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Monday, March 31, 2014

Gurney Drive – Penang, Malaysia

 

        Last May 2013, I went to Penang Island in Malaysia for a medical checkup. I had been having runny nose and allergy called sinusitis. Since I had no idea which doctor in Jakarta was good enough to treat my disease, I decided to fly to Penang. Though it is a small island, it is most searched for its local street foods and hospital services. Sick people from various countries go to Penang to have medical treatment. It was my second visit to the island for I have visited it before 10 years ago when my cousin was still living there. On Thursday evening we flew to Penang from Jakarta and traveled light for we only planned to stay three nights there. Our time was limited because we had to work and do our business on weekdays. 

        Penang island or known as Pulau Pinang in Malay language is located in the northern region of Malaysia and often referred to the Pearl of the Orient. It indulges visitors with beaches, quaint architecture and a vast array of mouth-watering delicacies. The island basically consists of two major parts, the Penang Island and mainland province called Seberang Perai, which are connected by the Penang bridge, the longest bridge in Asia. The island stretches over an area of 1,046 square kilometers and is a home to 1.6 million multi-racial people, thus making it become a multi-cultural state just like the rest of the country.

        We stayed in a modest motel in the area called Gurney Drive or known as Persiaran Gurney. At first I did not know that the place was so famous for its hawker foods until we discovered it by ourselves. The rent of the motel was quite cheap too, only about 50 MYR per night. The owner of the house also gave us some discount, so it became much cheaper. What God’s grace it was!!!

 

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        Gurney Drive is a famous seafront promenade in the northern end of Georgetown, Penang Island. The promenade is named after Sir Henry Gurney, a Malaysian High Commissioner who was murdered by the guerrillas of the Malaysian Communist Party during the Malaysian Emergency in the early 1950s. According to his wife’s testimony, Sir Gurney sacrificed himself in order to save the lives of his wife and the driver. Gurney Drive lies on a reclaimed land of Teluk Ayer Rajah, the bay between Georgetown and Tanjung Tokong. Initially, the promenade was created to provide a coastal road in the extension project of the North Beach which reached its completion in 1934. At that time the place was called the New Coast Road or the North Beach until 1952 when it was given its present name.

        Strategically located close by the sea, Gurney Drive comprises of some of Penang’s most modern skyscrapers, old houses belonging to wealthy men in the past, the second largest shopping mall in Penang, the Gurney Plaza, and most importantly the food center, the Gurney Drive Hawker Center. Not much different from other malls in Jakarta, the Gurney Plaza is a quite prestigious mall in the island with a range of shops selling branded materials. However, I think malls in Jakarta far outdo this mall and it is one point I can be proud of my country. Hahaha…

        Gurney Drive is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Penang especially for food lovers. It is most well-known for its Gurney Drive Hawker Center or Pusat Penjaja Anjung Gurney that serves Penang’s best street foods. There you will find unending strips of food stalls selling local street foods such as asam laksa, hokkien mee, rojak, fried oyster, char keoy teow and many others. Since the site is located next to the glamorous Gurney Plaza and it offers visitors a unique dining experience in a breezy open court facing the sea, the price of the foods here are a bit more pricey compared to the other parts of the city. However, the experience is worth it!!! The center has been operating since the early 1970s and has been relocated a few times before its current location. Open daily from 6 pm until 1 am, it consists of halal and non-halal sections. The halal section is located at the far end of the center separated from the rest of the stalls.

 

IMG_0761 Gurney Drive is indeed a beautiful seafront promenade. Seeing the sea before going to the doctor gave me some refreshment. 

 

IMG_0752Some of the modern skyscrapers in Gurney Drive 

 

IMG_0756 I enjoyed walking along the promenade in the late afternoon

 

IMG_0764 The Gurney Plaza, the second largest shopping mall in Penang 

 

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IMG_0766 Outside the shopping center is a courtyard with a number of alfresco cafes and eateries

 

IMG_0767The traffic condition at Gurney Drive 

 

IMG_0768The Gurney Drive Hawker Center offers a special dining experience. It is most crowded at night when food lovers start their food hunting. We ordered char keoy teow and rojak. Since the place is so packed with people, you must book your table first before ordering your food.  

 

IMG_0769Visitors sit in communal tables and some section of the tables are claimed by certain drink vendors. Last time we were asked to move from our table because we did not order drink from that certain drink vendor. So make sure you purchase a drink from the nearest drink vendor before enjoying your meal. Otherwise, someone might come over and kick you out.

 

 

        Almost every night we went to the hawker center to have our meal. We tried quite many local dishes but of course not all of them. Next time if I have the chance to go there again, I want to have my favorite rojak and try other foods too.

 

Sources:

Personal experience and additional information from other online articles

Friday, March 28, 2014

Petronas Twin Towers – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

        Last January 2013 during our honeymoon vacation, my husband and I visited our sister country, Malaysia. Flying from Medan, the flight to Kuala Lumpur or most famous known as KL, only took around 45 minutes. Though it was my second visit to the country, my journey this time brought back the old memory. However, I was somewhat disappointed to notice not much was changed about the city since my last visit around 10 years ago. The capital city remained the same as in the past and as far as I recalled I did not see any major changes in the city plan, transportation system, etc. We decided to stay in one of the hotels in Bukit Bintang for one night only because we planned to spend longer time in Singapore. After putting our luggage in the hotel, we went to visit the most iconic landmark of the city, Petronas Twin Towers. We took Putra Jaya LRT and stopped at KLCC station. After around ten-minutes walk we finally arrived at the site. Located at Kuala Lumpur Central Business District, the towers along dominate the skyline and are the most photographed buildings in the city and even in the country. So if anyone ever travels to the city without taking picture with the towers as the background, they could not really prove that they have been to the city. Whenever people hear the name Kuala Lumpur, they will surely link it to the twin towers.

 

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        The idea of constructing the tower came from the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Mahathir Mohammad who became prime minister in 1981. As a young nation just liberated from colonial rule in 1957, the minister had an ambition to make the country known worldwide. One of the ways to achieve this purpose was by creating a typically Malaysian image through iconic landmark. Therefore, he decided to hold a contest to choose the best design for the Malaysia’s new figurehead. The winner was a famous Argentinean-American architect called César Pelli. The architect based the design of the towers on the Islamic principles. As a result, the towers have a postmodern design with a strong Islamic influence and successfully represent the true identity of Malaysia’s culture and Islamic heritage. Each building is shaped as eight-pointed star which is one of important symbols in Islamic culture. It is also built based on the five pillars of Islam, which can be seen in the round shapes of the towers that represent Islamic integrity principle of interrelated unity, harmony, stability and rationalization.

        Together with the architect and the country’s oil tycoon, Petronas, the prime minister managed to realize his vision to make Malaysia a global player. Petronas oil company supported the competition of the towers’ construction. The competition was held between two companies from two countries, Japan and Korea. Tower 1 was built by a Japanese company, Hazama Corporation, while Tower 2 was built by a Korean company, Samsung C&T and Kukdong Engineering & Construction. The competition was looking for the one who could finish the construction the fastest. They were only given two years to finish the whole thing. In case any of them failed to fulfill the deadline, they had to pay a delay cost of roughly US$700,000 per day. Finally, it was the Korean company who finished one month earlier than the Japanese company thus won the competition. 

        Constructed in 1982 and completed in 1988, the towers that stand majestically at the height of 452 meters above the ground ever gained reputation of being the tallest buildings in the world before they were surpassed by Taipei 101 in 2004. They successfully maintained their position as the tallest skyscrapers in the world from 1998 to 2004. Nowadays, the towers are the fourth tallest buildings in the world after Burj Dubai (828 m), Taipei 101 (509 m), and Shanghai World Financial Center (492m). However, as of 2010, they remained the tallest twin buildings in the world. Built on the site of Kuala Lumpur’s race track in an area of 40 hectares, the towers feature a diamond-faceted facade consisting of 83,500 square meters of stainless steel extrusions. The towers consist of 88 floors and are constructed with a steel and glass facade that symbolize motifs in Islamic art. The height of the tower is measured from the base to the top of the building excluding the antennas. Each tower is surmounted by a pinnacle of 73.5 meters tall that consists of spire, mast ball and ring ball which altogether weigh 176 tons. The pinnacles serve as an aesthetic feature as well as aircraft warning lights. They also symbolize minaret in Islamic religion.

        The towers are equipped with double-decker skybridge (the world’s highest 2-storey bridge) that connect the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors. However, the skybridge is not attached to the towers but designed to slide in and out to prevent it from breaking and to sustain strong wind. It also functions as a safety device during emergency like fire, in which people can transfer easily from tower one to tower two and vice versa. Standing 170 m above the ground, the bridge measures 58 meters long and weighs 750 tons. The skybridge is open for public visit but limited tickets are available daily. So if you want to view the city from the bridge, you must come early in the morning to get the ticket. At first, the admission was free but in 2010 Petronas decided to sell the tickets. The towers are open daily from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 9 pm. The ticket booth is open from 8.30 am – 6 pm with the ticket price 80 MYR for adults and 30 MYR for children. The tickets include access the observation deck on floor 86 in tower 2 and a tour to the skybridge on floor 41.

 

DSC_0010The twin towers are basically home to companies’ offices. The first tower is fully occupied by Petronas, the Malay oil tycoon and the owner of the twin towers, while the other tower is used by other companies. 

 

DSC_0018Look at the skybridge that connects the two spires.  If seen from afar, the outline of the towers looks like letter “M” which is the initial letter of Malaysia. Unfortunately we did not visit the skybridge because of limited time.  

 

IMG_0568 A picture of me and my beloved husband. This is the view of the towers during the day. However, the towers are most spectacular in the evening when they are beautifully lit every midnight. They look like rockets ready to launch and very impressive. I regretted that we did not come back to take the midnight view of the towers. 

 

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DSC_0024At the base of the towers is located one of the largest shopping malls in Malaysia, Suria KLCC, which is open from 10 am – 10 pm. Here you can shop for luxury goods and branded materials. 

 

IMG_0571 Besides the towers and the shopping mall, you can also relax yourself in the KLCC park that is located outside the towers. Covering an area of 17 acres, the park is a pleasant spot to jog, stroll around and enjoy the city’s view. It has a fountain with light show, wading pools and children’s playground. However, we did not spend much time exploring the whole park for the weather was very hot and the sweat made me feel sticky.

 

        As nothing much could be done there, we did not spend a long time in the towers and continued our exploration to another part of the city. However, I regretted that we did not take the pictures of the dazzling towers in the evening. Maybe one day I will come back, photograph the towers at night and update this article.

 

 

Sources:

Personal experience and additional information from other online articles

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Angkor Temple Complex – Siem Reap, Cambodia


        A visit to Cambodia will be incomplete without a visit to the Angkor region. Before Phnom Penh, Angkor was the ancient capital city of the Kingdom of Cambodia. However, in 1431 after the Khmer kingdom was defeated by the Thais, the people started to abandon Angkor and moved the capital city to Phnom Penh due to good prospect of coastal trading. Angkor region is the house of the world-famous Angkor Wat, the icon for what the country is mostly known as you can see on the national flag of Cambodia. My husband and I were excited to see this world’s famous Buddhist monument that is located in Siem Reap province. Siem Reap which means the “Defeat of  Siam” used to be a sleeping city but thanks to its close proximity to Angkor Archeological Park / Angkor Temple Complex that has transformed it to be the most prosperous region in Cambodia and one of the world’s premier tourist destinations with a vast array of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. Over one million people from various countries travel to the city annually to explore the Khmer heritage of over than one thousand years. The best time to visit the town is from October to March when the weather is mild and the sun shines most days. We were excited to visit the site not because we wanted to pray there, but only to watch one of the seven wonders of the world. We asked one of our Cambodian friends, Meng Heng, to accompany us. Early in the morning we departed from our lodging in Phnom Penh by tuk-tuk to go to the bus station. The journey took about four hours and finally we arrived at Siem Reap.   

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        Angkor is one of the most prominent archaeological sites in South East Asia that consists of a vast region of forested area and magnificent remnants of different capitals and ancient temples of the Khmer empire from the 9th to the 15th century. Besides the relics found in the Valley of the Nile River in Egypt, maybe there is no place on earth that has such monumental scale of ancient artifacts like the ones in Angkor. Angkor used to be the center of the Khmer kingdom that was populated by almost one million inhabitants who lived and built their villages. They heavily relied upon rice cultivation and fishing. It can be seen from the remnants of impressive monuments, large water reservoirs and urban plans. The temple structures at Angkor vividly demonstrate the epitome of Khmer architecture which evolved from the Indian subcontinent and then became distinct in its own way. Since the Thais invaded and defeated the Khmer in 1431, Angkor was largely abandoned thus making most of its temples neglected and slowly reclaimed by the surrounding jungle. Although the Khmer people knew that there were massive scales of marvelous monuments inside the jungle, the outside world knew nothing about it until a French explorer named Henri Mouhot discovered the site in 1860 and began writing about it in the middle of the 19th century. Since then, archaeologists started to clear the area and began the renovation and conservation works.
        Because of its massive area, there is too much to explore in Angkor. So if you are a fans or researcher of Khmer architecture, a one-day visit to the site will not be enough. You must at least spend three days or seven days or even a month to explore the whole area. Since the area is vast, it is best traveled by tuk-tuk (a rickshaw with the front-end of a motorcycle) but remember to agree on the price first before you get in. Usually the tuk-tuk fee is $10 – $15/day. Besides tuk-tuk, other means of transportation are also available like car taxis which cost $20-$30/day, motorcycle taxi (motodup) for $8-$10/day and bicycles for $2-$3/day. Make sure you negotiate the details first before making the deal such as the meeting point, the starting and finishing time, the visited areas, etc.
        You need to buy admission tickets at the front gate to enter the Angkor area. Ticket for 1-day visit is $20, 3-day $40, or 7-day $60. Cambodians and children under 12 can enter for free after showing a passport. The 3-day pass is valid for any 3 days within a week, while the 7-day pass is valid for any 7 days within a month. The ticket is non-transferrable therefore your personal photograph is required at the entrance. The officer will help you take your photo and print it on your pass. Be sure to carry your pass at all times for regular check is done at almost all sites. You should have itinerary to explore the complex and that should depend on your length of visit and level of interest so feel free to decide. The Angkor Temple Complex is open daily from 5.30 am until 6.30 pm.

20140326_005413 This is my admission ticket with my photograph printed on it. The ticket is really non-transferrable.

        The Angkor Temple Complex is divided into five main groups:
  • Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, the major attraction of the site and the ancient capitals of the Khmer empire
  • Little Circuit (Le Petit Circuit), taking in major sites to the east of Angkor Thom
  • Big Circuit (Le Grand Circuit), taking in major sites north and further out east
  • Roluos group, 15 km east from Siem Reap along National Highway 6
  • Outlying temples, located over 20 km from Angkor Wat
        Because of time constraint, we only spent one whole day to explore the site. So we only took the small circuit tour and visited some of the main temples without going thoroughly the whole area. In the next paragraphs, I will explain broadly about Angkor and some of its temples I visited.

Angkor Wat 
        Before we discuss further about Angkor Wat, let me make it clear for you that Angkor Wat is different from what most tourists think of. At one’s impression, you might wonder that Angkor Wat is only one temple but it is actually just one most popular temple out of the other hundred surviving temples and structures within Angkor Temple Complex. Located 5.5 kilometers to the north of the modern province of Siem Reap, the legendary Angkor Wat is situated within the Angkor Archaelogical Park/Angkor Temple Complex that stretches over 400 square kilometers.
        Angkor Wat is a precious jewel for Cambodia because without it Cambodia is only one of the poorest countries in South East Asia. Out of so many structures inside the Angkor Temple Complex, Angkor Wat is the centerpiece and the main draw for tourists. I somewhat regret my last trip to Angkor Wat because I did not do any pre-reading to understand the site better. The local guides who brought us had very superficial knowledge of the history. Even more, to the untrained eyes of foreign visitors like me, the structure of the temple looked almost the same everywhere. As far as my eyes could see were just stacks of stones and ruins of temples. However, if you are keen on studying ancient Khmer architecture, a profound reading must be done before making a visit and make sure you bring a professional tour guide to accompany you so you can get deeper explanation of the site. Do not randomly pick any locals or even tuk-tuk driver who offered their service. Therefore, I suggest for those who plan to visit the site to know at least the history of the temple so you will not be confused of what to do there. And this is the history of Angkor Wat:
        Originally called Preah Pisnoluk, the name “Angkor Wat” is derived from Khmer language and consists of two words, Angkor meaning “city” or “capital city” and Wat meaning “temple grounds”. So, Angkor Wat means “Temple City” or “City of Temples”. The history of Angkor is closely related to the history of the rise and fall of Khmer Empire (Khmer is the dominant ethnic group of Cambodia). At the beginning of the 9th century, King Jayavarman II united the two states that covered the present Cambodia and claimed himself to be god-king. He then laid the foundations of the Khmer kingdom and led the kingdom to be the major power in South East Asia for over than five centuries. The first capital city of the kingdom was located in the Central Cambodia to the north of Tonle Sap (the Great Lake). However it was then moved to the present Angkor by Jayavarman’s son, Yashovarman. Since then, Angkor became the capital of the kingdom until the 15th century.
        In the early 12th century, at the golden years of the Khmer empire, a Khmer king named Suryavarman II built the most impressive of all Khmer monuments, an enormous Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu (the protector god) in the old capital city of Khmer empire Yasodharapura (the present Angkor). Initially the temple served as a capital city and state temple but it then became a mausoleum temple to commemorate the king’s decease. Scholars believe the temple was actually built to prepare for the king’s funeral for it is the only temple in Angkor facing the west that symbolizes the association of the setting sun and death. Unfortunately, the king could not see the temple’s completion for it was finished shortly after he passed away. After his death, the kingdom had hard times due to internal conflicts and external pressure. 27 years after the king’s death, the Khmer empire was defeated by the Chams (from Southern Vietnam), the strong opposition of the Khmer people. A new king called Jayavarman VII then restored the situation and also established a new capital just a few kilometers to the north of Angkor called Angkor Thom as the capital city and the Bayon dedicated to Buddha as the new temple state. Besides the temple state Bayon, the king also built Ta Prohm, Preah Khan, Ta Som, and Banteay Prei. Angkor Wat gradually became a Therevada Buddhist temple in the late 13th century and some Buddha statues were added, which still remains likewise until present day. After the king’s death, no other king after him built any major monuments until the end of the Khmer empire in the 15th century.  
        Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world that is most admired for its grandeur architecture. Its temple-mountain structure actually symbolizes Mount Meru, the mountain of the gods in Hindu mythology that the Khmer learnt from the Indian traders. The temple has five peaks that look like lotus flowers representing the five peaks of the mountain while the walls and the moat represent ocean. The temple was built using sandstones instead of bricks, which were transported by raft along the Siem Reap river from the quarry at the Mount Kulen located 40 km to the northeast of the temple. Scientists estimated that with such great care to transfer the sandstones from the quarry to the site, the temple construction must have taken around 300 years to finish, but it surprisingly only took around 40 years to finish. Therefore, it is also believed that the temple was built by god instead of man.
        Angkor Temple Complex is listed as the World Heritage Site established in 1992 that provided the funding and encouraged the local government for conservation and preservation of the site. The organization conducted a survey and found out that around 20% of the devatas were in poor condition mainly due to natural erosion, deterioration of the stone, looting, illegal excavations, land mines and unsustainable tourism. The influx of tourists who arrived in Seam Reap and visited Angkor Geographical Park has also contributed to financial assistance for maintenance. Approximately 28% of ticket revenues were used for the temple conservation, which unfortunately is mostly carried out by foreign government-sponsored team rather than the local authority. Despite the good tourism prospect, tourism is also predicted to bring irreparable destructions to the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the site. But thanks to the efforts to safeguard the temple that it was finally removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2004.

DSC_0052The visiting hours to the temple are 5 am - 6 pm. Visitors can only enter and exit the temple from the west gate. Look at the moat that surrounds the temple. The moat was built to stabilize the water level from Tonle Sap and accommodate the need of water for almost one million people. The moat also saved the temple from the jungle encroachment thus making it as the best-preserved temple in Angkor. 

DSC_0061From afar, visitors cannot see the five towers of Angkor Wat for they are hidden by the three towers with broken summits at the entrance gate. It is the majestic facade of the temple. The temple is surrounded by outer wall that corresponds to the mountains at the edge of the world and by moat that represents ocean that surrounds Mount Meru in Hindu mythology. The outer wall stretches over 1024 by 802 meters and stands as high as 4.5 meters. The moat is 200 meters wide with a perimeter of 5.5 kilometers.  

DSC_0056The long sandstone causeway to the entrance gate is in the shape of a cross and is 250 meters long, 12 meters wide and 4 meters deep. The causeway is the only access to the temple.   

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DSC_0065For first comers, the size of the temple might seem overwhelming. To get the best picture of the five towers turn right from the entrance gate.

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DSC_0073To visitors who have extremely limited knowledge of Khmer architecture like me, the temple area looks almost the same everywhere. There are many repetitive elements in the architecture galleries with columns, towers, curved roofs, tympanums, steps and the cross-shaped plan. 

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DSC_0081This structure is called the library. There are two libraries that stand on the left and right of the courtyard.

DSC_0088Encompassing a rectangular area of about 208 hectares and surrounded by laetrile wall, Angkor Wat is a replica of the universe in stone. The temple has five peaks that represent the five-peaked Mount Meru, the home of the gods. However, the five towers can only be seen from certain angles. The central tower that stands as high as 213 meters from the ground symbolizes Meru as the center of the universe. From afar, Angkor Wat looks like a mountain of stones but from close up it is a series of elevated towers, galleries, chambers, porches and courtyards on different levels linked  by stairways.   

DSC_0078Unfortunately when we visited the temple, some parts of it were under renovation and covered by green tent that obstructed the full view of the five towers. I hope the renovation will finish soon.  The picture of Angkor Wat I took last time was not very clear because I did not know the perfect time to take it. I took the photo around 11 am when the sun was backlighting the clear view of the towers. So, I regret it… If you want to take the best picture, you should come early in the morning when the sun rises or at the late afternoon around 1 or 2 pm when the sun shines on the face of the temple. In front of the temple there are two ponds, which are 65 meters long and 50 meters wide, which are ingeniously placed to capture the reflection of the towers in the water. The one on the left is filled with water and water lilies, whereas the other one (where this photo is taken) is usually dry. Most tourists choose the right pond to take clearer pictures.  

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DSC_0089This is the pond at the left of the temple. It is frequently filled with water lilies that may obstruct the mirror qualities of the five towers. So, to capture the clearest picture go to the right pond instead.

DSC_0092 (2)I also found some cute monkeys near the temple. We gave them some peanuts and they were excited. However, be careful not to irritate them for they could be very aggressive.
DSC_0093 (2)The construction of the temple shows the skillful hands of Khmer architects. Most visible parts of the temple are made of sandstone blocks while only minor parts are made using laterite. The binding material used to stick the blocks together remain a secret and still in search.

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DSC_0097 (2)The roof of the temple still looks very strong despite its long age. 

DSC_0096 (2)The bas-reliefs depict scenes from the Ramayana story, designed for viewing from left to right in the order of Hindu funereal ritual.

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DSC_0105 (2)The steep stairways represent the difficulty to ascend the kingdom of the gods.

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DSC_0110 (2)One of the five towers in Angkor Wat. The stones are as smooth as polished marble, laid without mortar.  

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angkor-angkor-wat-vishnuThis is the statue of Vishnu that is located at the heart of the central tower. However, at that time almost all statues looked the same to me so I did not take the picture personally. 

DSC_0113 (2)Another Buddha statue inside the tower. Some worshippers especially Cambodians and tourists asked the priest to pray for them. Someone might offer you to hold incense in return for some donations, however you do not have to accept his offer. 

DSC_0114 (2)Shortly after exploring Angkor Wat, we exited from the west gate and met a couple in Cambodian wedding dress preparing to take their wedding pictures. Yes, Angkor Wat is also a famous site where wedding pictures are mostly taken. Do you want to have yours here too?

        As soon as we left Angkor Wat, we had our lunch in a nearby food stall. We ordered pork rice and fish rice. It was delicious enough but did not really suit our taste. Anyway, after that we called our tuk-tuk driver and continued our journey to other temples. The next place we visited was the famous Angkor Thom, the second capital city of the kingdom after it was moved from Angkor Wat. Following the defeat of the previous Angkorian kingdom by the Chams, King Jayavarman VII began to restore the condition by establishing a new capital city called Angkor Thom, which is the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. Angkor Thom was the largest city in the world  in the 12th century that covers an area of 9 km2. The total population living in the city could reach almost one million people.

The Bayon Temple
        Situated at the heart of Angkor Thom, the Bayon was the official state temple established by the Mahayana Buddhist king, King Jayavarman VII at the late 12th century. The temple is the most celebrated structure in the Angkor region after Angkor Wat. It is most famous for its 54 stone-faced towers representing the 54 provinces in Cambodia at that time. Each tower is carved in the shape of four stone faces so there are 216 faces in total. Whose face it is remains a debate among scholars. Some suggest that it is the face of Avalokiteshvara, Mahayana Buddhism's compassionate Bodhisattva, while others said it is the face combination of King Jayavarman VII and Buddha. 

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Ta Keo Temple
        Ta Keo Temple was built in the late 10th to early 12th century by King Jayavarman V and Suryavarman I, dedicated to Shiva Brahmanism. It stands as high as 22 meters. The temple is a replica of mount Meru with a rectangular plan and five square towers.

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Ta Prohm Temple
        Originally called Rajavihara, Ta Prohm Temple is located one kilometer east of Angkor Thom. Built in 1186 by king Jayavarman VII for his beloved mother, the Buddhist temple is most celebrated for its unique combination between nature and human handiwork. When it was first discovered, the temple was teemed with wild trees and shrubs that were later removed. The temple entertains visitors with the unique sight of gigantic fig, bayan and kapok trees that stretch our their roots all over the stones. However, the temple is still in poor condition and in danger of collapse, therefore, a lot of conservation works are being carried out to restore the structure. 

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DSC_0141The gigantic roots of the tree have taken over some part of the temple’s walls creating an impressive display of nature and man’s work.

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Banteay Kdey Temple 
        Situated at the southeast of Ta Prohm, Bateay Kdey Temple was built in the latter half of the 12th and early 13th century by Jayavarman VII. The temple has similar architecture and art with the one in Ta Prohm but it is smaller and less complex.

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DSC_0156One of the Buddha statues inside the temple

DSC_0157 (2)The route to exit the temple is a long and dusty one. Be careful of the sunstroke. 

DSC_0158 (2) Some people were asking for donations through Cambodian music performance. 

Srah Srang
        Located just across the Banteay Kdey Temple, Srah Srang is a beautiful lake built in the late 12th century by king Jayavarman VII. The size of the lake is 700 by 300 meters. The lake offers visitors a different view apart from giant piles of stones and temple ruins. Always filled with water and surrounded by greenery, it is a perfect place to just relax and cool down after a tiring trip to the temples. 

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DSC_0161 (2)Visiting the lake really gave me fresh air. I felt much relieved after seeing other view besides temple ruins.

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        We started our journey to the Angkor Temple Complex at 8 am and finished at around 5 pm. Exhausted and sleepy we finally decided to end our trip and went back to our inn. Though we only had a short visit to the region, we were amazed at the vastness of the area and the large scale of the monuments. Indeed, Angkor deserves the reputation of being one of the largest ancient cities in the world.


Sources:
Personal experience and additional information from other online articles