Stunning Siem Riep (Part 2) - Agkor Wat

While awaiting our guide, Vana, the morning of our second day, I was ruminating on my initial impressions of Siem Riep. The place was full of dichotomies. On the one hand, when talking to a local you could see the pride in their eyes and manner of speaking, yet their inflections are on the shy side and they are very soft spoken. The region is rich and the people industrious yet you see a lot of poverty around. The month we were there was the tail end of the monsoon season and there were floods all over town and yet these waters arrived from the north and not from local precipitation. You get where this is going?

 

Siem Riep is a very beautiful laid back city that is so diverse in terms of dining, entertainment, culture and activity. Of late, there seems to be a large Korean community forming. I espied quite a lot of Korean BBQ outlets from the highway near the airport. There are also lots of local bars and restaurants sitting side-by-side with modern bistros owned by foreigners (another ironic contrast).

 

As Vana, our guide, made his appearance we discussed our agenda. It seems that the flow of the day's itinerary is very free flowing. Since most of the temples and points of interest are close to each other one can always change course in mid stride. The information the guide gives you will also depend upon your level of interest.

 

Of course, first on our list was Angkor Wat. This world famous landmark was 15 minutes away from our hotel by car. You could see as much as you want or climb as high as you want of this multi-tiered structure.

 

 

Mid way on the road to the Temple complex, you  will have to make a slight detour and buy a multi-entry pass from a booth. This is less expensive and more practical than buying one ticket for each day you visit. Given the number of tourists that come each year, I was surprised at how few visitors there were. As we exited this one story affair, we saw 4 people sitting by the road side and punching out these tickets as you pass through. We were told that each day the individuals that are assigned to man this exit change and there is an early and a late shift. Most of the time they don't do much. Talk about under worked employees. Well, as long as everyone's happy...and they sure do seem happy.

 

 

For me, the most striking aspect of this 12th century complex is it's very wide moat. It helped keep invaders at bay but it also halted the jungles encroachment keeping it undefiled for future generations. The photo below was taken right before you cross the moat on a 200 m. walkway constructed of blocks of sandstone.

 

 

 

Be prepared to do a lot of walking, wear rubber shoes and shorts, and bring an extra pair of rubber thongs when rain is expected. The soil quickly turns into reddish mud when wet. After crossing the moat, you pass through another entryway on to the inner grounds of the temple.

 

 

 

Getting to the temple itself will entail another walk of about 400 m. and about halfway through you will see two identical structures on opposite sides that housed libraries. One was supposed to have contained secular texts and the other spiritual.

 

 

The sight of the ruins from afar should be enough to give you an idea as to how grand they must have been back in the day. You will see some scaffolding as portions of the inner complex are undergoing rehabilitation and restoration work. The gardens may be as green or as brown as the wet and dry seasons change.

 

 

 

Also of note are the beautiful carvings that are located in different parts of the temple. Erosion is evident as these were exposed to the elements for centuries. Each temple that we visited exhibited different styles of carving and architecture as you will see in parts 3 and 4 of this series.

This is the central entryway into the inner portions of the temple.

There are a few key chambers and galleries throughout the inner sanctum but what piqued my interest were four large pools made of stone arranged within a square courtyard. They each had an area of approximately 30 sq. meters and had a depth of about 12 feet. One wall of this gallery was lined by numerous large statues of the Buddha.

 

 

Some areas I fear to tread on. These are stairs, that's right, stairs, that go to the top most point within the temple. The slope must have been 75 degrees. In my books that's a wall! There are three sets of these, one set for the king, one set for monks and another for generals. I considered climbing it just for the expected impressive vista topside, but after I was told that several people have fallen and either gotten injured or died, those thoughts vaporised like fog under a noonday sun.

 

  

To put the construction of Angkor Wat in perspective, another structures built at about the same time is the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. The cathedral of course does not come close to the immensity and complexity of Angkor Wat.

 

We were done sight-seeing Angkor Wat at around 1 pm and there are a bunch of touristy restaurants nearby that serve Khmer and Indochine cuisine. Prices are quite reasonable and the food is excellent. Guides and drivers usually eat on their own and no amount of repeated invitations will get them to join you for a meal.

 

We decided to rest up in the afternoon and take it easy by going to Artisans D'Angkor. This place seeks to teach traditional artistic skills to locals and serve as a livelihood project. There were stone carvings, silk painting,  wood sculpture and silver and lacquer ware. And yes, they have a shop selling all their products as well as scarves, bags and other apparel.

 

 

Our guide usually sticks around until 5 pm. After that we are on our own. No problem, tuk-tuks are all over the place and are very efficient. They will charge US$1 per head to take you anywhere in town and usually the minute you step out of the hotel doors, smiling drivers come around offering a ride. American money is the currency of choice and it will be a good idea for you to bring a lot of 1, 5 and 10 dollar bills.

 

The concierge can be a wealth of information if you are looking for a good place to eat or something in particular to shop for. Make sure to tip him well. I oftentimes bring something (usually food) from my country to share with the concierge and hotel staff and this gets me a lot of mileage.

After riding through some of the flooded streets of Siem Riep and a very satisfying meal, we bedded down for the night. Tomorrow we tackle Bayon, home to numerous massive but serene stone faces of the Buddha.

India Sojourn (Day 6) - Udaipur

As I awoke, I decided to have a peek out the window just like I did that first morning in New Delhi. The sun was just beginning to peek around the mountain side and it's first rays were being cast upon our balcony and the stately courtyard below.

 

 

It was time for breakfast and breakfast was as grand as the Hotel.

 

 

On offer were fresh waffles with fresh blueberries and cream, Three fresh scrambled eggs with truffles, various Rajasthani dishes among others. There were also the usual assortment of breads, cheeses, fruits and fresh juices. I'm sorry if I couldn't elaborate more, I couldn't look past the freshly cooked waffles. Deeeeelish! (I can't believe I used the word "fresh" 5 times in one paragraph)

 

One surprising and impressive thing that happened over breakfast was that the Hotel GM, Jan Tibaldi, personally came over to ask how we were doing. As we were already done with breakfast, he proceeded to take our plates and silverware away. I was floored! This is the one and only time this has happened to me. I have never seen a General Manager do that before, and with a sincere smile to boot.

 

As we were still awaiting the appointed time of our pickup from the hotel, I took the opportunity to walk around and relish the hotel grounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If Jaipur's palette consisted of calm, muted pastel shades, Udaipur's was an explosion of bright, bold and vibrant colors. Go ahead, go back to Day 4 and compare.

 

Our guide for this city, Narayan Kharwar, introduced Udaipur to us as a City of Lakes. That in itself should be enough to convince anyone to visit. Sometimes called the "Venice of the East", its numerous lakes are made more picturesque by the numerous peaks that rise up around them.

 

No visit will be complete without a cruise around Lake Pichola. We initially by-passed the City Palace, got on a boat and did the touristy thing.

 

You cannot ignore this part of the City Palace as it has been converted into a hotel with a majestic view of the lake. Below this is a bigger vista of the City Palace from the Lake.

 

 

 

Another famous landmark is the Lake Palace. It is now a hotel operated by the Taj Group that appears to be calmly floating on top of the waves.

 

A view of the Oberoi from the lake.

It's not all hotels that you will see, although architecturally they make for very interesting subjects. These women come to these lakeside steps to do their laundry. The bright hues from their saris make for a very lively photo.

 

 

Our intended destination is the Jag Mandir. It is a garden Palace completed on one of two natural islands on the lake by Maharana Jagat Singh. The Royal Family used this place as a summer resort and party venue.

 

 

Working our way back to shore and into the City Palace grounds we had to walk by the residence of the current Maharaja. As an invitation to visit and a cup of tea were not forthcoming I had to content myself with a photo of his abode as a memento.

This facade of the museum part of the City Palace contains an image of a sun god statue made of gold. The Maharanas of Mewar are considered descendants of the sun god.

I saw this group of windows in a courtyard and realized that each one of them had a different lattice design. This kind of patchwork expression can be seen throughout the palaces and monuments of Northern India.

 

 

The city as seen from atop the Palace. I was told that the price of land here has skyrocketed in the last  three years from 2009. Not that I have any intentions.

Understandably with a panorama like this and with numerous expansive courtyards, the Palace has a number of windows and balconies one can use to admire the view.

 

 

 

The windows on this side look out to the lake. I think a friend of mine would classify this design under "shabby chic" (or not so shabby sheik?) 

Culturally, one art form that evolved to a high degree of expertise are the miniature paintings that dot a lot of the walls. The images are so tiny and yet are so detailed. Here have a look. The original size of this portion is probably about 4 x 6 inches.

 

 

After a bit of shopping, there was a bit of time left to check out the Saheliyon-ki-Bari. This translates to "Courtyard of the Maidens" and is actually more than just a courtyard. It is an expansive bath and garden that would put some water theme parks to shame. This park was built so that the Queen and her 48 women attendants (which were part of her dowry) could have a private place to relax. This place was off limits to men except for the King. It's good to be whom?

 

 

 

The sun was about to dip behind the Mountains of Udaipur and our energy levels were running on empty. This was after all our fourth city in six days. It was exhilarating as it was exhausting. It was an experience to tell the grand kids. Maybe some of them will get to read this and realize that their grandpappy could tell a story. Pardon me if I wax with some sentiment, the recounting of this expedition is a first for me.

India Sojourn (Day 5) - The Road To Udaipur

There is a saying that goes: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Well, the road to Udaipur is fraught with Peril... With that in mind I took a few last images of our hotel in Jaipur as the sun was rising and we were back on the road again.

 

 

It was Kite festival day in Jaipur and on the way out of the city a host of kites being flown from rooftops were waving and bidding us farewell.

 

 

 

 Soon the City of Pink was far behind us and we were left to our thoughts and the honking of horns telling these huge trucks to get out of the way. You heard me...

 

Honking your car horn at cargo trucks plying the interstate is expected, it is not considered rude. The rules of the road in India definitely differ from most of the world. Take a gander at the back's of these trucks...

 

 

 

 

At least the last two said please.

 

Trucks are but a part of the problem that is the road through India. More than once Joga our driver had to come to a sudden halt from a crossing bovine. Maybe I should have asked it why chickens cross the road. Or why it did.

 

 

Halfway into our trip we had to pull by the side of the road because of bumper-to-bumper traffic as far as the eye can see with no visible explanation. While we were parked under the afternoon sun and the cars engine idling, I saw a bald middle aged man walk to the side of the road, park himself against a 6 foot high wall and then proceeded to relieve himself. I do have a photo that I took from safe inside the car but I shall not disturb you with that image dear reader. Instead I will show you what caused our delay of almost an hour...

 

 

An impromptu procession that lasted all of 10 minutes. Look closely into the yellow cart and you will see a seated white haired holy man dressed in red and white. They stopped all manner of vehicles and inconvenience hundreds of commuters to have their fun. That is part of the beauty of India, you never know what to expect.

 

After seven gruelling hours we were finally at our destination. In the end, after experiencing Udaipur, I must say that it was worth every gruelling minute.

 

The lobby of the Oberoi Udaivilas at Udaipur was so majestic that under a grand chandelier it had a fountain spewing perfumed water just like in the days of the Mughals. The Hotel General Manager was there to greet us personally and escort us to the elevator. Actually, how great is this hotel! The public men's room also had a mini fountain right in the middle of the floor.

 

 

An especially popular room in this hotel is the candle room. It is the only room in the hotel that is not lit with a light bulb. There are twenty large candles arranged in different heights surrounded by comfortable divans. One is supposed to relax and reflect on the days events here.

 

One of our favorite spots is the terrace at the back of the hotel. It overlooks a manicured garden and a lake and this is where we would dine under the starry skies.

 

 

There are so many picturesque nooks and crannies in what I consider the most beautiful hotel in the world (at least in the parts of the world I have seen) and I shall regale you with them in the next and last chapter of this trip.

 

For now it would be a good idea to try and rest up, for as usual we shall go on a tour of the Golden City on the morrow and Udaipur is anything but usual!