Angkor was one stop on Donna's and my round-the-world trip that we never got to - it was too dangerous in the mid eighties but today the landmines have been cleared. This massive Hindu/Buddhist flourished from 9th to the 15th centuries. It was abandoned to the jungle and "rediscovered" by the French in the late 1800s.
Right now it is the "cold" season which means low 30s and medium-high humidity. I was one big sweat ball all day except while riding - that part was cool-ish. It was pointless to put sunscreen on as it dripped right off again. I have an achy face and neck.
After touring around today I realize that I need to get rid of my old clunker at home. Picked up a nice Trek mountain bike - light as a feather - last night from Grasshopper Tours. Eight bucks a day for a bike, helmet and lock. They want me to stop by every other day so they can clean the chain and check the gears as it's dusty out there. They also mounted my seat on the post for me. Best decision ever to bring my bike seat...lest we forget Easter Island. I could have gone for the $2/day bicycles but they have no shocks and are haphazardly decorated. Passed 2 muscle bound guys on one speed bikes with sit-up-and-beg handle bars and said "nice basket" in response to the pink ones mounted on the front.
I must say that I am glad that we went to Burma first. By comparison, Siem Reap's drivers are all drive-only-on-Sunday church ladies: slow and orderly. The traffic is thick but somehow everyone manages to merge and keep flowing even when traffic is approaching on the wrong side of the road. Scooters, bikes, moto-rickshaws form the majority. I was unfazed by traffic warnings from the other guests - you want to take your life in your hands, cross a road in Mandalay, says I. I think that Siem Reap may even have more traffic lights than Yangon even at 1/40th the size. Even though Cambodia may seem somewhat more modern than Burma it is not so much that I didn't have to dodge a sow + piglet and some geese on the road...not to mention some monkeys and one angry looking elephant. The one I rode didn't move quite as fast as this one.
Today focused on the temples of Angkor Thom, the walled city 1.7 km north of Angkor proper. A number of smaller temples are found within the walls here but the most famous is Bayon featuring enigmatic faces, speculated to be of a local Bodhisattva*, Lokesvara.
The faces adorn the five entry gates through the city's walls as well.
I'm following the 1944 itinerary recommended by Maurice Glaize a french, architect, archaeologist and Conservator of Angkor from 1937 to 1945. As such I took a path less traveled to get to the elusive 5th gate. It had a jungle-y feel, was dirt covered, leaf strewn and had 2 shaky wood bridges. The cicadas and birds were buzzing and calling then chirping started that sounded perilously like the baby raptors in Jurassic park...
Tomorrow, I am advised, I must return to Bayon in the afternoon to examine the bas reliefs more closely. So stay tuned. and check out today's ride: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/245381296
*from M-W: a being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save others and is worshipped as a deity in Mahayana Buddhism
Right now it is the "cold" season which means low 30s and medium-high humidity. I was one big sweat ball all day except while riding - that part was cool-ish. It was pointless to put sunscreen on as it dripped right off again. I have an achy face and neck.
After touring around today I realize that I need to get rid of my old clunker at home. Picked up a nice Trek mountain bike - light as a feather - last night from Grasshopper Tours. Eight bucks a day for a bike, helmet and lock. They want me to stop by every other day so they can clean the chain and check the gears as it's dusty out there. They also mounted my seat on the post for me. Best decision ever to bring my bike seat...lest we forget Easter Island. I could have gone for the $2/day bicycles but they have no shocks and are haphazardly decorated. Passed 2 muscle bound guys on one speed bikes with sit-up-and-beg handle bars and said "nice basket" in response to the pink ones mounted on the front.
I must say that I am glad that we went to Burma first. By comparison, Siem Reap's drivers are all drive-only-on-Sunday church ladies: slow and orderly. The traffic is thick but somehow everyone manages to merge and keep flowing even when traffic is approaching on the wrong side of the road. Scooters, bikes, moto-rickshaws form the majority. I was unfazed by traffic warnings from the other guests - you want to take your life in your hands, cross a road in Mandalay, says I. I think that Siem Reap may even have more traffic lights than Yangon even at 1/40th the size. Even though Cambodia may seem somewhat more modern than Burma it is not so much that I didn't have to dodge a sow + piglet and some geese on the road...not to mention some monkeys and one angry looking elephant. The one I rode didn't move quite as fast as this one.
Today focused on the temples of Angkor Thom, the walled city 1.7 km north of Angkor proper. A number of smaller temples are found within the walls here but the most famous is Bayon featuring enigmatic faces, speculated to be of a local Bodhisattva*, Lokesvara.
The faces adorn the five entry gates through the city's walls as well.
I'm following the 1944 itinerary recommended by Maurice Glaize a french, architect, archaeologist and Conservator of Angkor from 1937 to 1945. As such I took a path less traveled to get to the elusive 5th gate. It had a jungle-y feel, was dirt covered, leaf strewn and had 2 shaky wood bridges. The cicadas and birds were buzzing and calling then chirping started that sounded perilously like the baby raptors in Jurassic park...
Tomorrow, I am advised, I must return to Bayon in the afternoon to examine the bas reliefs more closely. So stay tuned. and check out today's ride: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/245381296
*from M-W: a being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save others and is worshipped as a deity in Mahayana Buddhism
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