way. We got to Kbal Spean (Head Bridge) by 12NN and found out that it was a mountain and the 1000 Lingas were 1500 meters to the top. I recalled my disastrous experience of a climb up a mountain during my college immersion in Capas, Tarlac. I was clumsy and even injured myself. I hoped I could sufficiently make the climb without causing myself bodily harm. Kristine looked the happiest I’ve seen her for the entire trip as we were trekking up Kbal Spean while Nikki looked like she’d rather be elsewhere. As she said, she was having a hard time because it’s her weakest strength. Given that, I conclude that Nikki must have no weaknesses.

If Ta Phrom was fun because we felt we were exploring the wilderness
ala Tomb Raider, the Kbal Spean trek was less Hollywood what with actual overgrowth, big rocks and rickety steps. Hiking was good aerobic exercise, but I wish the midday sun wasn’t beating down on us. As friends, we are not much for outdoor activities together, and back in Manila, we surely would’ve vetoed such an activity. But in Siem Reap, we paid to climb the mountain and so climb and climb we did. Despite the scarcity of trash bins, the trail was mercifully free from trash. 3 rest stops had been graciously set up for weary hikers looking to take a break. During one of our breaks on the way down, we discovered that Kay was already of the ripe old age of 30. Kbal Spean is closed by 3PM because wild animals roam the grounds upon dusk. This trek has made so thankful that our flight from HCMC was delayed, causing us to forego the Beng Melea (2 hours from Siem Reap) Jungle Adventure Tour.

We finally arrived at the River of 1000 Lingas after an hour-long trek but not before Melissa fell as we were well within sight of the river. The 1000 Lingas along with Hindu images are carved into the riverbed and the surrounding rocks. The lingas and our location are significant to the history of Cambodia. It was in the Kulen Mountains when Jayavarman II, the first king of the Angkor era, made a declaration to unite Cambodia in 802AD. He concurrently held a god-king rite and established a royal linga-worshipping cult, linga being a symbol for Shiva. Linga depictions are aplenty in Angkor architecture, and many of them have been lost, destroyed, stolen or moved to museums so most of what can be viewed in the temples are the stands that used to house the sacred representations. The 1000 Lingas are thought to have been carved in order to enrich the waters that flowed to the rice paddies below. Having had no idea of what I had just explained while we were at Kbal Spean, we merely looked at the lingas and failed to appreciate the history and gravity of what we had climbed arduously (in my opinion) for. We then headed down for lunch but stopped by a waterfall for a short rest. A pretty Asian girl and her Western boyfriend were there along with some locals. It is only half the day and I already felt exhausted. Belying the earlier slip, able and agile Melissa reached the bottom first where our repast awaited. The Villa’s magic cooler yielded plenty of different sandwiches, fruit kebabs, pumpkin flan, cold towels, and chilled water. The simple act of putting the cold towel to my face brought me vast relief.

After lunch, we went on to the other temples in our itinerary. Banteay Sreay is touted as the most intricately-carved temple. It’s rather small and looks decayed with age. Kay mentioned that many of the carvings are in their original state hence the rope that puts a distance between the visitor and the walls. Translated as Citadel of the Women, there is no proof that Banteay Sreay ever served as such. The appellation is attributed to the beauty of the carvings and the pink sandstone which lends the temple with a more romantic thus feminine appeal.

We headed next to a temple whose name not one of us managed to note. Perhaps it was Banteay Samre (Citadel of the Farmer) since it was relatively near Banteay Sreay. We only took a short time here as the rains started to pour heavily. As we were rushing back to the van, small children peddlers flocked to us. Getting soaked seemed not to bother them as against us being bothered by the sight of them getting soaked. Realizing that we weren’t interested in souvenirs, they asked for food instead which prompted me to give them my packs of Skyflakes. It is a common sight for all visitors leaving the temples to hear shouts of “Lady! Sir!” from vendors peddling wares—souvenirs, guidebooks, postcards, snacks, beverages, etc.

Siem Reap is a tourist town (Thankfully not a tourist trap.) and its residents are all beneficiaries of the tourist trade. It is hard to imagine what livelihood they will have should the temples be devoid of visitors. While not as well-known as Eiffel Tower or Pyramids of Egypt and long a backpacker mecca, Angkor Wat and the sleepy town of Siem Reap is well on its way to becoming more and more well-known in the commercial travel circuit, with the more aggressive advertising undertaken by Cambodia’s government. The newly-built and still under-construction hotels and hostels crowding along and around Sivatha Boulevard will be able to accommodate the influx of tourists. I wonder how the temples will fare with the increased foot traffic and the environmental impact tourism would have on a heritage site. Things are looking rosy for Siem Reap, commercial-wise and as Kay said in his farewell speech to us (which we barely understood) in the van on the way back, tourism is their lifeblood and we must do all that we can to help them spread the word.

I did enjoy the temple tours and attribute the feeling of being a bit ‘templed-out’ to the heat and lack of information on the temples we were traipsing through, At the end of the day, no matter how magnificent the places, if one sees a pile of stones in succession with no idea what they stand for, they will inevitably become a meaningless blur of stones. Go to Siem Reap, be a responsible tourist and don’t forget to get a guide who will help one understand that all the limestones, laterites, bricks and sandstones are more than just centuries-old piles of stones.

For our last dinner in Siem Reap, we decided to go to Pub Street Alley (aka The Passage) to sample Cambodian BBQ’s exotic fare. We chose snake, crocodile and kangaroo meat from the menu with beef as the failsafe choice. Other more exotic options were rabbit, goat and ostrich meat. Snake meat (which I think was python meat) was white even after being grilled which can be mistaken for chicken. There was a fishy/slimy texture to it, perhaps because it’s a reptile. I found kangaroo meat to my liking. The meat was thick and warm to the body. Crocodile meat was also white and tough to eat. Ernest spat out some raw crocodile meat he mistakenly put in his mouth, and Melissa accidentally ate some crocodile fat. Nasty. Unsatisfied, we moved on to Burgers Without Borders for some burgers. The prospect of eating in McDonalds in Bangkok in the next day cheered me up.

We then went to look for a massage parlor. We passed by a used books and DVD shop first where Melissa bought a Nirvana video. We settled on the massage parlor next door. Black massage chairs line the first floor. The second floor had a room with 5 mats. My first impression was that of a cheap, seedy prostitution den. I suppose I shouldn’t be expecting much since we were looking for something cheap, and seedy is cheap or is it cheap is seedy? Gene decided to just get a foot massage downstairs where the Hindu owner was also reclining. There was a man getting a massage, and he finished soon after we arrived. As he was changing his shirt, one of us requested that his bedding be changed which earned us a dirty look. There seemed to be lack of masseuses yet suddenly out of the blue, a girl in blue shirt appeared which confused me since all the others were in green. The masseuses got to work in giving us a full body massage, but I didn’t feel relaxed or even invigorated. Just about the only workup I got was when I heard my joints creak when the masseuse swung me from side to side. Being massage virgins, K and Nikki were making odd comments about getting tickled and the like. Melissa and the other surmised that my masseuse came from another massage parlor and sure enough, on our tuktuk ride back home, we spotted my blue-shirted masseuse running to another parlor where similarly blue-attired masseuses loitered outside. Naka-racket, in short.