Cu Chi Tunnels

Cu Chi is a district of greater HCMC and during the war had a population of about 80,000. The tunnel network became legendary during the 60s for its role in helping the VC gain control of this large farming area. Built over 25 years, there were more than 250 km of tunnels – a poorly equipped peasant army’s response to America’s high tech ordinance.

We decided to book the tour through our hotel – 20 dollars each with lunch – and we were picked up at 7:45 am in a large bus but moved to a smaller but comfortable a/c van. Our group was about 12 and on route we made the requisite ‘souvenir’ stop for tourists.

A group of Vietnamese worked on creating lacquer paintings. They were mass produced so there wasn’t any originality in the works; but it was interesting to see the process. A picture is carved out or drawn onto a piece of plywood board and mother of pearl glued on. A thin layer of lacquer is applied and polished; and repeated 5 - 10 times. Lacquer is a clear sap that comes from 6 different species of trees in Vietnam. At this studio, workers scraped away the lacquer to reveal the mother of pearl picture underneath, but artists can also rub the lacquer with hair or fine sandpaper to reveal the picture beneath.

It took about an hour to get to Cu Chi and our group headed to a tiny opening to the tunnels that you might have seen in photos before. When not in use, a board covers the entrance and then is well concealed under leaves and brush. The guide asked for volunteers to climb in and a skinny fellow stepped up. The Vietnamese are tiny so only skinny Westerners could actually manage to get in and out without getting stuck.

When the tunnels were being constructed the dirt would be taken to the river, dumped into bomb craters, or made into air holes that looked like termite hills. Trench like cavities allowed the rebels to mount an attack and then quickly disappear into another tunnel entrance. Tunnels were many metres underground and sometimes became so narrow, the Vietnamese would be forced to crawl while carrying babies, weapons, food, and supplies.

The Vietnamese used a variety of guerrilla tactics and weapons. They would collect U.S. ordinance and melt down the metal to make bombs, weapons, and booby traps.  A camouflaged trapdoor opens to reveal bamboo spikes below -

And a trap with metal spikes awaits soldiers in rice fields. American soldiers would wade through the water and step into the opening of this booby trap puncturing the sole of their foot. If they tried to lift their foot out, their legs would be punctured by the spikes on the sides.

There were several examples of homemade weapons – all equally horrific. I couldn't imagine having to walk through rice fields, rivers, and jungles, in the heat, with the bugs and the rain, and these booby traps all around me.

After this, we could either take a break or shoot some AK47s or M16s so Ian and I tried our hand at shooting. We paid for our 10 bullets each and followed a man to the firing range where we pulled on our ear protection and stepped up to our weapon.

Pulling that trigger sent the rifle reeling into my chest and it hurt. It was also very loud – louder than any movie or TV show.

It was an incredible experience – a bit overwhelming to be honest. After three bullets, I had enough; Ian had enough after one – but we fired all 10 and gladly left the range. I had no idea how we did nor did I care.  It’s funny because we thought it would be a ‘fun’ experience but it wasn’t at all. It was disturbing. It would take a lot of skill to shoot and actually hit a target when under enemy fire.

We were then presented with the opportunity to go into the tunnels - which had been enlarged for Westerners. We climbed carefully down the steps and into the narrow and low tunnel. You either crawl, or if you’re short like me, bend over.  Red lights illuminate the way but some areas are unlit and totally black. It is claustrophobic. Every 20 metres there is an exit and after about 60 metres, I had enough. There’s nothing to see, you just crawl along. Ian finished the entire tunnel and said they went up and down and became even narrower forcing him to crawl on his knees.

After the tunnels we had a little break for some tea and tapioca root, a popular Vietnamese snack. The root is peeled and steamed and dipped in a mix of salt and pepper. It was delicious.

Following this, we watched a ‘60s propaganda film on the Cu Chi people and then headed back to HCMC for lunch.  Lunch was fantastic – spring rolls, omelette with oyster sauce, a vegetable stir fry and some mushrooms and rice and custard.

The day finished up around 2:30 – 3pm and a taxi was called to take us back to the hotel.  We went for a walk to the busy city centre past the famous Rex Hotel where U.S. army officials stayed and reporters would receive daily briefings during the war.  Close to the hotel are the city hall, the opera house and a statue of Ho Chi Minh.

Thus concluded another informative and interesting day in Vietnam.

Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon

When I was in Phnom Penh, I met a fellow who said Saigon reminded him of Phnom Penh on acid and I have to say, this seems fitting. It is a frenetic hectic place that Lonely Planet says is “a living organism that breathes life and vitality into all who settle here’ (p. 342). It’s a city of over 8 million people and most seem to own motorbikes. Once upon a time, Saigon was a part of Cambodia, and when it fell to North Vietnam, it was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.

Our arrival into the airport went smoothly and quickly. The flight from Siem Reap was only an hour and 20 minutes. We decided to fly because we didn’t want to spend 12+ hours on a bus nor did we want to travel on a hot boat. I had emailed our hotel and was advised to take a taxi from the airport for about 8 dollars. A Sasco counter was just beyond the luggage carousels so we bought a voucher for the taxi and were on our way.

The city streets were well paved and we saw the usual mix of old and new.  We passed modern looking hotels like Moevenpick and the Intercontinental and independent places like ours. The city is divided into 16 urban districts and our hotel, Thien Xuan, is located in district 1, right across from Ben Thanh Market and within walking distance of some major tourist sites. The hotel is only two rooms wide but 10 storeys high. This is not an anomaly.  In a country with over 85 million people, I guess the best way to build is up.

This is an example of their unique buildings….

Stairs lead up to the reception area of our hotel (the downstairs is a motorbike park) and check in went smoothly. Reception kept our passports which is common in Vietnam. Our room on the third floor faced the street and has modern amenities. For lunch we left the hotel, turned right and ate at the first Vietnamese restaurant we found. It was air conditioned and busy. With our pho, we received a plate of sprouts, basil, lime, chiles, and onions to add to the pho as desired.

In his usual fashion, Ian scouted things out while I looked after trip planning.  It takes a fair bit of work planning things – the young backpacker might be willing to walk up and down the road lugging their packs around, looking for available accommodation but Ian and I are not interested in that – especially as you never know what kind of place you’re going to end up in. The internet and tripadvisor are my best friends.  

I was trying to sort out the holidays and Tet, Vietnamese New Years.  It’s rare that the Vietnamese people get time off together so places book up, travel is a nightmare, and restaurants close down for a few days so we want to avoid that whole scene. We’ve decided to head to the Philippines to do some diving. Ian is going to look after that planning but I need to get us to Danang by the date Ian has us flying out.  Unfortunately, the internet hasn’t been working so well here – it’s been a bit frustrating.

Down the street from our hotel is an open air restaurant that does a BBQ at your table so we went there for dinner. Our server was a pleasant guy and pointed out the Santas hanging from the tree above us. Both Ian and I have been surprised at the amount of Christmas decorations that adorn every single building. Carols are playing in stores, kids are wearing Santa hats and babies wear entire outfits. It’s bigger than at home…

After dinner we went for a walk and I could hardly believe the amount of scooters on the road – they outnumber the cars, and pedestrians, hands down. Apparently motorbikes are inexpensive which is why so many people own one. Bikes own the road. They split lanes, drive on sidewalks, go down the street the wrong way, run lights, go on either side of a car in the same lane, and do not travel in a line. Dozens of bikes bunch together in one lane.

This makes crossing the road an interesting experience. Pedestrians do not have the right of way here. Only at major intersections are there lights and there are no lit crosswalks like in Canada. To cross, you look for a break in the area closest to you and take a confident step onto the road. Then you walk slowly across, pausing as needed. Motorbikes will go around you so you can’t run or jump backwards because someone may be gunning it.  When we cross, I grab Ian’s arm and let him lead. I avoid looking at the traffic and keep my eyes straight ahead.

The city is fairly clean and has sidewalks. Malls and major stores have window displays with a Christmas theme and hundreds of Vietnamese crowd the sidewalks getting photos.  Couples, young females, and little girls in fancy dresses pose in front of Christmas trees, wreaths, and lights. I can’t help it - I find this most odd.  We thought it was a Christmas thing but our next night we saw young girls posing model style in front of Burberry, Gucci, and Chloe windows.  I kid you not. They would stand looking over their shoulders, or pose with their heads cocked to one side, or with their chin on their fist. These kids would get mocked at home.

Sleeping at night was difficult with the noise of the street below – street noise is something we’re not used to (just roosters and dogs and mosques).

Breakfast the next day was pho, bagels, and/or fruit. We got a very late start but eventually headed to the War Remnants Museum about a 10 – 15 minute walk away but found it closed for lunch from 11 to 1:30. We turned around and headed back to the hotel to wait – too early for our lunch. We looked up some recommended places to eat in our guidebooks and found Au Parc, close to the Reunification Palace and on route to the museum.

The restaurant was phenomenal. My lentil salad was probably the biggest salad I’ve ever had and Ian had a yummy grilled veggie sandwich. The place even has turkey sandwiches with onion stuffing –hard to resist but I needed my greens. After our fabulous lunch we headed back to the museum to see what it had to say about the Vietnam War. 

I believe the cost was around 20,000 dong (2 bucks) each. The museum is a large square building with an open air display on the ground floor. This display features propaganda posters and antiwar support from across the world. Other floors have air conditioned rooms exhibiting photographs of agent orange victims, acts of aggression, and the rebuilding of Vietnam after the war. The top floor was our favourite exhibit – compiled by Tim Page, it is an exhibition of the work of war photographers who were killed in the Vietnam War. Many of their photographs display both sides of the conflict and some were taken just hours before they were killed.

Once finished, Ian looked at the U.S. planes and helicopters outside and I headed into the prison exhibit housed in a small compound near the entrance.

Inside we found a guillotine, prison cells and iron cages called tiger cages.

The prison was used by South Vietnamese military to house Viet Cong prisoners on Con Son Island. Several posters told stories of the atrocities the prisoners endured during their time in prison – the guards tortured them terribly.

It was an interesting museum, not exactly what I expected but still glad we went.

 PS - We have had poor luck with the internet for the last month so I haven't been able to keep up with my blogging. I am hoping that I will be able to post them this week....

Wrapping up in Siem Reap

Food

The food in Siem Reap has been fairly good. The total bill ranges from 10 to 20 dollars (including drinks) so maybe we’re spending 30 dollars a day on food. One night we ate at Chamkar, a vegetarian place down a pedestrian friendly alley. It was a tiny place with three tables out front and as soon as we sat down, the two couples on either side of us raved about the food and offered suggestions on what we should order. We had the mango salad – which was fresh and scrumptious. I had pesto pasta – probably the best I’ve had yet- and Ian had tofu stuffed with pumpkin seeds with caramelized onions that was really good (although too rich for me).  

The couple to the right are currently living in Australia and we chatted about life there. The fellow is an electrician and his wife a teacher and they said Australia is very expensive to both live and/or travel. The fellow, who is originally from the States, said the taxes are very high but he felt Australia had a horrible infrastructure. He said they pay 100 dollars / month for very little bandwidth. His wife said when her friends go out they take the router with them so the kids won’t go over their bandwidth. With regards to travelling, decent hotels start at 200 a night. Literature says you have to budget 150 a day per person to travel in Australia but the couple figured that was too low.  

The next night we had Indian food – vegetable pakora, naan, mint chutney, rice, dahl, fantastic butter chicken and drinks for 12 dollars. It was an incredible amount of food. We been frequent customers at Blue Pumpkin with a/c upstairs, free WIFI and great cappuccinos.

Local Night Market

Our day off from templing was spent researching, blogging, and reading. Ian and I had to figure out what to do about the holidays because the places we wanted to go were all booked up. As weird as it sounds, we decided to head to Bangkok for a few days. We can catch up on some movies, see a few things we missed (b/c of the flooding), get my hair done, and Ian can buy a new pair of shoes. Unfortunately, his new shoes have proven to be mediocre. The brown ones are a joke; the leather has stretched so they slip off his feet. He is leaving them here.

Ian found a great hotel right on Sukhumvit for 65 dollars and the flight is reasonable so we went ahead and booked it. We’ll be there for New Years.

That night in Siem Reap, Narath picked us up at 6:30 pm to show us the local market. It comes to life around 3 – 4pm and closes at 9 – 10 pm. He drove out into the country and down a paved road. It was incredible. Along the sides of the road on the grass and gravel, people had set up their products to sell: lotions and creams, comforters, clothing, hats and shoes, sunglasses, jewellery, baby clothes, stuffed animals, toys – you name it. People sat on mats sharing food or nursing babies. Further away, large mats (the size of picnic blankets) spaced one after the other sat empty and Narath explained that people can rent a mat to sit and visit or eat their food. Sometimes couples visited the market on a date. Behind the vendors was a large field with simple amusement park rides for kids and rows of gates. It was really neat to see.

Geckos

We have two geckos in our room –one is very shy and I’ve only caught a glimpse of him when I move things and the other is very tiny with a stubby tail. It is quite adventurous and in the evenings I watch it roam around the walls of our room, across the floor and ceiling; quite inquisitive. Sometimes it stops and lifts its head up as if looking around. I tried to get a photo of it but when I get close, it moves away (and our camera isn’t the greatest with close ups).

Last day of seeing the temples

We were headed 37 km out of town to see Banteay Srei described as the “jewel of Khmer art” (Ancient Angkor). Since Narath typically travels quite slowly, we were a bit sceptical of doing the distance in a tuk tuk. He assured us that he could go faster especially if we left early when the traffic wasn’t bad; so up again at 5:30 with a 6:30 am departure.

We were all tired – turns out, none of us had had a decent night’s sleep so we made a quick stop for some juice, coffee, and food for Narath. It was very chilly going fast so I was wrapped in sarongs. It was nice being out of town – we saw a variety of homes and passed many people on bicycles. I managed to snap this photo of a house with palm leaf walls. You can see the cement well for water to the left of the photo – many homes are without running water or electricity.

We arrived to Banteay Srei and the parking lot was fairly empty. Although not a royal temple it is a beauty. It is quite small and the pink sandstone carvings are in excellent shape.

The causeway is lined with stone boundary posts. To the left and right, the causeway is flanked by the remains of galleries.

Off to the sides were doorways without rooms and the remains of walls with windows. A pedestal with a flower – like carving was something we had not seen in any of our other temple visits.

The temple proper is tiny – three towers with ­6 short staircases. Guardian statues kneel on the platform. These are copies (the originals are in the Phnom Penh museum) with human bodies and the heads of lions, monkeys, and garudas (bird-man).

The detailed stone carvings are stunning. Miniature temples sit on the four corners of the temple roof and doorways and walls are beautifully decorated. Pink sandstone is apparently very hard so it has weathered well. Depth and sharpness provide richness in these carvings.

Although a tiny temple complex, it takes time to appreciate all these details...We made our way out of the complex and just in time, the parking lot was absolutely full of tour buses with more coming in. We were very lucky to arrive when we did. I can’t imagine walking around such a tiny place with all those people.

Cambodia Land Mine Museum and Relief Facility

Our next stop was the Landmine Museum.  I didn’t take any photos here – although the intent is good, the museum itself isn’t very well done.  All proceeds go to the upkeep of the museum and for the education and protection of youngsters in need. Many of these have been injured by unexploded ordinance or by landmines.  It isn’t a rehabilitation centre yet they do provide food and board. The focus is on education and helping these victims become self-sufficient.

The fellow responsible for opening the place has quite a story. Aki Ra was a child soldier of the Khmer Rouge, shooting a weapon at the age of 10. He was eventually taken by the Vietnamese army and conscripted with a threat to his life. Through his teens he planted thousands of landmines for the Khmer Rouge and Vietnam army.  In the Cambodian army, still a teenager, he worked with the UN to help clear mines and as a young adult, began clearing neighbouring villages of unexploded ordinance.

The museum displays stories of children injured by land mines, a history of Aki Ra’s life, and facts about land mines. There is also an exhibit of defused mines, bombs and other ordinance.

When I exited the museum, Narath was fast asleep in a hammock…

On the way to our final temple we stopped to learn about palm sugar candy.

At the top of the palm tree, the male plant is cut and a bucket is left for the drippings of palm sugar. At the end of the day the drippings are collected and boiled. The process was similar to our maple syrup at home. Sugar is then poured into small containers and left to harden. Ian and I bought three packs for $1 and gave one to Narath. The packages were quite clever and made of a bamboo leaves. The candy itself was quite delicious, although super sweet.

Not the best picture but hopefully you get the idea....

Banteay Samre was small and not overly crowded. It has a single tower and concentric galleries forming a square around it.

The causeway is flanked by lions without their faces; not sure what happened to those. Inside the central tower was a pillar of stone – with the light shining from the side, it made for a super picture.

There was a lovely breeze coming through and I just sat taking things in. We headed for home and many tour buses, bicycles with students and tourists, tuk tuks and of course, motorbikes were now on the road. I was astounded to see two motorbikes go by with large trussed up pigs balanced on the back seat! Narath said the pigs were still alive and being taken to the market to sell. What people carry on their scooters is incredible. Ian once saw someone with boxes loaded on the back seat and a person sitting on top of the boxes. We’ve also see crates of eggs stacked up behind and in front of the driver – I’ve even seen plates of glass being carried on bikes. The other day I saw a woman riding a bicycle and she had a cloth tied to her handles like a mini-hammock and inside was a baby. I guess when you can’t afford a car, you make do with what you have.

Our time in Siem Reap and Cambodia has been a great experience and certainly a highlight. The people are incredibly friendly and the temples of Siem Reap will always be remembered.

Eastern Angkor, Cambodia

Another 6:30 am start but this time we had a different driver, Pirom. He had the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. Narath had some errands to run but he was there to introduce us to his replacement and go over the day’s program. Today we were exploring the temples outside of Angkor Wat and Thom. They were spread too far apart to walk so we would be relying more on our driver. We started with Chau Say Thevoda.

We were mostly undisturbed there; one set of tourists walked quickly through. As usual, the early morning sunlight warmed the brick giving us a lovely view.  The temple, from the middle of the 12^th Century, has been recently restored. There are some Hindu carvings and stone staircases leading up to some smaller buildings. A small shrine occupied one of the structures:

To the east of the temple is a cruciform terrace and causeway and across the road lives Thommanon from the early 12^th Century and the period of Angkor Wat. It was completely restored in the 60s with cement ceilings.

As I was walking about, a Cambodia with a significant limp started showing me around the place. I’d prefer to be left alone but I followed him nonetheless. He pointed out a well preserved lintel carving of Vishnu, a stone door, and some carvings of devatas (female deities) in costume.

When finished, he pulled out an intricately carved wooden instrument that plays a sound similar to elastic stretched and twanged. He played it for me but I told him I couldn’t buy one b/c it would break on our travels. After thanking him, I handed him a dollar. I told Ian about the little instrument and of course, he bought one. We sat for awhile just taking in the setting and Ian practiced his new instrument.

Our next stop was Ta Keo, constructed in the late 10^th to early 11^th Century. This is a towering temple – mountain dedicated to Shiva and the first made of entirely sandstone.

Inside is a steep staircase covering three tiers and the place is plainly decorated. Many of the temples are in a state of decay and sometimes stones are held together by wooden supports. If there was any sort of seismic activity here, several of these temples would crumble.

Just to tell you a little story – I had forgotten my pass in the tuk tuk and was walking along the wall of the temple towards the back where Pirom was parked. I heard a “hey hey” and looked towards the sound but didn’t see anyone so I kept walking. Then I heard another “hey, hey lady.” Since there wasn’t anyone else around, I stopped and looked again. A guide standing beside a tourist van waved at me and yelled “come on!” I shook my head and yelled back “I’m not on a bus” and kept walking. He yelled again, this time most insistently, “lady, you come here, come now.” I yelled back “I’m not on a bus, I have a tuk tuk” and pointed to Pirom. He now understood that he had the wrong tourist and laughed. I guess we all look alike.

Ta Prohm was next and the one I was most looking forward to. A temple monastery from the 12^th Century, it features galleries, courtyards, and towers; but the thing that makes this place particularly unique, is the trees intertwining with the stone. I have seen so many photographs of this site I couldn’t wait to see it in person.  

According to our guidebook Ancient Angkor this site was chosen by L’Ecole Francaise d’Extreme-Orient to be left in a natural state as an example of how most of Angkor looked on its discovery in the 19^th C. But leaving it in this state involves a significant amount of work preventing further collapse. Enough vegetation has to be cleared for entry, viewing and safety while still maintaining a feeling of neglect. They’ve certainly found the right balance because the sense of decline and the partly overgrown state really creates a magical feeling to the place.

We entered through the west gate, continuing down a dirt trail to a wooden pathway leading tourists over moss covered water. There was a wall and small gopura (entrance pavilion) facing the moat – this picture is taken from the other side and shows the cruciform causeway leading to the entrance pavilion:

Across the open area we entered another pavilion and followed along in a gallery. Some areas were completely blocked by fallen stones.

There were some long hallways and beautiful buildings.

Our journey eventually led us to an inner courtyard with several examples of trees and their roots cascading down and over the stone. There are two kinds of trees here: the larger silk cotton tree distinguished by its knobby texture -

And the strangler fig known by its thinner smooth grey roots.

Typically a bird deposits the seed of these trees into a crevice somewhere in the structure and the tree takes hold. Its roots work their way through the masonry, down to the soil, growing thicker as they go. Sometimes it looks like the tree is swallowing the stone blocks and even the building itself. In some instances the roots look quite alien, like some creature reaching out its tentacles. It is quite remarkable.

I loved this place and it was by far my favourite of all the temple complexes we visited. I took many many pictures. I let them speak for themselves:

We finished Ta Prohm with this photo –

We found Pirom and he took us to Banteay Kdei, a largely unrestored complex spread over a large area. Unfortunately, the population of touts in these isolated temples increased and they were tenacious. A typical conversation went like this:

                                                             Hello madam, you need guidebook? Give you good price.

                                                                 No thanks.

                                                             One dollar.  

                                                                 No thank you.

                                                             What about cold drink?

                                                                 I have a drink thanks.

                                                              Maybe one for tuk tuk driver?

                                                                 Haha, that was a good one.

                                                              Good, you buy book?

                                                                 Not that good. Besides, I already bought a book.

                                                              You buy for friend, maybe mother. Give you good price.

And on it goes. Doesn’t matter what your response is, they have a comeback.

One little girl kept pace me with chatting quickly as we walked together towards the entrance. She asked me what country I was from and when I said Canada, she responded:  “Capital Ottawa, you speak two languages – French and English. Vancouver and Toronto are big cities.” I was really impressed and gave her a piece of gum. Turns out – that’s a vendor trick. They try to win you over with facts about your country – another girl did the same thing to Ian.

Oh well.

Into the temple complex we went. It was a pretty setting surrounded by grass, trees and a small pond. There were not a lot of tourists there. Many areas are closed for restoration. Some of the doorways looked like a strong wind would send the stones cascading down…according to the tourist brochure, its deterioration is largely due to the fact that it was built using poor grade sandstone and poor construction techniques.

There were some good carvings and as always new things to see.

Across the road was Srah Srang, a large basin built in the 10^th Century. It has surprisingly retained its water for 9 centuries.  We approached the man-made lake from a small terrace lined by lions. Steps led down to a landing platform and I would have taken a photo except 3 lads decided to plant themselves there to play cards. Srah Srang means royal bath but the 10^th C inscriptions state that water has been stored for all creatures (Ancient Angkor, p. 151).

It was almost noon so we headed into town for lunch.

 

Angkor Thom

Narath was waiting for us at 6:30 and we headed out into the chilly morning. Ian and I wonder how cold it actually is - we aren’t use to low temperatures anymore - it probably isn’t even that cold. We’re going to be such sucks next winter! We huddled together for warmth on the backseat of the tuk tuk with sweaters and my sarang wrapped around us (NOTE: I looked up the minimum temperatures for those early mornings and it looks like it was anywhere from 18 to 21 degrees. We couldn`t help but laugh about that – back in Canada, we`d think that was warm!).

We were headed for Angkor Thom, one the largest of all Khmer cities in the late 12^th century and probably the capital until the 17^th C. Like Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom is surrounded by a manmade moat and walls 8m high and 3km long on each of the 4 sides enclosing an area of 900 hectares. 

The approach to the south gate over the moat is lined by fierce statues holding the 7 headed naga (snake).

Our first temple stop was the Bayon. According to our guidebook Ancient Angkor, this is one of the most powerfully religious constructions in the world. The temple is very complex in structure and meaning because it has passed through different religious phases: the Pantheon of Gods, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

The place looked brilliant in the early morning sun. At times, it felt like we had the place to ourselves.  There are 37 towers, each one carved with 2 to 4 faces. The outer bas reliefs were possibly carved in the 13^th century and illustrate historical events.

We walked around the exterior and I noticed a thick web in the upper corner of a doorway. In the middle was a thin black and white stripped spider with long legs. A low stone entrance led me into a dark gallery where I found an inner courtyard. At this point, I started messing around with my camera and discovered different colour settings: sepia, tungsten, neutral, vivid, etc. so I began experimenting. From now on, don’t be surprised with what you see – I’m just having fun with the camera:

Ian and I loved this place. It was like a maze. On one level, there were these interesting tunnels and galleries and staircases while up above were towers and upper terraces. We could hear more and more tourists arriving by the busload, but from where we were, it remained mostly quiet and empty.

We spent a long time down in those galleries and courtyards but time was ticking so we decided to head up. The upstairs is supposed to be peaceful and calm offering several profiles of the faces carved into the stones but it was loud, noisy, and crowded with Chinese, French and Russian tourists.  It was positively claustrophobic. However, I did manage to grab a few shots of the carved towers:

As I stood waiting for Ian to catch up to me, I caught a movement in my periphery. On the wall was a green pencil thin snake.  It was exactly like the tiny one we saw on the road outside of Angkor Wat only this one was about 3 feet in length. It was really neat watching it slither up and over the wall without anyone else noticing. I got a photo for Ian but without me pointing it out to you, it’d be hard to see.

We explored the east side.

I was standing on some stone steps getting a photo when I felt a sting on my leg. Low and behold a large red ant was biting me. I flicked it off only to feel another one getting me just under my sock. Clearly red ants are undeterred by bug spray.  Well this was the shot I took whilst getting bit:

We left Bayon and headed north to Baphoun. Not long ago this temple was still covered by dirt. It is amazing how many countries are involved in the restoration of the temples in this area: Japan, Belgium, France, and Germany to name a few. This temple was discovered by the French who started unearthing it but were interrupted by war – they returned 25 years later to continue what they had started.

This is an enormous 11^th C temple with a 5 tiered pyramid set within a long enclosure. A 170+ metre causeway runs in the front leading to the east entrance and a set of stairs taking visitors up to the wall.  Ian and I followed the wall around to the back to see the reclining Buddha started in the 16^th C. You can just make out its features: the head is to the left –

We exited out the back and followed a trail through the woods to Phimeanakas and the Royal Palace. This photo is from the front:

Guardian lions flank the staircase and elephants sit on the four corners – although they no longer look like elephants.  In the front are manmade ponds where the King held aquatic games.  Running parallel with the road, and out front, is the elephant terrace – a large platform running 300m carved with elephants.

From here you can see the Suor Prat Towers across the way. There are 12 identical towers in a row of unknown function.  Next to the Elephant Terrace is the Leper King Terrace with a narrow gallery revealing hidden reliefs.

The reliefs reveal men with swords drawn and the many headed naga underneath as well as female dieties.

Our day came to a close and we headed for lunch having spent about 6 hours going through Angkor Thom (and not seeing everything).

Postscript

You might have noticed from the photos that Ian’s beard has disappeared – I forgot to mention that he shaved it off in Sihanoukville.  It was so odd seeing his face again! Now he needed a haircut. Ian found one in Phnom Penh.

The barber shop had no electricity and although fairly primitive, the scissors, manual clipper, and straight razor were clean.  After some of his hair was cut, Ian received another shave – and I mean a shave: jaw, ears, nose, around his eyebrows, and his forehead; all with a straight razor and no shaving cream. The barber used a liquid lotion that Ian said stung “just a little bit.” He trimmed Ian’s nose hairs and did a second round of cutting while Ian was lying back from the shave. The cap to the cut was a neck and head massage – all for 5 dollars.