On hindsight, someone definitely should have brought Ibuprofen.
Our first day of touring got the best of us and we ended up collapsing on our beds and massaging our feet. Dinner was a quick, no-nonsense meal in Sok San Road, followed by a visit to the convenience store for tomorrow’s morning coffee. When I slept, I tried to prop my feet six inches higher like what they teach people in retail to do when their legs feel like hell. It helped… a bit.
Jayatataka Baray Temples
Thankfully, the second day of our itinerary was less straining. We started our day at Preah Kahn and followed the Jayatataka baray to Neak Pean and Ta Som. Jayatataka baray is a 3,500 meter long, man-made water reservoir built by Jayavarman VII. The temples that we visited were also made by Jayavarman VII, and the reservoir is jokingly alluded to as his own personal swimming pool.
Preah Khan
Preah Khan is a fairly small temple that, like Ta Prohm, is largely unrestored. Along its outer walls are 72 statues of garuda (bird) holding nāga (serpent) and is said to be used either as royal quarters or as a university. In 2000, a tree was cut from Preah Khan’s walls as it threatened to topple a portion of the temple.
Preah Kahn has a few distinguishing features. It’s flat, and there are no stairs to climb to another story. What it does have are a lot of hidden niches that one can discover. Parallel windows are fun to dart in and out of, and a random turn could lead you to an uncharted section amidst the colonettes.
Preah Khan is a fairly low key temple. There isn’t much to see, but if you would like a slow start to your tour with much the same look and feel as the other temples, I would recommend starting with this.
Neak Pean
Neak Pean is a floating temple built in the middle of the Jayatataka baray. Unlike normal temples with raised floors to elevate the temple from the dirty ground, Neak Pean was dug out and built several feet below ground level. The temple was called a holy hospital, with residents flocking to its pools to bathe in healing water.
To get to Neak Pean, we had to leave our vehicle in the designated parking area and walk the wooden bridge across the Jayatataka reservoir. The reservoir itself is only ankle deep now, and if you look out far enough, you can see water buffaloes bathing themselves in the water. The reservoir used to be abundant in leeches, but locals have harvested and sold them in Vietnam for medicinal purposes.
Neak Pean has an interesting bit of lore in it: the four pools represent water, earth, fire, and wind. The water flows in from the main pool via conduits presided over by the four great animals — elephant, horse, lion, and man (supposed to be bull). The idea is that the pools would balance the elements in the body of the bather and cure them of disease.
Neak Pean itself is a small temple with a majority of it cordoned off from the public. You can enjoy the walk in the wooden bridge, but if you’re pressed for time, the temple itself can easily be skipped.
TIP: Temple exploration takes a lot of walking. Even if you’re traveling by tuk tuk or car, the distance from the parking lots to the actual entrances are significant. Wear comfortable trainers or sandals. Be ready for mud and slippery steps.
Ta Som
Ta Som is located on the east of Preah Khan and Neak Pean and is precisely along the right side of Jayatataka baray. To get to Ta Som, we had to leave again our vehicle in the designated parking lot and walk a wide dirt path through the forest. This is a common feature in most of Siem Reap’s temples, and the pathways are usually laden with ladies selling scarves, children selling postcards, the occasional music troupe for the blind, for the deaf, for the landmine victims, and so on.
Ta Som consists of a single shrine surrounded by temple walls and entrance ways. The temple is most-known for a strangler fig tree growing right in front of one of the temple’s gopuras (entrance ways). In the side rooms of some gopuras are termite mounds that conservationists have largely left alone.
Food for thought: What do they do with all these temples?
Pray, mostly. It seems like they have a lot to pray for.
The plagues ailing Siem Reap aren’t so different from the ones at home: poverty, unemployent, income inequality, corruption, electoral fraud, bribery, bureaucracy. Cambodia’s open secret is that it is still run by the military — despite having a prime minister who has mysteriously won in elections for the past 32 years.
Bribery is rampant and accepted as a way of life — when you get stopped by the police, even though you are innocent, it is ultimately understood that you need to cough up some change.
With the trying times, locals attempt to find work in other countries. Illegal immigrants escape to neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam. Because of expensive passport requirements, locals risk becoming undocumented workers for low-paying jobs that don’t match their skill set.
One safe industry, it seems, is tourism — with Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese tourists flocking their temples. Local businesses have set up shop around the temples and display their wares of scarves, magnets, paintings, and other bits and bobbles. My sister commented that the saleswomen in particular had a very malambing tone when trying to get attention: “Lady! Scarves, many colors, lady!”, but underneath that cooing voice is a determination to put food on the table.
The people are poor. The people have a passive resentment towards the capital Phnom Penh. In many ways, they are just like us.
Banteay Srei
Now we go to the crown jewel of them all, the most beautiful temple, the attraction you should definitely not miss — Banteay Srei. Angkor Wat may be the image that Cambodia carries in its national flag, but in my opinion, Banteay Srei is the place to leave your heart in. It was built in the 10th century by crown courtiers Vishnukumara and Yajnavaraha. Meaning “citadel of woman”, its other popular names include “lady temple” and “pink temple” because of the reddish tinge of its sandstones. The temple was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and measures a paltry 150 meters across.
Banteay Srei underwent several expansions and rebuilding, so the estimated length of time for its construction falls somewhere between 20–60 years. Since it was contructed using three different materials — sandstone, brick, and laterite — the temple is in various stages of decay.
Despite being guarded by conservationists, the temple is not exempt from pillaging. In March 2013, the heads of monkey statues were hacked off and disappeared. Investigation revealed that that the theft was an inside job involving the temple’s own security officers.
Banteay Srei is the eighth temple that we visited, but it was the first one that really gave me an idea of the opulence of the era. The bas-reliefs here, when compared to the previous ones we’d seen, were much smaller and more intricate. Our guide said that a possible reason for this was Java influences during the time period.
Every surface has some sort of carving, and every carving has some sort of story. If I had to choose one word to describe the place, it would be the word rich. Banteay Srei is rich in stories, in culture, in craftsmanship. For a stranger coming into this foreign place, it’s a bit overwhelming — that such a small bit of space could contain so much. It’s a pity that the libraries and towers are cordoned off from the public, because I wanted so badly to stand close and look my fill.
It is said that if you knew someone who knew someone, you can go to Banteay Srei past it’s 05:00pm closing hour and visit in private. Before seeing the temple itself, I didn’t understand why anyone would do this, but after standing in the midst of its red walls, I kind of understood the allure of having this sacred space to myself, even for just a while, and watch the shadows shift as the sun sets.
If there is a temple in Siem Reap that deserves going back to, it would be this.
Banteay Samré
Banteay Samre was was the last temple that we went to, and after experiencing Banteay Srei, I didn’t think that anything could ever top it. My instinct turned out to be right, but for some reason, Banteay Samre still turned out to be the perfect end to our tour.
Banteay Samre was built in the 12th century and was dedicated to Vishnu. The temple was named after the ancient tribe Samre from Indochina, and it is theorized that they resided within the temple walls.
We got to Banteay Samre at around 04:00pm, and it was mysteriously bereft of the usual tourist traffic. There also isn’t much to see — the temple is enclosed by 6 meter walls, followed by two concentric galleries, and then a single lotus tower above a shrine — but Banteay Samre’s charm, in my opinion, is its isolation. Walking along its red galleries reminds one of small side streets in idyllic villages or hidden crannies in vineyards.
After a long, hot day, and the jaw-dropping splendor of Banteay Srei, the relaxing and quiet charm of Banteay Samre proved to be the perfect conclusion to our tour.
Angkor Night Market
The tourist attractions in Siem Reap have no end of shops and persuasive salesladies, but it would be wise to reserve all your shopping to the Angkor Night Market. The shops in the downtown night market start opening at around 06:00pm and display all manner of fabrics, ceramics, leather goods, paintings, and knick knacks.
Since the market opens at night, we had a more pleasant shopping experience than if we hunted for souvenirs at the height of noon. The streets are paved with cobblestones, and colorful light bulbs hang across the pathways. Massage parlors and manicure salons stand ready to serve the weary traveler.
Markets in different countries tend to sell unique items that are distinctly theres. Silk scarves in Siem Reap are already a given, but we also found embroidered patches of the national flags of different countries, coconut husks, canvass bags, taxidermied crocodiles (no really), wooden massage implements, Tiger Balm, those pajama pants tourists love to wear, and all manner of things with elephant patterns. Magnets cost $0.50 a piece, with a $2-for-5 bargain price.
TIP: Bring an umbrella or raincoat with you at all times. When it rains, it rains a lot. And the market stalls filled with merchandise won’t be able to accommodate you.
Pub Street (and other restaurants)
Pub Street, contrary to its name, is not just a single street, but is in fact a district of restaurants that cater to tourists. There is a main street for the pricier restaurants, but the streets surrounding it offer the same fare.
Pub Street has a reputation for the place to be when it comes to authentic dining in Siem Reap, but since it caters to tourists, the cuisine choices are mostly foreign, and the prices, higher. Diners, pizzerias, and barbecue places abound.
You can’t go wrong with a restaurant with a TripAdvisor sticker, but in my opinion, Sok San Road is a much more authentic (and cheaper) Khmer dining experience. Sok San Road is a lengthy street connected to Sivatha Boulevard, where Pub Street is. It may not be as well-lit or lively, but it has a healthy array of mom-and-pop diners and shops that you can explore.
Prices in Sok San Road start at $1 a dish. This is way cheaper than the $6 stir-fry in Pub Street. An order for a group of three, complete with drinks, can cost $11.
Khmer cuisine is not so far from Filipino food. While ours is sweet or spicy, Khmer food is mildly spicy. Their green curry is hardly spicy, and uses peas, onions, and green bell pepper for the main ingredients.
If you like chopsuey, then you’ll have no problem ordering their stir fry dishes. A restaurant near Banteay Srei served us stir fried chicken with cashew, which is basically chopsuey with kasuy. I’ve never thought to pair the two before, but the cashew brought out a unique flavor in the vegetables.
TIP: When ordering dishes, ask the server to repeat your order to you. While locals can communicate in English, it’s best to be sure that you are ordering three (signal ‘three’ with your fingers) mixed meat platters.
Other staple dishes are amok and lok lak. Amok, in its authentic form, is fish fillet cooked in coconut water and spices, steamed for 45 minutes. The cheaper (and some would say, tragic) version that is often served to tourists is a curry-like soup served in banana leaves or coconut husks. To my tongue, it tastes like someone put gata and curry powder together. It’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted before and should be ordered in small batches for prudence’s sake.
Lok lak on the other hand is beef stirfry served with onion, fried egg, and french fries. Think bistek but less sauce. It has a hint of lemon and is also served with cucumber.
Our stay in Siem Reap wouldn’t have been as pleasant without the help of Rany, our tour guide, and Sam, the owner of the hotel we were billeted in. It would have been nice to get to know more about the people, to see them in their actual homes instead of the carefully cultivated spaces that were made to serve foreigners.
Rany’s stories about the hardships of the Khmer people strike a familiar resemblance with the Filipino experience. As we have many churches as conduits for our prayers, so do they have temples.
I hope conservationists continue to preserve the temples for decades to come. I hope their tourism booms for as long. I hope the roads improve and the shops remain open. I hope children won’t have to sell coffee in the dead of the morning.
Phnom Penh may be the capital of Cambodia, but Siem Reap houses its spirit — may it thrive.
