Three Days of Adventures; Mountains, Temples, and Lakes

Bumpy Bus Rides, Giant Buddha, And a Cool Swim Under a Waterfall

Day three of our adventure, Em and I opted for a sheep tour to visit Kulen Mountain. We booked the trip the night before and were told that there were only about 15 others on the trip. I guess a bunch of us signed up at the last minute, because there ended up being 24 tourists, two drivers, and the guide. We crammed into a small bus that lacked enough seats, shocks and suspension, and bounced our way through the countryside an hour and a half northwest to Phnom Kulen Mountain.

Phnom Kulen means “Mountain of the Lychees” and is the most holy of all the mountains in Cambodia. It has religious significance to both the Hindus and the Buddhists; who make pilgrimages to the mountain and Preah Ang Thom, a 16th century Buddhist monastery notable for a giant reclining Buddha statue.

Phnom Kulen was where Jayavarman II proclaimed independence from Java in 804 CE and thus birthed the Khmer Empire. It was further developed into the capitol of the Khmer Empire under the rule of Udayadityavarman II. It stayed one of the largest cities in the 11th century world until Angkor was built and eclipsed it.

Unbeknownst to us, it turns out that we’re were arriving at the Mountain on the day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948, and a National holiday in Cambodia. This meant that there were a lot more locals visiting the mountain and picnicking with their families as well as pilgrimaging to the shrines and monasteries on the mountain or giving alms to the hill tribes, poor, and soldiers that line the main road.

Our tour took us first to visit Kbal Spean and the “River of a Thousand Lingas.” The area consistes of a series of rock relief carvings in the sandstone formations of the riverbed and banks. Most of the carvings are lingams (phallic symbols that represent the Hindu god Shiva, but look like small circular mounds arranged in grid like formations). Within this portion of the river are also representations of various other gods and animals, but it was hard to make out most of them as they’re under water. At the top of the river is a small pool, where the water is believed to be holy and parishioners collect it to take home for blessings.

We left the river and wandered into the trees to arrive at Preah Ang Thom. This is a 16th century monastery that is still active today. You have to transverse a series of food and souvenir stalls and then ascend a series of stairs to get to the pagoda. You’re encouraged (but not pressured) to purchase a stack of 100 Khmer Riels notes (worth about 2.5 cents each) and hand them out as donations along the way.

At the top of the stairs lies the pagoda and shrines. You can ditch your shoes temporarily and climb the stairs to see the 25 ft long reclining Buddha that was carved as the centerpiece of the pagoda. The Buddha is the largest in Cambodia and one of the longest in Asia.

After admiring this amazing sculpture and striking the gong for good luck, we bid adieu to the monks and ventured to the waterfalls. A long rickety stairwell brings you to the base of the second fall where there is a large pool that is perfect for swimming and taking the picture-perfect instagram photo. The waterfall is 60 ft tall and creates a stunning view enclosed by the greenery of the mountain. Em was brave enough (especially considering that she hates when she can’t see or touch the bottom of water, it was freezing, and there were fish that liked to nibble on your toesies) to venture fully into the pool at the base of the fall, while I hiked up my shorts, hefted both backpacks, and attempted to get brilliant photographs from the thigh deep edge.

A Night at the Circus

We arrived back in town with just enough time to scarf down some street food and grab a tuk tuk to the nightly performance of Phare, the Cambodian Circus. This is a must see that we’re were told about by our aunt and uncle, who had visited the region a few years ago. The Circus is a culmination project of the hard work of the students and graduates of the Phare Ponleu Selpak vocational training centers. 

These centers provide education and training for over 1200 pupils that would otherwise have no way out of their impoverished lives. The centers train them in art, music, dance, and circus preforming. Graduates gain skills to earn meaningful wages that benefit them and their families. One such job is the circus, where current students and graduates create hour long stories using a combination of music, drama, dance, and circus acts (think Cirque du Soleil). Every month or so, a new story with a new set of performers is available to see.

The story we saw was the last night of the production of Khmer Metal. It’s the story of an evening in a bar where the owners want to make a profit and the customers want to seek adventure and a hook up. All of the performers were amazing and I loved that there were some unconventional plot lines. The theater is small and the atmosphere breeds the feeling of being part of the story. I love that the performers aren’t perfect and that if they mess up part of their act, it’s incorporated into the narrative through improve at that moment. I definitely recommend this venue for anyone visiting the area.

Leisurely Tuk Tuk Rides and Window Frame Doorways

Em and I awoke early the next morning to take a leisurely tuk tuk ride halfway back towards Phnom Kulen Mountain. We didn’t go all the way back to the mountain, but to a temple ruin called Banteay Srei Temple. This is a 10th century temple that was originally dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. It later became divided where the buildings to the south of the east-west axis were dedicated to Shiva, and those to the north of the axis were dedicated to Vishnu. 

Banteay Srei (Citadel of Women) is unique for a number of reasons, the main one being that it is the only major temple at Angkor was that not built by a monarch. It was instead commissioned by a courtier by the name of Yajnavaraha, who was a counselor to King Rajendravarman II. The temple is about 18 miles away from the other main temples within Angkor and is constructed from red sandstone. Also unique to this site is that all the shrines and towers within the temple are smaller in scale as opposed to the other temples within Angkor. There are no giant staircases to climb nor do you have to crane your neck too much to see the intricate bas reliefs and carvings. 

Much of Banteay Srei’s current fame and state of renovation can be traced back to 1923 and a French man named Andre Malraux. Malraux, along with his wife, Clara, and friend, Louis Chevasson, hatched a brilliant plan to recoup losses sustained by the stock market that left his wife in financial ruin. Malraux was a connoisseur of Asian art and had heard about the newly discovered Banteay Srei Temple in a bulletin. He knew that the temple was outside the then boundary of the Angkor Archaeological Park, and thus in a legal gray area, and so decided to saw off multiple ras reliefs from the temple and sell them to art collectors. 

The three made it as far as Phnom Phen with their pilfered goods before being arrested. Malraux was sentenced to three years; Chevasson to 18 months; and Clara was acquitted but shipped home to France. Once in France, Clara gathered friends together and created enough of an uproar to get both Chevasson and Malraux released and sent home. Malraux went on to write a book about his exploits, and became an advisor to Charles de Gaulle and his Minister of Culture from 1959 to 1969. Cambodia realized how valuable and unique Banteay Srei was and put a lot of time and effort into restoring it for future generations to enjoy. The moral of this story, is that crime does pay.

On our return ride from Banteay Seri, our driver was kind enough to let us out to explore one additional temple, Pre Rup. This is another 10th century temple that was built as the state temple of King Rajendravarman. The name means “turn the body” and reflects the common belief among locals that it was used for funerals as the ashes of a body are ritually rotated in different directions as the service progresses.

Both Banteay Srei and Pre Rup have a multitude of fully and partially intact carved doorways that give the appearance of framed windows. Em and I really loved these doors and the photographic opportunities that they inspired. According to my friend, Pam, the reason the doors aren’t very tall and usually located a step or two off the ground (thus creating the window like appearance) is because it forced people to have to bend over in a kind of bow as they entered. This forced (or reminded people) respect, especially when entering a shrine.

We ended our day with a traditional Khmer massage. This is a massage where the masseuse pinches, kneads, pushes, pulls, and twists your limbs in various ways. I enjoyed it, Em not so much. 

Rural Bike Ride, Floating Villages, and a Taste Off the Beaten Path

In researching for our trip, Em had come across information about a series of floating villages. There are two types of these villages, the first are where the homes are built on giant stilts so that when the rainy season arrives each year and the river floods, the homes remain above the water. The second are actual homes, stores, and schools built on boats that remain nomadic for the entire year and move their locations as the waters change depth. When the waters are lower (in the dry season), they move further out on the lake from the stilt homes and when the waters rise (in the wet season), they move closer in.

The villages are situated along the edges and tributaries of Tonlé Sap lake. The lake is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, reaching 160 mi x 62 miles in the wet season and is connected by a 120 mi river with the Mekong River. In the wet season, the Mekong floods waters into the Tonlé Sap river and in the dry season, the waters reverse direction.

In addition to visiting the floating villages, I had wanted to cycle through the countryside in order to see a little bit more of authentic Cambodia. To combine both adventures, we booked a small group tour with Triple A Cambodia tours. When Chili, our driver and guide, arrived at the hotel to pick us up, we were informed that no one else had booked the tour for there day and therefore we were getting a nice private tour. Score one for us. 

Since there were only the three of us, we got to ride in a SUV instead of a bus and we had the ability to deviate a bit from the proscribed route and time table. Chili drove us along the country roads, kicking up imported red clay dust in our wake, instead of the asphalt highway. Kids on motor and pedal bikes were all to happy to wave at us as we drove by and took in the scenery. 

Our first stop for the day was Thnol Trong Village, where we grabbed some old school single speed bikes and a bottle of water and followed Chili down the tranquil lanes. The area is not frequented my many tourists (although we did see an older couple happily snapping pictures from the back of a wooden cart pulled by an ox) and maintains a serene charm. 

The path was flat and the ride flew by quickly as Chili told us about the area and engaged us in conversation. Soon we arrived at the main market in Roluos Village. This market sells everything from live fish to freshly butchered meats, to toothpaste and fresh veggies. The locals come everyday to buy what the need for the evening. 

The locals were genial, willing to pose for photos, and happy to sell us random street food to try. Banana wrapped in sticky rice and steamed in a banana leaf is delicious; as well as coffee with condensed milk. All too soon we had to hop back on our bikes and pedal back to the SUV in order to head to our next port of call, Kampong Khleang Floating Village. 

Kampong Khleang Floating Village is one of the three major villages that most travelers to Siem Reap visit. It is the largest, with over 10,000 inhabitants and the least over run with tourists and potential scams (mainly because it is the furthest away from Siem Reap).

Once we arrived in what I think was the center of the village (there was a giant Buddha at the edge of a massive Buddhist Monastery) and the boat dock, we boarded a small motor boat and commenced our journey down the Tonlé Sap River towards Tonlé Lake. Since the village is so big, you actually get a pretty long boat ride (about an hour). We first meandered through the main part of town, and marveled at the stilt homes that lined both shores. 

As we continued on, the stilted homes gave way to lush green grasses and we were invited to sit on the prow of the boat and wave at the local fisherman and water taxis ferrying their passengers and cargo along the river. Chili informed us that we were on a hunt for the true floating village. Because the village migrates multiple times throughout the year and because it was dry season, we had to drive to the very edge of Tonlé Lake before we saw the boats. 

The floating village is splendid with actual wooden buildings built on top of moveable platforms. It doesn’t really look like traditional house boats, but like someone took a literal village and replaced the earthen ground with a aqueous one. There was even an entire building dedicated as a “playground“; where dancing children smiled and waved at us as we cruised past.

Unfortunately, all good thing must come to an end, but more adventures await. After docking back at shore and some creative maneuvering to bridge the gap between the boat and the walkway, our party progressed on foot across the bridge and into the stilt homes. We walked for a bit until reaching a homestay and guesthouse where a wonderful fish lunch had been prepared for us. The lunch was excellent and went well with a cold Cambodia beer, while overlooking the river and making funny faces at our hosts’ 10 month old son.

After lunch, we bid the family good bye and Chili drove us home via the highway. Over all, this tour was amazing and I highly recommend the company if you’re wanting to see more than just Wats and Temples in Siem Reap.