Spatafora Family - The Thailand Sabbatical

Goodbye to Cambodia

Today we traveled back to Bangkok but luckily our flight was not until the afternoon. That gave us the opportunity to check out the local morning market which is always a fun thing to do. The morning market in Siem Reap is located near the river and consists of about 3 blocks of covered stalls and shops. They had everything from cheap T-shirts to nice silk fabrics and from inexpensive trinkets to fancy jewelry. We bought a little of everything, so look closely and you may see your next Christmas present.

The morning market is the traditional "supermarket" for most smaller SE Asian cities and towns. Although real supermarkets have become commonplace in large cities like Bangkok, the traditional market is alive and well too. It is quite fun wandering through the food stalls. They have everything, and I do mean everything. You name it! From fresh fruits and vegetables, to flowers and fresh meats. We always play the game - "Guess the wacky food item?" It happens a lot. We have become good at identifying the many types of egg plants and peppers – but the fruit is much harder. It seems every time we go to a market we learn a new fruit. Most of them we like once we try it. Granted, they can keep the durian and I can only take jackfruit in small quantities, but so far everything else has been wonderful. The incredible diversity and abundance of fresh tropical fruit is something we will miss dearly in Oregon. However, we are looking forward to blueberry season.

After a fun morning of exploring the market and supporting the local economy, we headed back to the hotel and checked out. It was short trip to the airport, but a long wait due to a delayed flight. We eventually made it back to Bangkok and had one final Thai meal at our friend Doug's local restaurant before putting Bill Genne on a plane for Japan. Jeff Hannibal will visit us for another week and will get to see a bit more of Thailand. We all bid a fond farewell to Cambodia!

Day 5 – Angkor Thom

Today we visited Angkor Thom. This is the major city site of the Khmer Empire and includes many famous temples, including Bayon. To enter Angkor Thom, you must first pass through one of the gates in the massive walls that surround the city. These are arched entry ways big enough to fit an elephant comfortably, but not much wider. At the top of the arches are the famous faces of Angkor Thom that are especially prevalent at Bayon. Each of the entries has special symbolism to it and we entered through the south gate. This is the main entrance and, once past the gate, there is a large causeway lined on either side by large statues depicting the Hindu story “Churning of the Milk Ocean”. This is the Hindu's creation story and is also famously depicted in the reliefs of Angkor Wat. We know that people from Sri Lanka visited Angkor Wat in the 1200s because they write of seeing this causeway. It is really cool because the figures are positioned and carved with faces on both sides such that you see the same thing either coming or going through the gates. I guess this is an instance in which being "two-faced" is a good thing!

We drove through Angkor Thom to get a lay of the area and our first stop was at Preah Khan, just outside the north gates. Preah Kahn was built as a Buddhist shrine at the end of the 12th century. It not only included a monastery and shrines to Hindu deities and ancestors, but it also included a university. Interestingly, this university was centered around a large columned building that is strangely similar to the architectural style of the Roman Empire. It is unclear what influence, if any, these cultures may have had on the Khmers, but it certainly led us to believe that there may have been some interaction between the two cultures that was not recorded. Regardless, it represents an unusual style of structure for this area at this time.
In the Preah Khan complex is the "spa" called Neak Pean. It is a manmade island in a small reservoir that represents a mythical lake in Hindu mythology, the waters of which are able to cure all illnesses. I am not sure how well this one works, but it does have four divisions with fountains around the lake poured water on worshipers based on which of the four elements they were lacking for balance. At left is the fountain with the human head, representing "earth", under which you would sit if that was what was prescribed to you.


In the center of Angkor Thom is Bayon. This is possibly the most unique and enigmatic of all the Khmer temples. It was built in the late 12th century by the king Jayavarman VII. (J7 for short.) The most characteristic features of Bayon are the large faces carved on the four sides of all the 33 towers of the temple. They all appear to be slightly smiling, as if they know something you don’t. It is a feature not seen outside of this temple except for on the towers on the gates into the city of Angkor Thom. There is some disagreement about who the faces represent. Some say they are of the Buddha, some say of J7 as a god-like being, and some say that each of the towers was built for one of the 33 city-states in the Khmer empire and the faces are for the individual city. Regardless, they add an element to this temple that is truly unique.

Bayon, like Angkor Wat, is one of those places that you cannot get enough of on a one day visit. (At least I did not get enough of it.) It consists of a labyrinth of hallways and galleries, and around every turn is another beautiful relief carving and through every window is framed another face. Although we wandered around it for hours, when it was time to leave, it was too soon.



This was our last full day in Cambodia and our last day of touring the temples, so to end it we did a quick tour of the Elephant Terrace and then went back to Angkor Wat for one last sunset. We sat on the wall of the moat and watched the sun set against Angkor Wat for one last time and talked about all we had seen. This trip was one that we not only thoroughly enjoyed, but one in which we learned so much. At the end of the day we were a little sad for it to end, but it did. We arrived back at our hotel and said goodbye to our guide Sophoan, who we felt had become part of our group.

Tomorrow we have a half day in Siem Reap and we will hit the morning market and do a little shopping, but the Angkor part of our trip is over. What a trip! I can not wait to return and visit Angkor and Cambodia again. It is one of the most special places on Earth I have ever been.

Dec. 11th - Banteay Srei, River of a Thousand Lingas, and Ta Prohm.

Today we visited some areas outside of the central area of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. First we visited Banteay Srei which was completed in 967. It is a small temple northeast of Angkor Wat and is considered by many to be the finest example of Angkor art and architecture. Sophoan said that this temple is studied by every Cambodian and is used as the example of the epitome of their art history. The legend is that Banteay Srei was made by women artists because men could not do such delicate, fine artistry. It is true that the carvings are more curvy and refined and that the entire temple has a more feminine quality to it. In addition, the sandstone almost has a pink hue to it and the relief carvings lack the classic "war and battle" scenes of most other temples. The temple was also dedicated to Uma, the wife of Shiva, and she plays prominently in the relief art.

It is easy to get templed out, so today's activities were designed to offset that. However, one of the things about these temples is that they are so different from one another. After being here and seeing how different each of the temples are, it would take some time (at least for the adults!) to get tired of touring the temples.

After Banteay Srei we began the drive to Kbal Spean, or the River of a Thousand Lingas. The drive along the way was beautiful. We passed several areas with sugar palms where they tap the trees and cook the sap down to make sugar. We stopped and watched some women making sugar and, of course, bought some sugar and assorted woven baskets. We also passed numerous rice fields with large water buffalo that were nothing short of bucolic. It is so peaceful around here that it is hard to imagine that not long ago much of this area was engulfed in war.









The River of a thousand Lingas is a located in a tributary of the Siem Reap River. This is the most sacred river in Cambodia and the carved riverbed is meant to represent the sacred Ganges River in India. Made during the 11th century, numerous scenes and images were carved into the river bed. These that we visited are very near the head waters. A number of the carvings are these palisades of lingas, (a linga is a stylized penis, which is a sign of strength and fertility in Hinduism), and many of the reliefs show other fertility gods or scenes. I have been several places where there are carvings or paintings along a river, but I have never seen carvings actually in the rock of the river bed. Experts speculate that much of the carving had to have been performed during the dry season and that they must have had a water diversion plan. This was no easy feat.

At the river is a small waterfall. Water fall. Water. You know we are going to get in! Jeff, Bill, Nick and I enjoyed a nice swim, and man, did it feel good. There was even a hollow in a rock below the falls that was exactly bathtub size. What a great experience to be in the middle of the Cambodian jungle and swim in this small river at the base of this waterfall. After our swim, we had a picnic at the waterfall and just sat around and talked about our experiences so far. It could not have been a better moment for our friends visiting and our family. Fun, fun, fun!



Although we did not want to leave, we had one more stop to make for the day. It was certainly worth leaving the river in order to see Ta Prohm, or "the jungle temple". When Angkor Wat was "rediscovered" in the 1860s, most of the temples were overgrown by the jungle. While most temples have had the trees and vines removed from the grounds, the big trees at Ta Prohm have been kept. You can see from the photos that this was not so much a wise decision as a necessary measure! The strangling figs have invaded the structures so stealthily that it is impossible to discern whether they are splitting the structure apart or holding it together. It gives you a bit of a feel for how it must have felt to stumble upon these ruins in the 1860s. It gives a very "Indiana Jones"-like quality to the experience.




Even the kids were quite taken by the numerous very large fig and dipterocarp trees tha have taken over Ta Prohm. What is amazing is that these huge trees have taken root on the structures of the temples and not growing into or out of the earth. Their roots are enormous, most are larger than a human's waist, and run for 100s of feet across the courtyards. Around every turn you are more excited and more impressed by the battle between nature and Khmer architecture. Nature is certainly in the lead at Ta Prohm!

Needless to say, we had another incredible day. Banteay Srei inspired, the River refreshed, and Ta Prohm left us in awe. None of this would have been possible without our guide Sophoan, who is simply the best! She is very knowledgeable about the history and architecture of the Khmer and taught us so much about Cambodia and her people. (And she is really nice!) We noticed several other groups that did not get the attention or wealth of information we did from our guide. Thanks Sophoan for an incredible day!

Dec 10 - The Roluos Group and Angkor Wat

Today we began our tour of the ancient Khmer temples. This morning we packed into the van and visited the oldest set of temples, the Ruluos Group. These temples were built in the 9th century and are considered to represent the start of the Angkor Period. The Ruluos Group consists of three main temples, Bakong, Preah Ko and Lolei. Bill is shown above at Bakong halfway up the steep stairs. For such tiny people, the Cambodians sure built awfully steep stairways with very large steps.

Bakong was dedicated around 850 and is the first, (or at least the earliest still in existence), temple of the Angkor Period. All of the earliest temples of the Angkor Period were Hindu temples and most were dedicated to the gods Vishnu and/or Shiva. As the Angkor kings established themselves as god-kings, the temples also took on a role in ancestor worship. Much of the architectural style we associate with temples in SE Asia (e.g., bas reliefs, naga balustrades, etc.) can trace their beginnings back to these temples.

Preah Ko was dedicated to the gods Shiva and Gauri. As you can see from these pictures, the structures are considerably weathered from the years. Much of the construction material is sandstone and almost all of these temples were abandoned when the Khmer abandoned Angkor in the 14th century. (More on that later.) The result was that the jungle reclaimed many of these structures and sites and most of the stucco that covered the sandstone was lost to weather. The temples were "rediscovered" in the 1860s by French archaeologists, and since that time there have been numerous campaigns, repeatedly disrupted by wars, to preserve the temples and Angkor architecture. You have to remember that, during its heyday, this was the most sophisticated city architecture on the planet. It is not difficult to recall this when you see the magnificent, ornate structures up close. Some ancient writings hint at the extravagant use of color and/or gold on these temples which is harder to imagine. It is hard to imagine anything more decorative.

Lolei is the last of the three main temples of the Ruluos Group. It is located on a manmade island in the middle of the first of a series of reservoirs. The Khmers built several large reservoirs that they used for irrigation purposes. Their ability to manage water so well allowed their empire to grow, but some have speculated that the failure of the reservoir system (silting up) contributed in large part to the fall of the Khmer Empire.


After visiting the Ruluos group we headed back to the hotel for lunch and a rest. Then it was on to the temple of temples, the largest religious complex in the world, Angkor Wat. It is hard to convey the size and magnitude of Angkor Wat in a description or even a photo. In fact, when you first walk up its massiveness does not dawn on you. That is, until you keep walking and climbing, and walking and climbing. It is simply huge and we did not even see the whole temple in the several hours spent there. Part of that is the sensory overload that one experiences trying to take in the structures and the complicated bas reliefs, and part is because it is just so big.

At its peak, it is estimated that around 1,000,000 people lived in and around the Angkor Wat temple complex and in the neighboring city of Angkor Thom. This was at a time when London and Paris had approximately 50,000 residents each. I do not know about you, but I have been asking myself, “Why wasn’t I taught this in school?” This society was so advanced for its day and most Westerners know nothing about it.

Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II (1113-1150) and was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, one of the three main gods of the Hindu trinity. Like many Hindu temples, it was designed to represent the universe in Hindu mythology. The central tower is the highest and represents Mt. Meru where the major gods live. The smaller towers represent the smaller mountains and the moat surrounding the temple signifies the ocean surrounding Mt. Meru and the universe. It is not unlike Mt. Olympus of Greek mythology, but to me Hindu mythology is much more complicated than Greek mythology with respect to the number of gods and their numerous incarnations.

I can not even begin to capture Angkor Wat in words and images. Not only is it massive, but it is perfectly symmetrical. It is comprised of three levels, the first consisting of columned galleries housing incredibly detailed bas reliefs that depict eight main events from the story of the Ramayana from Hindu mythology. The friezes are 2000 ft. long and 6.5 ft. high all the way around! The complexity and the detail of the reliefs are amazing and represent an artistry and skill that is all but lost today.

The second level mainly consists of the four smaller towers, hallways and galleries, and associated buildings/rooms of the temple. The third level includes the main central tower representing Mt. Meru. Wow!!! I really hope these pictures convey some of the grandeur of the complex. This place is simply amazing! Except for Anna and Sophoan, we climbed to the upper section where you can see the people in the photo. This also required a long wait in line to descend the cliff-like staircase on the side with a handrail. This was a major feat for Elizabeth especially as she has a fear of heights. Bill was more impatient than fearful and went down the other, rail-less side. He made it look easy!

One of the most notable features of Angkor Wat is that the temple faces west which is very unusual. The reason is that it was constructed partly to serve as a royal mausoleum for the great Angkor king Suryavarman II. Facing the west, facing the sunset, symbolizes death. This feature also makes Angkor Wat a great and immensely popular place to catch the sunset. We watched the sun set along with several hundreds of other onlookers and it did not disappoint us. What a day! We all realized how fortunate we were to be here and have this opportunity to visit such an incredible and important piece of human history.