Exploring Ancient Khmer Architecture

Since our departure from Khao Yai National Park, we have been entrenched in Khmer (the people of Cambodia) civilization ever since and have spent 2 solid weeks engrossed in the amazing history of this region. Cambodia is a country that has an unbelievable history, one that has endured a wide spectrum of cultural experience. From being the main power in SE Asia at the turn of the 1st millenium to leaving their capital of Angkor abandoned after Siam (what is now Thailand) invasion in the 1400’s - to Pol Pot's reign of terror in the late 70's (Khmer Rouge) - we literally had no idea all that the Khmer/Cambodian civilization has incurred over the last thousand or so years. It really is a territory that people should learn about and experience at some point in their lives. Where do we begin?

We first motorbiked to two of Thailand’s Khmer ruins: Prasat Phenom Rung and Muang Tam. We are so glad that the our travels took us to these ruins before our tour of the Angkor ruins in Siem Reap as they ended up being a great introduction. These ruins were beautifully restored and had a massive museum attached at Phenom Rung that was a great introduction into Khmer civilization and its temple complexes. It helped immensely in understanding the symbolism entangled in these architectural feats and taught us much about Hindiusm and the way these temples were built upon the spiritual beliefs. Without this knowledge, much would have been lost in our experience. Understanding the depictions that are carved out into the lintels and pediments gave us an even greater appreciation for the ruins.

After viewing these ruins, we left Nang Rong, Thailand, and headed to Aranyaprathet, the Thai border town that lies next to the wonder that is Cambodia. On the other side of the border is Poipet, the Cambodian entry point and the home of one of the world’s scummiest towns. Poipet is a mix of dirty riverboat casino land and tourism scam art at its finest. After leaving Thailand you are hurried through the craziest border entry where you are met by many beggers, scam artists and tons of confused "farangs". Not one soul can be trusted and you inevitably end up becoming a target of a scam artist because, well, you have no other options. Unless you bypass it all and fly directly into Siem Reap, you will fall helpless into the trap that is Poipet and go along with the play. Another blog entry will detail the escapade that unfolded after entering the country, so let’s fast forward to the ruins and what we witnessed at Angkor.

Let us first say that we hope as many of you reading this entry can get to Cambodia at some point in your lives. Like we’ve already said, this country has an incredibly fascinating and grueling history. At one point – basically from the 8th through 15th centuries - the Khmer people ruled all of SE Asia and built the most amazing temple complexes the world had ever seen. Then they vanished, leaving their temples behind to fall into the control of the beastly jungle to one day be discovered by the French (while here colonizing the country) in the 19th century. To thicken the plot further, a civil war broke out in the mid 70's and the Khmer Rouge (a sect of the Khmer people with an extremist viewpoint led by Pol Pot) took control of the country and literally almost ran the country into extinction! They also ended all restoration projects being done to any and all Khmer ruins and anyone that was helping the French was immediately executed. It is a fascinating historical account and we have been floored by all we’ve learned throughout our spin in Cambodia. With the Rouge falling in 1979 w/ Vietnamese help, this country has tried to claw its way back into some appearance of a culture and economy. But the road has been tough and they are light years behind their neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam. But the Cambodian people are some of the savviest - and beautiful might we add - people we have ever met or seen. They are making strides to improve the backbone of the country, but everything starts and ends with Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples. You guys, these ruins will blow your mind. The pictures attached do a shameful job of capturing these massive architectural gems.

We decided to tour the ruins on bikes. After snagging some decent bikes we set off to purchase our three day Angkor pass. Eighty bucks later and we found ourselves at the steps to Angkor Wat itself, the largest temple of the lot (the crowning jewel of Khmer construction) and the one that has ended up being what the entire region is named after. There is obviously no way to give justice to our experience once inside the complex in words, so we’ll just sum up the tour by saying that these ruins are captivating in every way. Our favorite ruin was by far Ta Phrom, a temple that is set deep in the jungle and has some of the best photo opportunities that the Angkor area has to offer. Since the temples were abandoned in the 15th century and no upkeep was done to the grounds, the entire complex was engulfed by the jungle and almost swallowed whole for nearly 4 centuries. This left quite a mark on the temples and in some cases (Ta Phrom for instance, as well as Beng Mealea) there are explosive trees that have grown right through the temple walls with roots diving and dashing through and around remaining doors, windows and all sandstone creation. These ruins are the ultimate Indiana Jones experience and recent films have used its walls as shooting grounds. The most well-known of them being Angelina Jolie’s “Tomb Raider 2” film and a lesser known “Two Brothers” film done by a French crew. As a result, Angelina Jolie is a local legend and has actually gained Cambodian citizenship due to her promotion and aid to Cambodian efforts. Other impressive ruins were the city of Angkor Thom, which holds Bayon and several other impressive sites, and Banteay Srei, the most intricate of the Khmer ruins.

Throughout the temple grounds are thousands of local Cambodians that are selling all their goods, mostly PINEAPPLE! The Prancers took down so much pineapple we couldn’t talk by the end of most days. But it was so fresh and juicy we couldn’t resist. We had tons of fun with the intuitive kids that work around the area as their favorite line is, “Where you from, man/lady?” Depending on your answer, they would either respond with telling you the capital of your country (in eager hopes to impress you) or a line that is common in your homeland. The popular one being a kid responding to an Aussie with a “’Guudaay, Mate!” It was all a joyous mood around these breathtaking sites. The whole tour wowed us! The construction thousands of years ago by master carvers, the vacancy that was left when the Khmer culture vanished and now the ongoing preservation projects that will help to protect, restore and promote these masterful ruins are attributes that have stunned us completely.

We hope as many of you can get here at some point in your lives (sooner, rather than later as Siem Reap is changing as fast - if not faster - than any other city in the world!!!) because learning all about this country, both past and present, will give any American a world of needed perspective. The Cambodians have nothing, yet are thriving examples of human spirit and national pride. These days have been some of the most memorable moments in our travels so far…days that have really peaked our minds with many, many thoughts.