Angkor Thom

ANGKOR THOM

It’s  very difficult to have  any building  huger  or more  attractive  than Angkor Wat, but at Angkor Thom the sum of the parts add up to a  greater whole. There are  the gates that grab you  first, flanked by a monumental representation of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, 54 demons and 54 gods engaged in an heroic  tug of war on the  causeway.  Each gate (North, South, East, West and Victory) towers above the  tourist , the generous  faces of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara staring out over the kingdom. Imagine  being a peasant in the 13th century approaching the forbidding capital for the first time? It would have been  an awe-inspiring yet unsettling experience to  enter such a gateway and come  face to face with the divine power of the god-kings.

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The ultimate  beautiful capital of the Khmer empire, Angkor Thom – set over 10 sq km – took monumental to a whole new level. Founded  as a reaction to the surprise sacking of Angkor by the Chams, Jayavarman VII (r 1181–1219) came to a decision that his empire would never again be vulnerable at home. Beyond the challenging  walls is a vast  moat that would have  stopped all but the most difficult  invaders in their tracks.

EXPLORING THE TEMPLES

Itinerary

If you have one day, hit Ta Prohm at dawn and  explore the atmospheric jungle temple while it’s still peaceful. From this view  continue to Angkor Wat around 8am and enjoy the post-sunrise quiet to explore this great  temple. In the afternoon, discover  the temples within the walled city of Angkor Thom and the beauty of the Bayon in the late-afternoon light.

If you have three days, follow up the first action-packed day by beating the travellers  to wonderful Banteay Srei, with a quick stop at Preah Khan along the way. Then visit  the River of a Thousand Lingas at Kbal Spean. On the third  day, head out to the Roluos area and then on to the huge forest temple of Beng Mealea.

For people  with a week, continue the three-day itinerary with a visit to the remote temple of Koh Ker. For a change of pace, take a boat to the watery village of Kompong Pluk.

Tickets & Guides

The ticket booth (1-day/3-day/1-week tourist pass US$20/40/60, children under 12 free;  5am-5.30pm) is on the road from Siem Reap to Angkor. Tickets issued after 5pm (for sunset viewing) are valid the next day. Tickets are not valid for Phnom Kulen or Beng Mealea. Get caught ticketless in a temple and you’ll be fined US$100. The Khmer Angkor Tour Guide Association ( 063-964347; www.khmerangkortourguide.com) can arrange certified tour guides in 10 languages (US$25 to US$50 a day).

Eating

All the major temples have some sort of nourishment near the entrance. The most extensive selection of restaurants is opposite the entrance to Angkor Wat. Some great Khmer restaurants line the northern shore of Sra Srang.

Transport

Bikes  are a good  way to get to and around the temples, which are connected  by flat roads in good shape. Various guesthouses and hotels rent out White Bicycles (www.thewhitebicycles.org; per day US$2) and proceeds go to local development projects.

Motos are a popular form of transport around the temples (around US$10 per day, more for distant sites). Drivers accost tourists from the moment they enter  Siem Reap, but they’re often very kind and knowledgeable .

Remorks (around US$15 a day, more for distant sites) take a little longer than motos but offer protection from the rain and sun. Even more protection is offered by cars (about US$30 a day, more for distant sites), even though  these tend to isolate you from the sights, sounds and smells.

Hiring a car to more remote sites will cost about US$50 to Kbal Spean and Banteay Srei, and about US$70 to Beng Mealea.

Sights

Bayon BUDDHIST TEMPLE

Bayon is unique even among its cherished contemporaries. It epitomises the creative genius and inflated ego of Cambodia’s legendary king, Jayavarman VII. There are  stooped corridors, precipitous flights of stairs and, best of all, a collection of 54 Gothic towers decorated with 216 coldly smiling, big  faces of Avalokiteshvara that bear more than a passing resemblance to the great king himself.

These big  heads glare down from each  angle, exuding power and control with a hint of humanity – this was precisely the blend required to hold sway over such a large  empire, ensuring the disparate and far-flung population yielded to his magnanimous will. As you walk around, a dozen or more of the heads are visible at any one time – full-face or in profile, almost level with your eyes or staring down from on high.

Bayon is now known to have been built by Jayavarman VII, though for many years its origins were unknown. Shrouded in dense  jungle, it also took scientists  some time to know  that it stands in the exact centre of the city of Angkor Thom. There is still much mystery associated with Bayon –  for instance  its exact function and symbolism – and this seems only appropriate for a monument whose signature is an enigmatic smiling face.

The eastward orientation of Bayon leads  most people to visitin the morning, preferably just after sunrise, as  the sun inches upwards, lighting face after face.  Bayon, however, looks equally  beautiful in the late afternoon, and if you have a chance to stay until  the sunset you get the same effect as at sunrise, in reverse. A Japanese team is restoring  several outer areas of the temple.

Baphuon HINDU TEMPLE

The Baphuon, about 200m northwest of Bayon, is a pyramidal representation of mythical Mt Meru, which marked the center of the city that existed before the construction of Angkor Thom. Restoration efforts were damaged  by the Cambodian civil war and all records were  disrupted  during the Khmer Rouge years, leaving French experts with the world’s greatest  jigsaw puzzle. On the western side, the retaining wall of the second level was fashioned – apparently in the 15th or 16th century – into a reclining Buddha 60m in length.

Terrace of Elephants HISTORICAL BUILDING

The 350m-long Terrace of Elephants – decorated with parading elephants  towards both ends – served as a  giant viewing stand for public ceremonies and as a base for the king’s grand audience hall. As you stand here, try to imagine the pomp and grandeur of the Khmer empire at its height, with infantry, cavalry, horse-drawn chariots and, also , elephants parading across the Central Square in a colourful procession, pennants and standards aloft.

Terrace of the Leper King HISTORICAL BUILDING

Just north of the Terrace of Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper King is a 7m-high platform. On top of the platform  stands a nude, though sexless, statue, another of Angkor’s mysteries. Legend has it that at least  two of the Angkor kings had leprosy. It’s  more likely that it is Yama, the god of death, and that the Terrace of the Leper King housed the royal crematorium.

FLIGHT OF

New in 2013, Angkor is the last  backdrop for a zip-line experience in Asia. Flight of the Gibbon Angkor (0969999101;www.treetopasia.com; near Ta Nei Temple, Angkor; per person US$129; 7am-5pm) is inside the Angkor protected area and the course  includes 10 zip lines, 21 treetop platforms, 4 skybridges and an abseil finish. A conservation element is comprised of  the project with two gibbons released in the surrounding forest. The price includes a transfer to/from any Siem Reap hotel, and  a lunch before or after the trip near Sra Srang.