Tag: Wat

Angkor Wat Tour with Best Itinerary

Angkor Wat is not only the most famous of all the temples within the Angkor Archaeological Park, it is also the nearest to Siem Reap, from where you will be starting your tour so it’s expectedly the first ancient temple each first time visitor to Angkor area goes to see. The small circle tour – the most popular itinerary because it covers all of the biggest, most famous and most important temples has Angkor Wat as its first stop if you start the circle in the clockwise direction. This may seem like the best itinerary scenario because you naturally tend to want to start your tour with the nearest point of interest first and progress your way along with the next nearest, until you have covered the entire circle.

This is exactly what I was thinking when I took a closer look at the map of the Angkor Archaeological Park and this is also what every guide book recommends. Unfortunately, this is the worst way to take the small circle and I really can’t believe none of the guides tells you that. Let me say it again, when you start your tour of the Angkor Archaeological Park and do the small circle to cover all of the most impressive temples first, do it in the counter-clockwise direction, not clockwise, the way it would seem natural and the way all of the tourist guides would have you do it. The reasons are simple (just for some reason nobody considers them):

All of the temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park face east, except from one – Angkor Wat. Because of that, if you start your itinerary by going to Angkor Wat in the morning, the sun will be illuminating the back side of the temple making for truly tough back-lighting, difficult photography conditions, detail lacking pictures even if you know how to set up your camera for difficult lighting and because Cambodian sun is extremely intense, you’re gonna have a hard time getting a decent capture no matter what.

Photo: Angkor Wat in the Morning (left) When Sun Creates Strong Backlight Compared with the Afternoon (right) When Sun Is Behind You
Photo: Angkor Wat in the Morning (left) When Sun Creates Strong Backlight Compared with the Afternoon (right) When Sun Is Behind You

But there is yet another important reason why you should go counter-clockwise – everybody else goes clockwise. Angkor Archaeological Park gets visited by thousands of people every day. Virtually all of them will go to Angkor Wat in the morning – at around the same time as you and will do the small circle by following the road in clockwise direction. You could spend hours upon hours waiting to get a picture of the temple without dozens of people in the view, yet you won’t get it. You will have hundreds of people to share the temple with and as you move from one temple to another, all of those people move in approximately the same time. The feeling of being in overcrowded spaces will follow you all along. But that’s still not as bad as the next reason why not to go clockwise:

All of local peddlers, touts, beggars, hustlers, scam artists and other obnoxious individuals preying on thousands of tourists visiting Angkor Archaeological Park know that virtually every visitor to the area starts with Angkor Wat and progresses on clockwise through other temples on the small circle so they move in approximately the same speed to ensure they are at the spot where the concentration of tourists is the highest. As such, you are guaranteed to get tons of them on every step of your way, harassing you all the time. They will move as you move and will be on your ass in vast numbers whole day. Whereas if you go counter-clockwise, you will only get the stationary peddlers who operate on the same spot all the time. This eliminates a lot of hassle and headache.

Don’t be silly like I was. If you start your journey with Angkor Wat, you will soon realize that the pictures don’t do the temple justice and will start planning for your next visit in the afternoon hours. The way Angkor Wat looks in the afternoon when sun is in the west and illuminates the front is way superior to the way it looks in the morning. Besides, going clockwise doesn’t merely screw your light for Angkor Wat.

Because Angkor Wat is the only temple facing west, if you take the clockwise itinerary, you will slowly progress your way to the temples on the eastern side of small circle, including magnificent Banteay Kdei and huge Sras Srang moat, and when you get to those, the light for them temples will be on the wrong side again.

You definitely want to start with Banteay Kdei in the morning to have it nicely illuminated by the morning sun, catch the sunrise as it emerges above Sras Srang and move along in the counter-clockwise direction until you make it to Angkor Wat, when sun is in the west and illuminates the front of it, making all fine details stand out and shine. This is the best itinerary you can arrange for when you are planning your Angkor Wat tour. Don’t start the tour by going to Angkor Wat first. You will miss out on wonderful sunrise over Sras Srang, will catch both Angkor Wat and Banteay Kdei in strong backlight and will have hundreds of other tourists around you to share the temples with. And that’s on top of dozens of hustlers who will follow you around. The best itinerary for the small circle Angkor Wat tour is by going counter clockwise, starting with Banteay Kdei and ending with Angkor Wat.

Wat Kesararam – Pagoda of the Cornflower Petals

Wat Kesararam is the most confusing pagoda in all of Siem Reap. The inconsistencies in name were driving me insane and the more I was trying to find out which name was correct, the more confusing it was getting. Basically, aside from Wat Kesararam, this pagoda is often referred to as Wat Keseram. Not even Cambodians themselves know which name is right and which is wrong as each you ask them about it, they will give you different answer. Hence it is best to refer to it by its English name – Pagoda of the Cornflower Petals.

Photo: Wat Keseram in Siem Reap - The Pagoda of Cornflower Petals
Photo: Wat Keseram in Siem Reap - The Pagoda of Cornflower Petals

Wat Kesararam is located at the north west side of Siem Reap, right on National Road #6, en route to Siem Reap airport. It is a very colorful pagoda the beginnings of which date somewhere to the 1970’s. The paintings on the outer walls are very bright and so are the lions and nagas – seven headed serpents the body of which serves as a balustrade around the temple. The balustrade is held up by statues of divinities that are repeated all around the structure.

Photo: Lion and Naga - Multiheaded Serpent at the Steps to Wat Keseram
Photo: Lion and Naga - Multiheaded Serpent at the Steps to Wat Keseram

I have not walked inside of actual temple, but it’s said to house extensive collection of Buddha relics. Since it was the second day of Pchum Ben festival, the pagoda of the cornflower petals was very much alive. Traditional Khmer music was being played back out of bad quality, old loudspeakers and dozens of people knelt inside the prayer hall chanting their prayers. More people were coming in and out, all bearing bowls with food which is what the festival of the dead is all about. This food is offered to their deceased ancestors to ease their way in the underworld.

Photo: Buddhists Commemorating Pchum Ben Festival at Wat Kesararam Prayer Hall
Photo: Buddhists Commemorating Pchum Ben Festival at Wat Kesararam Prayer Hall

I noticed many kids running around and hanging off the barred windows of main vihara – prayer hall. There was some commotion coming from the inside and the presence of countless shoes before the entrance to it suggested that something must be going on in there (Buddhists always take their shoes off before entering pagodas or basically any other dwelling or sacred place). This is what attracted me to the vihara as it was also what detracted me from going to the actual temple to see what they say is a vast collection of Buddha relics. On the other hand, I’m glad I went in the vihara because this was my unique opportunity to witness real amateur Apsara dancing.

MORE PICTURES OF WAT KESARARAM AT:
Wat Keseram Photo Gallery

Wat Keseram Photo Gallery

Wat Keseram pagoda got me confused right from the start. Half of native Cambodians as well as half of guides refer to it as Wat Keseram while other half calls it Wat Kesararam. Which one is correct is hard to tell. There seems to be no conclusive settlement and nobody but me seemed bothered by inconsistencies in the name. It’s still one and the same pagoda it’s only known under two different, albeit similar names. The only common name for it is English translation of it: “Pagoda of the Cornflower Petals”. I leave it up to you to choose which name you want to call it – Wat Keseram or Wat Kesararam. Either way, below is the gallery of photos of this majestic pagoda.

Wat Damnak

I woke up to a new day ready to explore more of Siem Reap’s pagodas. The sun was already baking the air outside which made me happy since it was rainy season in Cambodia, but this was the second day with no rain. Already well aware of how devastating Cambodian sun is, I fortified my skin with natural sun block (as close to organic as it gets), applied powerful mosquito repellent (don’t even bother with anything that contains less than 30% deet – Cambodian mosquitoes are vicious, plentiful and active during all parts of day and night), sat on my mountain bike and off I rode for Wat Damnak.

Photo: Wat Damnak Courtyard with Temple in the Rear
Photo: Wat Damnak Courtyard with Temple in the Rear

As always, I used the map provided in Angkor Siem Reap Visitors Guide to find locations of most relevant temples and pagodas in Siem Reap and used it as my main guide in choosing the best itinerary to get me there. Not that it’s in any way difficult, given rather small size of Siem Reap.

Wat Damnak is located near Phsar Chas aka Old Market, just on the opposite side of the Siem Reap river. If you were to take a walk around the Old Market, you would see the stone bridge right on its south-east corner. Take a walk across the bridge and by the time you made it half across, you will see the roof of beautiful Wat Damnak to your slight right.

Photo: Wat Damnak Front Gate with Cables Spoiling the View
Photo: Wat Damnak Front Gate with Cables Spoiling the View

Once I was across the river, I just followed the road that seemed to go in the general direction of Wat Damnak and it got me there. The entrance gate was the same way I got used to seeing from other temples I have visited before – magnificent, but spoiled by presence of disorganized bunch of cables which are used to electrify Cambodia. These cables spoil the view of basically every important or nice to look at structure in Cambodia, except from Angkor Wat temples since this part of the country has not yet been electrified. This was driving me up the wall as no matter where you go, you see beautiful temples, but you have no means of finding an angle under which to take a picture so it is not ruined by crap loads of cables cross knitted along each other.

This would have been the second day of Pchum Ben Festival. The 15 days long Festival of the Dead is an important part of Buddhist Khmer culture so during these two weeks I was encountering it on my every step. Pchum Ben was the most prominent within temple grounds. It always involved presence of dozens of monks, very loud traditional Khmer music played from really old loud speakers (awfully painful for the ears) and lots and lots of food and then some more.

Photo: Wat Damnak Vihara, the Prayer Hall
Photo: Wat Damnak Vihara, the Prayer Hall

Just as with any Cambodian temple during Pchum Ben festival, there were many people around and lots of traffic in and out. It was a scorching hot day but locals were all nicely dressed and carried bowls with food they’d use as offerings to their dead ancestors and to local monks. I parked my bike by Vihara – the prayer hall. It was close to Wat Damnak’s entrance gate and there seemed to be most commotion happening there. Aside from noticeable crowds, there was also obvious audible effect as Buddhists inside were repeating chants with powerful unison after the leading monk.

Photo: Mass Prayer at Wat Damnak Vihara
Photo: Mass Prayer at Wat Damnak Vihara

RELATED GALLERY:
Wat Damnak Photo Gallery

Wat Bo Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia

I was in Siem Reap, Cambodia for the same very reason every other tourist makes it there – Angkor Wat temples. However I was in no rush to get to Angkor but most of all, I did not limit my stay to merely exploring Angkor Archaeological area and moving on. I really wanted to savour the atmosphere of Siem Reap and wanted to explore its hidden gems that may not attract many tourists, but are spectacular in their own way. Wat Bo temple was just like that.

Wat Bo Main Pagoda Photo
Wat Bo Main Pagoda Photo

I used reference map in Siem Reap Angkor Visitors Guide to find locations of numerous temples located within Siem Reap town itself. Exploring Angkor Wat temples was to be a big adventure for which I wanted to get ready thoroughly (high cost for the entrance ticket was one of the main reasons) so to get accustomed to local climate, customs and everything else, I used the initial days in Siem Reap to explore its own gems. According to the maps, Wat Bo was the closest temple to Two Dragons Guesthouse where I was staying so I made it my first destination on my “exploring the temples of Siem Reap” day.

Wat Bo is located on the east side of the Siem Reap River. Entire area around Wat Bo temple and along Wat Bo Road in Siem Reap is now known as “backpacker’s area” due to vast numbers of budget guesthouses and restaurants.

Monk Dwellings at Wat Bo Grounds Photo
Monk Dwellings at Wat Bo Grounds Photo

Other than Angkor temples, Wat Bo is one of the oldest pagodas in Siem Reap province. It was founded in the 18th century and to day it enjoys high regard among native Khmer population. The most significant part of Wat Bo are 19th century paintings depicting scenes from a Cambodian epic poem Reamker. As a traveller who never uses guides, whether it’s books or professional guide services, I have managed to miss out on Wat Bo’s Reamker entirely. I don’t even know where exactly these depictions are, I just know they are there. Darn, sometimes doing the research prior to going there pays off.

To my credit, other than Wat Preah Prom Rath pagoda, which is a modern, centrally located pagoda, Wat Bo was my first pagoda on my “exploring Siem Reap pagodas” tour. Wat Preah Prom Rath doesn’t count as I stumbled across it by chance, whether as visit to Wat Bo was planned and deliberate. Being my first, I was too overwhelmed with the vastness of the temple grounds and most of all – mesmerized by the number and variety of Stupas. At the time of my visit to Wat Bo, I had no idea what Stupas were, but as my day went on and I have visited other temples in Siem Reap, I learned all about it. More on Stupas in next post!

Stupas with Wat Bo Main Temple in the Background Photo
Stupas with Wat Bo Main Temple in the Background Photo

RELATED GALLERIES:

Wat Bo Temple Photo Gallery
Stupas of Wat Bo Photo Gallery

Teaching English at Wat Preah Prom Rath

Yes, it was one of my intentions to dedicate my time to volunteering and yes, since I didn’t have much experience volunteering before, teaching English seemed like the easiest way to start. As I was talking to that young man, he mentioned that he studied English here at the Wat Preah Prom Rath temple. He said he was from a small village but moved to Siem Reap in order to get some education and perhaps a decent job. I highly approved of this thinking.

He said he didn’t have the money to pay for his own accommodation even though being local he could find a room for $30 a month, so he stayed at the pagoda sharing living space with monks. Classes at the Wat Preah Prom Rath are free and anyone can attend so he takes full advantage of it. Having come from Canada, he asked me if I would like to come to his class which started at 5pm – in about 30 minutes. You wouldn’t have to ask me twice. I could not say “YES” fast enough.

View of the Classroom from the Wat Preah Prom Rath Grounds
View of the Classroom from the Wat Preah Prom Rath Grounds

Before I knew it, I was in a class. Room was full of people who were giving away surprised looks, but the overall feel was that I was welcome. I tried to introduce myself but probably sounded a bit awkward. There were both monks and non monks among students. Before I could get down to anything, a teacher walked in.

The classroom had no doors and no windows, just holes in the wall. The building in which the lectures were held was old, walls on it were mouldy and paint was peeling off. It offered striking contrast to shiny gloss of the temples across the walkway from there.

This Small Building in Bad Condition Serves as English School at Wat Pream Prom Rath
This Small Building in Bad Condition Serves as English School at Wat Pream Prom Rath

The teacher was a monk who spoke great English. I’m guessing he spent some time in England as he bore accent affected by the British. I introduced myself to him, after which he introduced me to the class and told me he had a bit of a sore throat and asked me if I could lead the class on my own. I have picked up his TOEFL book, got to a page where they were and without any ado I got straight down to teaching.

It was amazing. The class was at first a bit reluctant but I poked a funny here and there which eased the mood and so the lecture went like on grease. I enjoyed it so much I could not believe when an hour went by and everyone started leaving to attend to their other duties. My first English class as a volunteer was awesome. Everything about it was awesome. I have enjoyed it thoroughly and could not wait for the following day to do the same thing over again. As I was suggested, they held the same class every day during the week between 5 and 6, except on weekend. This was Tuesday – my first day in Cambodia and I have already taught English. What an amazing start to my new life.

Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple in Siem Reap Photo Gallery

Photographing Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple Compound

Now that I somewhat knew the history of the Wat Preah Prom Rath temple and Reclining Buddha which lies within, I felt encouraged to enjoy the grounds of the temple and photograph surrounding decoration. Replica of the ship on which Preah Ang Chang-han Hoy was sailing when it was cut in half by a shark is outside along with statue of the monk carrying a bowl for food. Cannons from the times of warlord Dap Chhoun are out there too. Garden is nicely trimmed and maintained and lots of other, smaller items are randomly scattered around the Wat Preah Prom Rath temple.

Preah Ang Chang-han Hoy Replica Ship
Preah Ang Chang-han Hoy Replica Ship

One especially impressive part were the architectural monuments of (to me) unknown purpose. I had no idea what they were, but these were structures of various sizes which grow up high into a spike in a pyramid like fashion. They all bear Oriental, rather than Egyptian influence and are found throughout the temple grounds. One big one is right next to the temple, several smaller ones of various sizes and splendour are around it.

Large Monument at Temple Grounds of Unknown Purpose (for now)
Large Monument at Temple Grounds of Unknown Purpose (for now)

It was when I went to photograph this large piece when someone yelled at me: “What are you doing there?” – this scared the living poop out of me. Not literally, but I thought it would have been a question of time before I offend somebody by me presence at holy Buddhist ground. This momet as it seemed had just arrived.

I have half smiling, half sorry answered that I just wanted to take a picture and backed off of the monument. The boy who yelled at me give off wide beaming smile suggesting that he was just kidding
which made me feel a little easier, but still a bit tense as I truly didn’t know what is right and what is wrong at temple grounds.

I shut my camera down, put it in a bag and went to talk to him to hopefully explain that I didn’t mean no harm, I just didn’t know what the right thing to do was. It was unnecessary. He asked me where I was from and the conversation went from there. Turned out that photographing temple compounds is perfectly fine and as I have later learned, Khmer people are excessively tolerant of tourists, even if they offend their holy grounds. The debate with this young boy went on. Either way, I was soaked in sweat already and needed a break from the heat and this gave me good excuse. Putting the camera down and going to take a seat at one of many benches was a relief. Little did I know at the time that talking to this young man will lead me to the most exciting experience ever. I went to teach monks English at upcoming class right there at the Wat Preah Prom Rath temple.

View of the Wat Preah Prom Roth from the Walkway Around the Temple
View of the Wat Preah Prom Roth from the Walkway Around the Temple

Reclining Buddha at Wat Preah Ang Chong-han Hoy Temple

When I was taken to the back of the Temple, I was offered a sight of large Reclining Buddha. The statue of Reclining Buddha is about 4 or 5 meters long. In other words it’s impressively massive. I would not have seen it had that guy not taken me there. I thought the statue of sitting Buddha in the middle of temple was like an altar in Catholic churches. And most of the time it truly is that way. Large statue of Buddha is situation center stage within a temple, surrounded by various decoration pieces, often times including smaller statues of Buddha, candles, and other religious items. It was no different in Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple, but there was yet another Buddha inside there – a Reclining one.

Picture of Reclining Buddha at Wat Preah Ang Chong-han Hoy Temple
Picture of Reclining Buddha at Wat Preah Ang Chong-han Hoy Temple

I have quietly snapped a few pictures of difficult to photograph Reclining Buddha (because of low light and large size). After I have walked out of the temple, I got a chance to read an information panel which explains the history behind Preah Ang Chong-han Hoy Temple (it’s what Wat Preah Prom Rath was once called) and Reclining Buddha. The sign reads the following:

History of Preah Ang Chong-han Hoy Inscription
History of Preah Ang Chong-han Hoy Inscription

History of Preah Ang Chong-han Hoy
BE 1900 – BE 2000 (1358 – 1456)

Replica of the boat and Preah Ang Chong-han Hoy (being warmed rice). This caused us to build this temple (Wat Preah Phrom Rath).

Upon times ago there was a monk named Preah Ang Chang-han Hoy who lived in a temple in Siem Reap city approximately in the late BE 1900 to the early BE 2000, Every morning he always travelled by boat crossing the Tonle-sap Lake to collect alms from Buddhists at Longwek Capital and returned to have lunch at his temple in Siem Reap city.

One day while he was travelling in the middle of the lake his boat was cut by shark: fortunately, it was not sunk but separated into two parts. One part was at Wat Boribo in Boribo District, Kampong Chnang Province, other part was in Siem Reap province, now is at Wat Preah Prohm Rath. To learn that both pieces of boat were replaced the Buddhist statues, at Wat Boribo in Boribo District, Kampong Chnang Province is the standing Buddha, at Wat Preah Prohm Rath is the reclining Buddha. So far we still see them remain perfectly.

In the reign of king Ang Chan in the late 16 and the early 16 century initiated shrine hall and temple dedicating to Preah Ang Chang-han Hoy while he prayed for victory of the country in return.

A replica of his boat built in year 2007 by Most Ven, Tong Ton, Samanera Tong Teuom, fellow-monks and Buddhist laymen to reserve as the knowledge of culture, history and heritage for Khmer generations.

Even though English in this scripture is not perfect, sense can be made from what it’s meant to say. Afterall, my English sucks just as much and so far people have been able to make sense of my blabber. This was my encounter with Reclining Buddha of Wat Preah Ang Chong-han Hoy Temple. Spiritually uplifted, I was ready to leave the temple and face the heat of late afternoon sun.

Photo of Reclining Buddha from Opposite Angle Shows Temple Keeper who Took me to the Statue in the Background
Photo of Reclining Buddha from Opposite Angle Shows Temple Keeper who Took me to the Statue in the Background

Inside Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple

I had a walk around the Wat Preah Prom Rath compound and went to take a peek through the gate that served as doorway to the main temple. The Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple is surrounded by the wall with typical triangular roof. Right by the doorway there was a sign requesting all visitors to the temple to remove their footwear as sign of respect for Buddha who was housed inside. There was a name of the patron of the temple, but I didn’t memorize that.

I left my sandals by the entrance where several pairs of sandals from people who were already inside were placed. Through the gate I saw several people, all dressed in white shirts, sitting on the porch, chanting prayers aloud. Bare foot, but still outside, I was looking at them. I didn’t want to disturb their prayer but then one of the ladies who participated in praying looked over her shoulder and saw me standing at the gate. Continuing with her prayer, she swinged her head as if giving me a sign that it was OK to enter. Encouraged, I did.

Buddhists Praying at the Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple Seen Through the Gate
Buddhists Praying at the Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple Seen Through the Gate

Lady turned back to facing inwards and continued chanting her prayer in Khmer along with everybody else. From the inside, the walls surrounding the Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple had nice colourful relics all over it. I did not understand the motifs revealed, but it was all really pretty, very rich colors and 3 dimensional. I walked all the way around until I got back to the gate and was ready to walk outside.

The same lady who previously gave me the sign that it was OK to enter, looked at me again, smiled and gave me another sign encouraging me to walk inside the temple itself. I was within temple gates, but not inside the temple itself.

Colourful, 3 Dimensional Relics Around the Wall Surrounding the Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple
Colourful, 3 Dimensional Relics Around the Wall Surrounding the Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple

They were praying by the door which made it a bit difficult for me (I really didn’t want to disturb their prayer) but silently I sneaked by and walked straight inside. Unlike Catholic churches, Buddhist Temples are not so richly decorated inside. At least not those found in Cambodia. The inside was actually very modest, with hardly anything inside other than really dominant statue of Buddha sitting on a pedestal with his legs in yoga like position. Few unlit candles were in front of the statue and a ship like thing that was used to hold burning sticks. Pleasant smell of oriental burning stick was prevalent inside the temple.

Entering Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple was a powerful experience for me. I felt strongly spiritual and close to the higher being. I took the camera off my neck, took by sun glasses off top of my head, put it all aside, knelt before the statue and clasped by hands in prayer. As I was kneeling before Buddha, I thanked him for the gift of being here.

Main Statue of Buddha Inside the Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple
Main Statue of Buddha Inside the Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple

It was really hot inside. The temple had no windows so it was also rather dark. Air conditioning or anything of that sort is not used in temples. While obscurity added to the spirituality, heat was making it difficult for me. I felt thousands of sweat drops rolling down my back without break. Then someone else entered the temple.

I was still kneeling before the Buddha when a young Khmer male who I think was one of the people from the Wat Preah Prom Rath compound walked in. I stood up and he asked me if I saw the Reclining Buddha. I had no idea what he was talking about and then he took me to show me something behind the big Buddha statue.