We left the ship this morning for the last time and got onto coaches to travel to Siem Reap. On the way we stopped at a service station. The whole complex is full of brightly coloured statues of animals - much prettier than our own service stations.
Picture 1 – Service Station
The route takes us through rural villages and farming land. Tapioca is a frequent crop. There are also rubber tree plantations which are owned by the Michelin tyre company. One tree will provide 9 litres of latex each year, starting when the tree is seven years old and ending at age thirty-five. The trees have little ‘handbags’ that collect the latex.
We arrived just after lunchtime and checked into our hotel. The rooms are set around a central courtyard and there are small garden areas at the corners. We are on the first floor and have a balcony overlooking this courtyard – which includes a swimming pool.
After we arrived we had time for lunch before being taken to the ODA Centre (“Opportunities of Development through Art”) which provides education opportunities for disadvantaged children. There are about fifty children, boys and girls, ranging in age from seven to twenty six who live on the premises. A group of the older children show us some of the cultural dances, some based on fishing and then we are shown some of their art work.
Siem Reap is most famous for the Angkor Wat Temple Complex. The ancient city of Angkor. This city was built between AD802 and 1432 during the Angkorian period. Each king strove to do better than their forefathers in building temples bigger and better culminating in Angkor Wat, built during the reign of King Suryavarman II in the 12th century.
This afternoon we visited Ta Prohm, otherwise known as the Tomb Raider Temple. Ta Prohm was built in the reign of King Jayavarman VII and epitomises what temples look like when they are taken over by nature (although this is, in reality, strictly controlled for Ta Prohm). There are many tall trees and root systems in the overgrown jungle. The ruins are impressive – there seem to be carvings on every available vertical surface. And tree roots are everywhere among the stones.
This temple was the back drop in the Tomb Raider movie and is known as the Tomb Raider temple. The weather turned wet whilst we were “exploring” the temple (by following the guide) so we had to take shelter in one of the hallways.
Picture 2 – Ta Prohm
This evening we had an early dinner before going to see the Phare Circus. This was amazing – no animals but gymnasts telling a story to music. Phare performers use theatre, music, dance and modern circus skills to tell stories. The performers are students and graduates from a vocational training centre, formed in 1994 by nine young men returning home from a refugee camp after the Khmer Rouge regime. The acrobatics were amazing!
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