Day 1 in Cambodia

We started our first full day in Cambodia with a delicious breakfast at our hotel. Then Vannsak, our tour guide for the day, stepped into the lobby to pick us up. I knew that he was going to be great, just from the smile on his face. And he was! Vannsak had been leading private tours of various temples in Siem Reap for over ten years. He was great with kids, with two of his own, ages 12 and 6, pretty similar to my sisters. He was very thoughtful throughout the day, offering us chances to step into the shade. He is a local, so he knows how harsh the heat is. 

We visited three temples with Vannsak on the first day; Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. 

ANGKOR WAT

The first stop was Angkor Wat, the largest religious site in the world. It is 402 acres, about half the size of Central Park! Angkor Wat is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an Ancient Wonder of the World. Originally, it was a Hindu temple, but has changed to a Buddhist temple multiple times, and is now known as a Buddha-Hindu temple. But it was never that easy to just switch back and forth. They had many fights, and unfortunately, Buddhist statues were among the victims. Now, many of them remain beheaded. There were intricate carvings along the walls of the buildings that told stories of churning the Milk Sea and a floating head that ate the sun and the moon. After spending hours at Angkor Wat, I have a new appreciation for a bunch of old stones on top of one another.

ANGKOR THOM

Angkor Thom, also known as the Big City, is 2 ½ times the size of Central Park. While we were there, we spent all of our time at the largest and most famous temple, Bayon. The road leading up to the entrance gate was lined with ornate statues of demons on one side, and smiling buddhas on the opposite side. Once inside the grounds, I noticed many towers, each with four Buddha faces at the top, facing north, south, east, and west. But, I also noticed something even better –  there were many monkeys roaming around, some even drinking cokes. They get a bit aggressive around people, and sadly, Sadie was that day's victim. She was harmlessly standing, admiring the designs of the temple, when all of sudden, a monkey shot right through her legs! We were all shocked, and Sadie freaked out, but we continued on to our next destination.

TA PROHM

Ta Prohm is over 830 years old. It was abandoned in the 15th century, and was left unkempt for hundreds of years. The only reason it is standing is because of fig trees! The fig trees need help and support as they grow, and the trees here found support from the temple. The roots grabbed the walls of the temple as they grew for support, which also held the stones of the temple in place. Now, restoration teams are supporting the trees and the temple together.

It is now a very famous spot because the movie “Tomb Raider” with Angelina Jolie was filmed here.

My favorite part of this temple, though, was the “Head and Chest” chamber. This was a tower like many others, but this one was special because if you stood with your back against the wall and beat your chest, you would hear an echo throughout the chamber, sounding like a drum. There’s no scientific explanation for why this happens in this particular tower, so people believe that there’s a spiritual reason. There’s a spirit living here!

I’m glad that we spent our day visiting these three temples. My favorite by far was Ta Prohm. I loved the mystery of the echo chamber and the magic of the trees!

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