I couldn’t get enough of these beautiful carvings. They went all around the temple, some between 10-20 meters at least. I went back another day just to focus on them in detail.
Most of the carvings show battles, but also daily life, and animals. All of them tell a story. Zoom in for more details (yes, there is a crocodile eating a poor bloke that fell or was pushed off a boat into the river).
Bayon is the central temple within Angkor Thom (the walled city). It was erected under the reign of Jayavarman VII, towards the end of the 12th century.
The smiling face depicted on many of its towers is often called “enigmatic”. They sure make an impression. Only 37 towers are still standing among the 49 or 54.
Its exceptional bas-reliefs depict the daily life of the Khmers at the time of Angkor’s grandeur and mythological scenes. I will post those separately.
If you want yo know more about the history and symbolism of this temple please see: https://apsaraauthority.gov.kh/2021/08/05/bayon/
One of my favourite cycle moments… approaching the South Gate towards Bayon. It’s the first time you encounter those faces. Like most temple complexes, Angkor Thom is also surrounded by a moat. The bridge is lined with Asuras (demons) and Devas (deities) pulling the tail of Naga, the multi-headed cobra. This is part of the story “Churning of the Sea of Milk” and can be found everywhere in Angkor.
One of the first temples constructed of durable material such as bricks and laterite. Decorations in sandstone. Late 9th century.
A collection of structures well liked by the dressed up Asians for photo shoots.
A dream has come true: I am exploring the Angkor Wat archeological park on a bicycle!
Cycling was easy. Even though there is busy traffic at times everyone was overtaking me slowly and carefully. Often there was a cycling lane which was also used by mopeds. Such fun, and environmentally friendly.
Given the detrimental effect of emissions on any type of structures, but especially those made of sandstone, I am astonished about the amount of tuktuks, mopeds, cars and mini-buses driving through the historic sites daily.
I wanted to see Angkor Wat first but when I arrived several big coaches were spilling out people… couldn’t cope with that so I just cycled past towards Angkor Thom, the other big temple complex.
Rong Lmung Temple – not much to see but as it was my first temple to visit, this small tower has a special place in my heart.
Having seen the buddha on Instagram, Elena and me decided to hop on a local bus and head over. We literally had to jump into the bus as the driver swerved over 2 lanes to get to us, opened the back door but barely slowed down. Elena jumped in first then helped me inside while hanging on a seat for dear life. Good grief! The ticket lady looked slightly amused. Well, we were not. We were relieved to be uninjured. But now we have a dramatic tale to tell, right?
The Royal Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen temple on the outskirts of Bangkok dates back to 1610 and is located on an island created by canals flowing from the Chao Phraya river.
In 2022 construction on a 69-meter-tall (230 ft) Buddha statue that will be visible across Bangkok finished. 69 meter, that’s like a 20-storey house. Paid for with $16 million worth of donations. Wowser.
This big Buddhist temple complex near the Golden Mount contains a Loha Prasat, known as the “metal castle” for its 37 iron spires.
The architecture is unusual, almost like a maze. Every level represents a level of meditation. The view from the top is worth the climb.
On November 7th, the King & Queen of Thailand visited the temple Wat Bowonniwetwiharn Ratchaworawiharn.
I had witnessed the preparations for an event on my visit to the temple and had asked a lady cleaning golden carvings with a soapy toothbrush for details. So on the day of the royal visit I was amongst a handful of tourists allowed to sit together with hundreds of locals on the street curbs opposite the temple to watch the royals arrive.
As one would expect, there was a lot of military, security, spectator group leaders but also tourist officers. The latter questioned me and other tourists coming up to the barriers about our intensions. “We would like to see your King and Queen”. That seemed to be the right answer and he guided us to places were mats had been put down to protect our clothing. As with lots of other places, especially temples, you had to take off your shoes.
We tourists all scrambled under awnings. Mats were rolled up. Hardcore locals did not get up. They had been waiting for hours to ensure first row curb seats. They came prepared. Rain ponchos were handed out.
My friend Malcolm will appreciate the beautiful Rolls-Royce. It reminded me of his novel, The Tiger’s Ghost; a Rolls-Royce plays a prominent role in it. Great story. Check it out on Amazon.
I got a proper look at the King and Queen when they left and drove past us again. I just forgot to turn on my video, blonde me.
And yes, we all waited over an hour for the whole entourage to come back. But it was raining anyway and nobody wanted to get drenched.
I later saw a report of the visit on TV. I felt very lucky to have witnessed this in person, on my first visit to Thailand no less.