Cambodia: Siem Reap - Ta Prohm and Wat Themei Killing Field Pagoda

The highlight of Angkor Thom is Smiling Buddha and Ta Prohm for us. 

So after Smiling Buddha, we were sent to lunch and continue the trip to Ta Prohm. 

Why is Ta Prohm the highlight? Because of one movie, the Tomb Raider stared by Angelina Jolie.  

Photo from the internet. 

Frankly, i didn't watch this movie before, or maybe if i did but i don't remember anything about this movie.

The only thing i remember was the location of the film is in Siem Reap, the temple that combine with the trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings, these has make it one of Angkor's most popular temple.

Ta Prohm is about 1km away from Angkor Thom, i'd suggest to visit Smiling Buddha and temples surrounding in the morning, and visit Ta Prohm after lunch, so you have more time to find a good angle to take photo.

Lets go to see some photos then.

I know i shouldn't blame the bad weather, but its does make my photo goes dark.

Ta Prohm is under a huge restoration project, as you can see some steel sticks has installed to support the fragile building.

Project is going on for some time already.

The cement without carving is new.

People are not allow to stand close.

Then we came to the highlight, over growing tree has cover some part of the temple, and this is the tree where Angelina stand in front in the movie.

Some entrance is block by the huge root of trees.

Not only one over growing trees here, but few. This is one of those.

Another highlight of the temple, buddha hides under the root. I try to use high ISO because of the poor sunlight, but turn out too bright on the root. Failure. =(

Horrible root monster =S

Another overgrowing tree. 

This tree is escaping from the temple.

I like this photo provided if more sunlight, sigh.

This is the prayer room. 

Restoration project in Ta Prohm. Before and after.

Restoration is difficult because of the unique building skill used. No one nails has been used, people cut the giant stone in a certain size and plug in like a lego. 

We spend about 2 hours in Ta Prohm and we have no interested in visiting other small temples, so i ask the guide to bring us to Killing Field, Wat Themei. 

Yes you're right, Killing Field of Cambodia is located in Phom Phean, but there are few small killing field in the other city of Cambodia too, one of the killing field is in Siem Reap, inside the temple named Wat Themei. 

The location as below.

Killing field is not far from city, that is located between Angkors and town. 

Wat Thmei is on the road side and hotels surrounded. 

You never know there are a Killing Field Pagoda located in Siem Reap, even if you ever been Wat Themei you may not notice there are a pagoda.

I read this pagoda from some book and since we're not goin to Phom Phean, we decided to pay a visit here, although John is being chicken.

Wat Themei do not collect admission fees, but you can donate for the maintenance of this temple.

Wat means temple in Cambodian, so you will see a normal temple once you enter to the temple area, and pagoda that fill with skulls is on your right hand side.

There are a notice board telling the story of this place and victims, it doesn't feel as scary as Phom Phean killing field i suppose, but the pagoda of skulls and those innocent victim photos did make us feel uncomfortable deep inside our hearts.

The photos color are mostly fade away.

The pagoda of skulls. 

John actually stopped me from taking photos, he doesn't feel good, i agreed to not take the close up one, but i took only one from far to show my respect and sympathy, may you all rest in peace.

Info and tips about Wat Themei, Killing Field of Siem Reap:

1. Admission free, but you can donate for maintenance. 

2. Let your tuk tuk driver and tour guide to bring you here on the way back from Angkor without extra charge (the tuk tuk wants to charge us 5 bucks extra, but i knew the location is near and we skipped some temples, i insist to not pay and they sent us to the place anyway.)

Advice to visit Wat Themei, Killing Field of Siem Reap:

1. Keep quiet and be respect to the monks.

2. Do not make fun on the skulls and victims photo, they were all been the pain that we couldn't imagine.

3. Do not stay too long, do not disturb the souls. 

Alright next post will be Angkor Wat, then i will continue the post of review on F&B in town. I guess another 2 or 3 more posts to end Siem Reap, then i will start Pai and Nepal. Hope to catch up as much as i can before i depart to Koh Samui and Koh Tao in this March!!! =P

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
20130128, 0936am

Rach in goin to shopping later mood.  

Cambodia: Siem Reap - Srah Srang and Smiling Buddha at Angkor Thom

Sunrise in Siem Reap is famous, there are few places to see the sunrise in Angkor areas, we choose Srah Srang, the royal bath.

The reason of choosing Srah Srang because is still partially flooded, and i hope to see the reflection of the sunrise. 

But too bad, the weather was really bad, we woke up as early as 430am but we didn't got a nice shoot. 

To go Srah Srang for sunrise:

* by tuk tuk (you can ask your tuk tuk driver, but they will usually charge another USD 5)
* Srah Srang is part of the Angkor, so you don't need to pay extra entrance fees. 

* of course you can ride a bike or bicycle, but bare in mind, rides in early morning can be dangerous. 

* last but not least, DO NOT GIVE MONEY TO THE CHILDREN, this is encouraging them to quit from school in their early age.

Srah Srang is out of Angkor but not too far away. 

about 6am at this time, still dark.

Not too much people waiting for the sunrise though. 

About 7am. No sunrise =(

The platform for photo shooting. And that is about 730am, last shoot before we headed back to hotel, really bad weather. 

We went back to the hotel after the day bright watch (yea because no sunrise), take a rest and had breakfast before we went out to the Angkor Thom, aka big circle.

To recap, people called Angkor Wat as small circle, Angkor Thom as big circle, usually people will make this 2 Angkors in a day tour.

For us, we only used about half day each for Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, not because there are boring, but we're not really familiar and not into the history, we didn't go every single temples in the small circle and big circle.

Of course, if you're a fans of this old town, you can spend up to a week here.

But if you're not a fans, my suggestion plan will be: 
1. Half day in Angkor Wat (another half day for sunset watching or chill in town)
2. Half day in Angkor Thom (another half day for sunset watching or chill in town)
3. One day in remote temples

For detail, please click me to the previous post.

So we went to Angkor Thom in the same day of sunrise watching.

The focus of us is the smiling buddha, of course there are a lot more temples in Angkor Thom that worth to see, but for us the smiling buddha is the main reason to make us in Siem Reap.

The entrance of Angkor Thom

The entrance and we can see 2 smiling buddha here. 

sculpture of the guardian God 

Another highlight of Angkor Thom is the wall carving. 

The carving is telling the story of the old day, this has showed how people fish in the old day

And this is Chinese who came and do business here. 

Our guide did great job. He explained and answered every single questions that i asked.

We saw some part of the temple is ready to restore. 

Here come the smiling buddha, John always want to take this picture.

My turn.

Terrace on the top of stupa.

We both felt peace in this stupa. =)

Other then smiling buddha, there are some awesome wall carving too.

John and I, this is the 3rd country that we have been together. =)  

We went to Ta Prohm after smiling buddha, where Angelina Jolie was in the movie of Tomb Raider, and that will be in next post, too much photos.

I will update another post shortly, so make sure you to come back quick k?

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

20130127, 0933pm

Rach in a bit upset mood. 

Cambodia: Siem Reap - The stunning remote temple, Beng Mealea

Beng Mealea is one of the remote temple in Siem Reap.

The other main remote temples including:
1. Banteay Samre
2. Banteay Srei
3. Phnom Kulen (the waterfall)
4.  Kbal Spean (ancient Hindu pilgrimage site in jungle).
5. Tonle sap
6. Rolous group.

Of course, if you wanna go all of the places, you might be need to spend more than one day, as there are quite some distances between those places. 

To recap, we only wanna see Banteay Samre, Banteay Srei, Beng Mealea and few temples inside rulous group, and that take us about 6 hours.  

John and I think Beng Mealea is the most beautiful temples among others in Siem Reap, because this temple has not been done any restoration yet and everything is original, althought you have to travel for almost an hour to reach this place. 

Also, they charge extra USD5 for Beng Mealea, your Angkor Wat pass doesn't cover this temple.

To get the ticket, your driver will bring you to a toll plaza, just give him USD 5 and get a entrance ticket on the way you go to remotes temples. 

Oh yea, some people ask if you don't wanna rent a taxi, what is the other way to visit the remote temples?

1. Rent a tuk tuk, but you will take longer time in travelling.

2. Rent a bike, but you might lost your direction as there are no sign board, if there is, in Combodian.
3. If you're travel alone, rent a bike with a driver. 

4. If you're travel alone, find someone to share the car rent with you.

There will be a lot of local people wait to be hired as guide, including kids, if you wanna go inside the temples, better hire one, they know where is safe and where is the buddha statue hide. 

My advice in hire a guide in Beng Mealea:  

1. Speak to them to test their English level before you hire them, my guide only know "this is library, this is gallery" but no other detail story.  

2. Do not hire a child, this is encouraging them to quit school to earn money in their early age.

3. If you're from dollar land, do not pay more to break the pricing rules.

4. Do not pay less, their life is hard and you should pay what they've paid off. 

For us, we agree to pay USD5 for almost 45 minutes climbing and jumping in the debris, and we pay extra USD 2 for tipping because she (yes, a she) was helping us to climb higher to capture some picture, which she doesn't need to put herself in the risk.

River surrounding the temple as others temples

the way walk to the temple, and you can see the ruins from here. 

the snake head sculpture named Naga, one of the guardian god of the place. By the way, Naga mean Dragon in Malay. 

The ruins, no restoration at all. 

The temples collapes because tree root overgrowing and eventually ruins the temples.  

giant jungle tree everywhere.

The giant jungle tree's root cover some part of the temple, and the guide say, might be another collapes happen if the tree is still growing.

and here is the entrance to go into the place.

there are no proper walkway after the entrance, only giant brikes. 

one of the corner inside the temple,

If you couldn't imagine how big is the brike, this pic will show you.

some carving is very much clear still.

One of the buddha statue in the temple, without guide i will never notice.

By the time we climbed out from the temple, its already half hour later, but this is not the end yet.

The outside of the temple's main hall, gallery and library is a river, which already dried out now because the giant tree's root broke the structure.

And that make us could stand on the river bed today, to admire the art work of the bridge.

where is stand (of course when i was holding the camera) original is full of water, and this is the bridge. 

If you don't think you can climb up and down inside the temple, you can still walk around the temple on the wooden bridge that build by the government, but then you couldn't see the carving that hidden inside the temple.

althought no restoration has been done, but the goverment still build the wooden bridge for those who don't wanna visit the inner part of the temple. 

Swear but happy.

The climbing inside the temple is not that bad, fat John and i done it safely, we only drop some sweat but not blood.

And trust me, worth to climb in.

Oh last but not least, Beng means Water in Combodian, while Mealea mean flower.

Water Flower Temple, i can imagine how beautiful is this place in the last time.






Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
20130115, 0850pm
Rach in not feeling well mood.