An ancient city in the Cambodian jungle. Kingdom of Cambodia - Lost City and White Beaches. Take a train ride
The secrets and revelations of Cambodia are not only in the famous temples of Angkor. Travellers, expats and local residents told us about the way of village life and entertainment in the Cambodian capital, about provincial architecture and the wilds of national parks, about the heritage of the recent past and the places where everyone becomes happy. We have selected 15 ways to discover the Khmer kingdom.
Meet the dawn
John Reid, Regional Director of Hotels Aman Resorts:
If you go to Angkor Wat before dawn, then at the entrance you will be greeted not by tourist crowds, but by mysterious silence. Inside, the temple amazes with endless bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana - I especially like the panel “Churning the Ocean of Milk”. The Angkor temple complex is huge, so it’s best to set aside at least a couple of days to explore it. If you don’t have much time, you can, within the framework of one tour, go around the ancient city of Angkor Thom on a bicycle, examine the ruins of the Ta Phrum temple entwined with tree roots, in which statues of heavenly beauty of apsara demigoddesses remind of the 615 dancers who lived here. You can visit the temples of Angkor not only in high season(from November to April), but also during the monsoon period - from June to October, when the forest comes to life, the lakes fill with water, and there are fewer tourists. This best time and to go on a boat tour on Lake Tonle Sap and see the floating villages.
Explore temples
Alexey Ilyin, journalist:
In temples remote from Angkor, a thoughtful visitor has a better chance of feeling the spirit of Cambodian antiquity than in places of mass “worship.” First, go to the Banteay Srei temple, located about 20 kilometers northeast of the main group of Angkorian monuments. Banteay Srei, built in the 10th century from pink sandstone, is one of the most beautiful sanctuaries in Cambodia. On the stone bottom of the “Stream of a Thousand Lingams” at the foot of the sacred Phnom Kulen mountain, symbols of fertility and statues of gods of the Hindu pantheon are carved. 40 kilometers east of Angkor there is another temple - Bangmealea. This one is huge temple complex was built at the beginning of the 12th century, during the heyday of the Khmer Empire. To avoid getting lost in its gigantic labyrinth, it is worth using the services of one of the caretakers, who will guide you through the galleries overgrown with vines for a nominal fee of $3–5.
Go to the circus
Anika Rao, Phare Communications Manager, The Cambodian Circus:
Siem Reap is not just a “gateway” to Angkor Wat, it is one of the new cultural centers of Cambodia. The Cambodian circus Phare performs here. This creative association was born in the early 90s in the city of Battambang as a school for poor children. With the help of dance, theater, modern music and unique circus art, artists recreate not only traditional plots, but also moments new history countries. I also recommend checking out the new Crane Cafe (Central Market St.), where they brew excellent coffee from the local Rumblefish company - it is located in the old French district of Candal Village, which has turned into a trendy place with restaurants, galleries and boutiques. The best bar in the city is Long’s Bar (Doung Hem St.) with cozy chairs and delicious cocktails: try a martini with aromatic pepper from Kampot province or vodka infused with basil and pomelo. My friends and I often stay late at The Harbor, a pirate bar with hard rock and all sorts of entertainment, from stand-up comedians to fun board game parties.
Colonize the capital's bars
Kounila Keo, blogger:
Phnom Penh is an ancient city, but there is almost no ancient architecture to be found in it - only the blocks adjacent to the Royal Palace and the building are interesting Central Market in art deco style. Palace complex with Throne Hall and Silver Pagoda and National Museum with the largest collection of Khmer sculptures will certainly be on your agenda. But visiting the Museum of Genocide, housed in the dungeons of the S-21 prison, and the “Killing Fields”, where the Khmer Rouge tortured and executed victims of the regime, is only worth visiting for those with strong nerves. Overall, Phnom Penh is unlikely to wow you in the same way as Ho Chi Minh City or Singapore, but it is homely and simple. For a night out like the locals, try one of the tiny bars on Bassac Lane. For shopping, go to Psar Tuol - the so-called “Russian Market” - where you can buy anything from silk fabrics to antiques and carved wooden Buddha figurines. And on the weekend, go to the surrounding cities - Udong, one of the ancient capitals of Cambodia, or the quiet lakeside Tonle Bati.
Alexey Terentyev
Bow to Widow Stump
Yong Polit Solari, teacher at ISAA Moscow State University:
For me, the most important place in Phnom Penh is Wat Phnom Monastery. It was with him that the history of our capital began. According to legend, the first temple on a high hill was built in the 14th century for four Buddha statues, miraculously found in the waters of the Tonle Sap River by a widow named Pen. The vihara, a sanctuary with statues of Gautama, was rebuilt four times over the centuries. They say that during the Khmer Rouge regime, the original figurines that the widow found were lost. However, this does not matter, because the place of Buddha is in the hearts of believers. The monastery has other significant relics, including the sanctuary of the widow Penh herself and the tomb of King Ponya Yat, the ruler of the Khmer Empire, who in the 15th century moved the capital of the country from Angkor to Phnom Penh. The monastery always has a lot of visitors and is especially crowded during the Khmer New Year, which is celebrated during three days in the middle of April. At this time, in Wat Phnom you can see how children and adults indulge in traditional Khmer fun - from tug of war to various games with songs and dances.
Look over the edge
Osman Khawaja, Director of Egbok Mission Hospitality School:
The Preah Vihear temple complex is located in the very north of Cambodia, near the border with Thailand. A few years ago, this monument served as a subject of dispute and a “temple of stumbling” between the two countries, but now everything is calm here. Preah Vihear is located on a high plateau above a valley. There's quite a way to the top steep road- on own car It is forbidden to go up (however, for ten dollars they are allowed on personal motorcycles); visitors are taken to the ruins by a museum pickup truck or bike. The temple, dedicated to the god Shiva, symbolizes the sacred mountain of Hinduism - Meru. The complex is quite large - you can easily spend three hours there, admiring the panoramas of the Cambodian and Thai expanses from the windows opening in the walls of the galleries. The layout of the temple is oriented from north to south: from the entrance you gradually rise higher, passing the pavilions of gopuras (towers) and stairs. After exploring the ruins, have a picnic on the edge of the cliff with one of the best views in Cambodia.
Wash the elephant
Mr. Tree, founder and chief guide of Mondulkiri Project:
The cool, densely forested hills of Mondulkiri lie in eastern Cambodia. The provincial capital, Sen Monorom, can be reached from Phnom Penh in about five hours. Most of The population here are representatives of the Pnong tribe, in whose lives elephants play a huge role: they are not just an irreplaceable workforce, but also a kind of family member. When you come here, you will see how strong this connection is.
Photo: Nicolas Axelrod, Lynn Gail/Getty Images
In a protected valley not far from Sen Monorom, we are protecting a virgin forest from deforestation, and at the same time we have set up a “rest house” for elephants there. They get it hard both in rural work and in tourist centers. One of our elephants, Princess, once injured her spine while carrying a heavy wooden saddle on her back, and the mahouts tore the ears of two males with hooks. Therefore - no horseback riding! Go for a walk through the jungle on foot side by side with the giants, feed them (elephants eat bamboo shoots, but prefer bananas for dessert), swim with them in a waterfall: washing an elephant smeared in red clay is not an easy job! Along the way, the Pnong guides will tell you about how the tribe collects rubber in the forest, treat you to wild honey, and cook fern soup over a fire.
Take a train ride
Chamnan Muon, Internet Marketing Consultant:
Battambang is the second largest city in Cambodia, but the atmosphere here is calm and conducive to walking. Take a bicycle and explore the embankment of the Sangker River and the ancient quarters on the left bank - there are elegant colonial mansions built at the beginning of the last century. In the surrounding villages you can visit old peasant houses on stilts, see how they make rice paper, prepare traditional glutinous rice sweets and weave Khmer krama scarves. Battambang Province is not only the “rice basket” of Cambodia, but also a land of ancient monuments. One of the most remarkable is Phnom Banan, the same age as Angkor. There are many places here that have gone down in history because of the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge. And most tourists know about Battambang only that here you can ride the so-called bamboo train. This funny railcar still connects villages south of Battambang, following the single track that dates back to the French colony. There is a danger that the bamboo train line will be closed soon, so hurry up!
Arrange a forced march into the Neolithic
Pierre-Yves Clay, owner of Terres Rouges Collection hotels:
Ratanakiri is a mountainous province cut off from civilization in the northeast of the country. It is inhabited mainly by tribes professing animism. Many of their customs have remained virtually unchanged since prehistoric times. For example, the Zyarai, Tampuan and Kachok tribes install wooden totems around cemeteries, which are designed to protect the dead on the way to the next world. Young krungs, having reached marriageable age, build “bachelor houses” on high pillars, in which they live until they start a family. In all local tribes It is customary to make sacrifices to the spirits - usually buffaloes. Overgrown with dense forests or planted with hevea plantations, the Ratanakiri hills are rich in waterfalls and caves, as well as deposits of zircons, amethysts and opals. The most beautiful local lake, Yeaklaom Lake, located near the provincial capital, the city of Banlung, is nothing more than a water-filled crater of an ancient volcano. In Virachey National Park, the country's largest, you can meet a family of gibbons, take a dugout boat ride on the Sesan River, and explore forest trails on foot or on elephant ride.
Become a forest dweller
Sophani Thach, Chi Phat Project Manager, Wildlife Alliance:
The Cardamom Mountains, located in southwest Cambodia, are an excellent ecotourism destination. In these hard-to-reach places, one of the largest South-East Asia areas of tropical rain forest. The landscapes of the Cardamom Mountains are varied - from formidable mountain peaks (the main peak of the country, Phnom Oral, 1813 meters high, is also located here) to swamps and mangrove forests on the coast. To experience the richness of this " lost world", come to the forest village of Chi Phat. Its residents themselves organize overnight stays and excursions for guests. Many of them used to be poachers and now serve as guides. They will take you to waterfalls, caves full of bats, and ancient burial places in the forest; they will show you rare plants, animals and birds. Village families will willingly share food and shelter with you so that you can get to know their way of life better.
See pink dolphins
Samban Theng, director of travel agency Merry Travel:
IN small town Kratie, located in the central part of the country, on the banks of the Mekong, people come to admire the rare Irrawaddy freshwater dolphins. Kratie and the surrounding area (or rather, the village of Kampi two dozen kilometers from the city) - perhaps the only place in a country where you are guaranteed to see these animals: after a power plant was built upstream of the Mekong, in Laos, dolphins are no longer found in the north of Cambodia. The town itself is also very pleasant, with its sleepy pace of life and neighborhoods of colonial houses. I advise you to take a bicycle and ride along the Mekong, visiting coastal fishing villages and staying overnight in colorful huts on stilts.
Alexey Terentyev
Conquer the jungle
Igor “Sinus” Sokolov, traveler and motorcyclist:
Sihanoukville, located in the southwest of the country, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, is the only deep-water port in Cambodia. It is also the largest resort in the country, the area of which is constantly expanding. Out of seven famous beaches In Sihanoukville, I recommend relaxing on Sokha Beach at the hotel of the same name and on Otres Beach - it is located further than the others, but it is the cleanest. It makes sense to look for the coolest beaches on the nearest islands of Sihanoukville: Koh Rong - discos and parties, Koh Rong Samloem - calm and relaxation. Remote islands lying 60–80 kilometers from the coast - the Koh Prince and Koh Tang archipelagos and the “paradise” island of Koh Damlong - can be seen during a diving safari.
The most interesting way to explore the surroundings of Sihanoukville is on a motorcycle - for example, in one day you can visit the Kbal Chhay waterfall and Ream National Park. A more serious “expedition” into the real jungle is designed for two or three days. Even I, although a “loner,” would not go there alone - there are too many dangers: from snakes and mines left over from the war to the real possibility of getting lost or drowning a motorcycle in the river while crossing. Overnight stays take place in small Khmer villages, where there is no light, no water, no communications, food is only rice and fish, and along the way there are encounters with elephants, monkeys and other representatives of the local fauna. It’s not scary if you have no riding experience - in three days you can prepare even a beginner for such a trip.
Feel the old times
Santel Phin, founder of khmerbird.com:
Kep is the quietest and most peaceful resort in Cambodia. Neither war nor time harmed its beauty. A dilapidated royal residence, abandoned modernist villas are the remnants of former luxury, the “Cambodian Riviera”. Be sure to take an evening stroll along the sea and admire the sunset. Best view You can see the surrounding area from the terrace of the restaurant at the Veranda Hotel, and the coffee and food there are quite good. For complete relaxation, take a boat and head to the Rabbit Island of Koh Tonsai to snooze in a hammock strung between coconut trees, swim and feast on blue crabs. There is even a monument to this delicacy in Kep. The next day, rent a bike and climb Mount Bokor - from its top a dizzying panorama of the coast opens, and dilapidated buildings give the place a slightly surreal look. End the day well in the nearby town of Kampot, watching the sunset over the river and enjoying dishes flavored with aromatic local peppers at Rikitikitavi or Ta Eou (Riverfront Road).
See the world from above
Valeria Strebkova, biologist:
Phnom Bokor is a 1100 meter high mountain located near Sihanoukville. It offers cosmic views of the entire coast. But Bokor is also the name national park. It’s worth coming here just to sit on slabs polished by time and the elements at the very edge of the abyss near Buddhist temple, meditate, look into the distance (this is in good weather) or look at the clouds swirling at the edge of a cliff. In colonial times, the French set up here mountain resort with a casino, and then King Norodom Sihanouk built himself a residence. Most buildings former resort are now ruins which many find picturesque. For me the best place National Park - Popokvil Falls. The cascades are especially beautiful during the rainy season - from August to October.
Taste the dust
Joanne Riviere, chef at Cuisine Wat Damnak:
One of the main components of Khmer cuisine is prahok, a fermented fish paste. Fishing in Tonle Sap Lake is a seasonal fishery, and the catch needs to be stored somehow. Many centuries ago, Cambodians came up with a way to ferment fish, and prahok is still an important source of protein in their diet. This product has a peculiar aroma that can scare away a beginner. Prahok needs to be tasted, but there is nothing wrong with that: usually the paste is mixed with other ingredients. To begin with, try prahok kti with minced pork and coconut milk. The best are at Rohatt Cafe and Marum Restaurant in Siem Reap. Afterwards, you will be able to master the “knop prahok” with pork, peanuts and basil (look for it in the stalls opposite Angkor Wat). The bravest ones will also enjoy the “teuk prahok” made from tripe, which is served in restaurants opposite the Wat Damnak pagoda.
Wonder of the world. Angkor, the forgotten city in the jungle (video)
Continuation. Start: 1. Pattaya - Aran. 2. Aran-Siem Reap.
Having agreed in the evening with the tuk-tuk driver, in the morning we set off to explore the greatest miracle of the world and the pride of the Khmer civilization, the Angkor temple complex, a city forgotten in the jungle. This is a giant Hindu temple complex in Cambodia. It is one of the largest ever created places of worship and one of the world's most important archaeological monuments. Built from the 9th to the 12th centuries. Over the course of 4 centuries, different monarchs each built their own temple or terrace or completed the previous ones in connection with changes in the cult.
The tukker arrived for us exactly as agreed at 9:00. Later, I came to the conclusion that I needed to leave for Angkor early, from 6:30 to 7:30, but I really didn’t want to get up that early after the previous busy day. We explained to the driver that we would go to breakfast and then to Angkor. In general, I came to the conclusion that if you ask a tukker to show you a hotel or a place where you can eat, or just tell him to stop by to buy water on the way, then he will only take you to his relatives and friends, or those places where he is at least 10 cents of commission will fall, completely not reflecting your wishes and interests. If you want to save money, then you yourself must clearly understand where to go. Here's a simple example. I asked him to stop somewhere on the way to Angkor and buy a couple of bottles of water to take with him. He passed all the shops along the way, then turned somewhere to the side, into a pickle, got lost among the huts and stopped at a merchant on the street, where I was offered to buy water for $1 for a 1.5 liter bottle. Yesterday I bought this water at the store he passed by for 60 cents. And you can get it from the shopkeepers for 50. I categorically stated that the price was too high and named the market price. The driver took a deep breath, but did not argue. Since neither I nor the seller probably had small dollar coins and didn’t want to waste a lot of time on water, I offered $1.5 for two bottles and deal. Keep in mind, here you will be scammed for every cent. By the way, I got change from two dollars in local Riels. The rough exchange rate is 4,000 reels for 1 dollar, in official places up to 4,100. Be careful - they don’t want to take torn and worn-out dollars, but give them in change.
Finally, we moved to the mysterious and mysterious temple complex of Angkor, covered with the dust of time and jungle vines, a majestic monument of architecture of ancient civilizations.
Best time to start your trip early , then break for lunch. Return to the hotel, relax in the pool, and closer to 15:00, repeat the conquest of the temples. By 18:00, choose the top point of one of the temples to watch the sunset. In these places, sunset always occurs at the same time, around 18-30. As far as I understand, there are problems with normal food on the territory of the complex. And if you decide not to return, take food with you, everything here will be much more expensive. And yet, there is never too much water. Even if you take a significant supply, you are unlikely to have any left for the return trip.
To watch the sunrise, it is worth visiting distant Banteay Srei, Koh Kae or nearby Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm. Sunsets are best seen at Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng, Pre Rupa, East Mebon and Ta Kaew. Sitting on a stone heated by the sun's rays during the day, imagine how the people who built them a thousand years ago greeted the sunset, hear a voice ancient civilization, the noise of battles.
The main thing is not to forget to fully charge the batteries of your photographic equipment and free up space on the flash cards.))) Alcoholic drinks are not recommended, the sun and heat will do their job and put you out of action, and when inspecting these stairs you need skill. Therefore, in any case, it is better to put all things and equipment in a backpack when ascending and descending. The stairs of the temples are very steep, the steps are narrow, at this time your hands should be free for safety. When visiting Phnom Kulen, Kbal Spina, Banteay Chma and Koh Ke, watch out for signs along the roads and paths that read “Danger! Mines". Not all areas here have been cleared of mines, so it is better to take a guide or guide.
Ancient Angkor is a city forgotten in the jungle, located almost 6 km north of the modern settlement of Siem Reap. Individual temples are several kilometers apart from each other, and the entire complex occupies more than 200 sq. km. That's why on foot You can’t walk, but many people dare to ride bicycles (you can rent them in some guest houses), but for this you need to study the map well. And keep in mind that it’s 12 km to Siem Reap and back, and you’ll cover at least 8 km around the complex, plus on foot, are you ready for such a marathon?
Entrance to the temple complex is allowed from 5.30 am to 17.30 local time, the ticket office is open from 5.00 am, and from 17.00 you can buy a ticket for the next day and, as a bonus, with this ticket you can enjoy the sunset in any temple for free on the current day.
Our tuk-tuk driver took us to the ticket office. Price tickets for 1 day of visiting any temples of Angkor $20 per person, children under 12 years old free. The price for a 3-day ticket is $40, and for a week of studies is $60. Moreover, now there is a relaxation of a 3-day ticket that can be used during the week; the days may not be consecutive if you are waiting for good weather or decide to take a break. A 7-day ticket can be used within 1 month. Be careful - torn, wet or lost tickets will lead to the purchase of a new one, and being on the territory without a ticket will result in a $100 fine.
The cashier takes a photo of you and gives you a ticket with your photo; at the entrance to each temple, the ticket is checked - they look at the date and photo. If you want to receive a ticket with your souvenir beautiful photo V good quality– you can bring your own in the size of a foreign passport and it will be applied to the ticket (laminated only for $60). Try not to be at the ticket office at 7.20-8.00 - this is the peak time when tourists arrive from Korea, Japan and China. A lot of them. So many. And all of them are without prepared photos, so the procedure is delayed and you can enjoy the queue for a ticket to Angkor - the wonder of the world for quite a long time. We are not such early birds, we left the hotel at 9.00 - there was no queue at the box office, we received tickets in 5 minutes.
We go again in our tuk-tuk, using the map we agree with the driver what we want to see today and what route we will take. On the standard map of Siem Reap for tourists, on the reverse side there is a diagram of Angkor, where a large and small circle is indicated. By and large, you can move slowly for 3 days. Within 1 day it is possible to complete only a small circle.
There are usually three main visiting routes.
One day.
If you have one day to explore the temples of the great Khmer civilization, you will have to get up before sunrise and go to Angkor Wat. Near the temple, without entering its central territory, you meet the sunrise and immediately go to Bayon, stopping along the way at the southern gate of Angkor Thom. After visiting Bayonne, you can see Bapuon, Pimeanakas, the terraces of the Elephants and the Leper King. If you are done before lunch, then you can have time to drop into Pre Can and its long suite of rooms. The second part of the journey will pass through Angkor Thom's Victory Gate and Ta Koe Temple. Next – Ta Prohm, lost in the jungle and at the end of the trip, stop by on the way back, east side Angkor Wat. Walk through the entire temple (about 2.5 km), climb to the central platform with towers, look at the galleries with carved bas-reliefs. If you have time before sunset, climb Phnom Bakheng and watch the most beautiful city disappear in the last rays of the sun. famous temple Cambodia.
Two days.
A two-day route is preferable. By basing your itinerary on one day, you have more time to explore the temples on the first day. Start the morning of the second day in Banteay Srei (37 km from Siem Reap), and on the way back visit Ta Som, Nik Pin and Pre Kan.
Three days or more.
Having such a reserve of time, you become the ruler of the temples, and there is a unique opportunity to choose three inspection options. First: You use the two-day option tour, just combine a trip to Bentei Srei with a visit to the sacred Phnom Kulen mountain with waterfalls and the Thousand Lingams stream. In the following days you capture Roluos, and also visit Tonlepan Lake with water villages. In the remaining time, revisit the places you like.
Second option. Slow, gradual inspection of the temples day after day, one after another.
Third option. Inspection of monuments of Khmer architecture in chronological order by time of construction. 1. Day – Roluos, Koh Ke, Bentei Srei (before Koh Ke you can stop by Ben Melia). Day 2 – Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Ta Kaew, Angkor Thom (Terraces, Bapuon, Pimeanakas, Bayon). Day 3 - Anchor Tom Gate again Bayon, Pre Can, Nik Pin and after lunch Tonle Sap.
The last two options are interesting because you seem to be immersed in the atmosphere of an ancient civilization, you begin to live and think like the locals, at the same time, at any moment you can turn off the chosen route and create your own, hitherto unknown.
We decided to see first Prasat Kravan, Ta Prohm, Bayon, Baypon and, in the evening, Angkor Wat, with a break for lunch.
Prasat Kravan- look exactly at the beginning. Interesting, but if you are not an orientalist, Ta Prohm or Bayona will not impress you. There are many bas-reliefs here. There are only 5 prasats standing in one line, entrances are on the east side. If you stand 1-2m from the central tallest building and look up, an incredible illusion is created that the prasat is falling on you.
Built in 921, it is unique in that the bas-reliefs are carved directly onto the brickwork. On the bas-reliefs you can see Vishnu, sometimes riding Garuda, sometimes with the indispensable attributes in his hands: a lotus, a mace, a chakra and a shell. We spent about half an hour here. It is better to visit in the first half of the day, then the lighting is more interesting.
Ta Prohm– here the tukker will have time to rest properly; you won’t leave this amazing place quickly. When we arrived - several groups of barangs came out to meet us (in Tai farangs, here barangs are all people of non-Asian appearance) completely stunned - we asked the tuker “What’s wrong with them?” - he replied: this is normal, everyone comes out like this, you will just see the temples of our Gods - he proudly declared.
And rightly so. Temple built in 1196 by King Jayavarman VII in honor of his mother, whom he identified with the Goddess of Wisdom. Conceived as a monastery and university, the temple consisted of 39 prasats and over 800 brick and stone structures. Left to the mercy of the jungle in the 15th century, after the fall of the Khmer Empire, it began to look even more fascinating. Trees grew through the walls and enveloped the buildings on top - this landscape was ideal for filming films about Tomb Raider, the locals call this place Angelina Jolie. In the 20th century, a program to restore the temples of Angkor began, and then Ta Prohm was opened in the jungle.
They decided to only strengthen and maintain it somewhat, but overall leave it in the same form as it was found by researchers - now in it we can see how nature takes precedence over everything.
Let's take a few photos. It’s especially not easy here - there are a lot of people, especially Chinese. They are everywhere. They strive to take pictures everywhere, they generally have some kind of cult of photography. They film everything. Actually everything. In the most interesting places, especially near temples overgrown with trees, people line up for a good photo. The Chinese rush in without waiting in line and destroy the entire exhibition.
There are also amazing bas-reliefs everywhere.
Further Bayonne. The famous pearl of Angkor Thom. It's better to drive straight to Bayonne, because... it is located about 1.5 km from the gates of Angkor Thom. The best time to visit is early in the morning - there are fewer tourists and the dawn beautifully illuminates the towers. Or at sunset, it’s also beautiful, but there are a lot of tourists.
The temple has about fifty towers, on which there are 200 huge faces.
The faces on the four sides of the tower speak of the omnipresence of Buddha, whose prototype was the first builder of this temple, King Jayavarman VII, who identified himself with God.
They say that in different time During the day, faces have different expressions from kind and peaceful to angry and terrifying.
Restoring lost parts of faces has not yet yielded results, because... there is no technology for such precise stone turning as during the construction of these temples! None of all the world's specialists without concreting, cementing, etc. I couldn’t figure out how to hold these huge cobblestones together. The photo shows that the left, restored part of the face breaks symmetry. In contrast to unrestored faces with complete identity of the left and right sides, which surprises scientists.
This is simply incredible, given our development of civilization, science and technology, and the presence of laser technologies. What other technologies have not been mastered by modern homo sapiens in order to catch up with the knowledge of the 11th-12th centuries?
Amazed, we spent about 2 hours here. We went up to levels 2 and 3. We saw the guardian monks.
The little son greeted the giants with pleasure.
From here we decided to go to dinner. I explained to the driver that it was time to go to the hotel, and then we would return to Angkor Wat and continue sightseeing. Then I didn’t even think that in the future this would cause a discussion with the tuker and would be a reason for begging for money. We returned to our guest house, ate, and relaxed in the pool. In our guest house, as it turned out, there live a lot of young people from different countries Europe and in the afternoon, almost everyone fell out to relax in the pool, so the reservoir was overcrowded, but it was quite fun. Although the temperature of the heated water tended to body temperature))).
At 15:00 a tukker arrived and we moved on to continue the inspection. He reached Angkor Wat and said: that’s it, you wanted to come back here after lunch, please. For lunch we left Angkor Thom, which is a couple of kilometers further, and planned to return there. I began to explain to him that we had interrupted the excursion in another place and wanted to return there. He retorted, you said Angkor, here it is, but Angkor Thom is further away and it seems like you have to pay extra for gasoline. Such impudence began to irritate me. Yesterday the price was agreed upon for the whole day with a break for lunch at the hotel. I explained to the tukker that he was very upset about my attitude towards him, and I would be willing to pay only 10 dollars out of 15 for a spoiled mood and an excursion. Realizing that there was no way to get the money back, and that he might even lose it, the tukker moved on with a frustrated look. He had no luck with travelers from Russia, where you sit on us and get off.)))
Inspected Bauphon.
There are several restrictions when visiting this temple; children under 12 years old are not allowed, etc.
The temple was built as a five-tiered pyramid of three tiers. This is a temple-mountain representing the sacred Mount Meru. During its heyday, the dome of the temple was covered with copper plates.
Baphuon was built by King Udayadityavarman II, who reigned from 1050 to 1066, and was the center of the former capital - Yashodharapura. Restoration work has been going on for more than half a century, the temple looks dilapidated and not all places are open to the public.
The temple is located 200 meters northwest of Bayon, south of the Royal Palace and approximately 10 kilometers from the center of Siem Reap. Usually, it becomes the next object to be visited after Bayonne. You can spend no more than half an hour here. If you don't have much time to see all the attractions of Angkor Thom, then perhaps Baphuon is worth skipping. There are not many people here due to the ongoing work.
Despite the above, from the platform of the central tower (third tier) there is a panoramic view of the surrounding area, in particular the towers of Phnom Bakheng are visible from the south side, and Pimeanakas from the north. For good photos It is better to choose the first half of the day or sunset.
Looked into Pimeanakas.
This so-called “heavenly temple” does not have bas-reliefs.
Dedicated to Hinduism, built inX-XI centuries under Rajendravarman II (ruled 944-968), after restructuring during the reign of Suryavarman I (ruled 1002-1049) it served as a temple at the royal palace. At the beginning of the 20th century. Restoration work has begun to clean the temple; some stairs have been added with wooden ones for ease of viewing.
There is such a nice little pond nearby.
Nearby there are two more small, less popular Temples, which are therefore less trampled by tourists. Preah Pitu And Prasat sur Prat.
There are bas-reliefs inside, so clear, symmetrical and all different.
It's dangerous to enter, but soooo interesting.
Despite clearing for more than half a century, the jungle is advancing.
Surrounded by greenery, the buildings look exotic and fascinating.
The twelve towers of Prasat sur Prata served as a kind of court. One of the disputants sat on one tower, the second on the other. Whoever gets sick first is the one who was wrong in the dispute. This is the judgment of heaven. Yes, under the local sun, it’s no wonder that both sides of the litigation will be covered in blisters in a few days.
Moved to Ta Keo outside Angkor Thom.
Temple-mountain. Built as the center of the new capital Jayendranagari.
Ta Keo began to be built under Jayavarman V, but was never completed.
Built from sandstone with precision fitted blocks, it is oriented towards the East and dedicated to God Shiva.
The visit takes no more than half an hour, preferably in the first half.
We left the most famous one for dessertAngkor Wat.
This is the symbol of Cambodia and is depicted on the national flag.
It is considered one of the largest human settlements of the pre-industrial era.
I was amazed by the abundance of tourists at the entrance. The hope of seeing a majestic and secluded place quickly faded. Crowds of tourists scurried back and forth, as if on the main street of the city at rush hour. Such vanity is not at all conducive to reflecting on the connection of times, on the spiritual meaning of existence and on the greatness of ancient architects. What to do, apparently the time for solitude in this great place has been missed and the merciless legs mass tourism, barbarously erase the stone pavements of great temples to the ground.
I can advise you not to buy anything at the entrance to Angkor Wat. The prices here are three times higher than what you can find if you go deep into the temple. For example, one lively young man offered me a guide to Cambodia in Russian for $25. I saw the same ones in shops near the temple already in 10. The calculation is simple - tourists, without having time to adapt to the local economic conditions and, in anticipation of meeting a piece great history, cannot adequately assess the price level. For a tourist, in principle, 25 dollars is not that much money, but the reality is that here it is a huge capital.
Angkor Wat, originally dedicated to the god Vishnu, from an architectural point of view combines the typology of a Hindu temple-mountain, representing the mythical Mount Meru - the abode of the gods
and the typology of galleries characteristic of the architecture of later periods.
The stones that make up the structure are extremely smooth, almost like polished marble.
It is surprising that without mortar the stones fit so tightly together that the seams between them are sometimes impossible to find. Stone blocks sometimes have no joints and are held together only by their own weight.
Modern estimates were made, according to which it turned out that the construction of just one Angkor Wat temple in our time would take hundreds of years. However, Angkor Wat was started soon after Suryavarman II's accession to the throne, and completed soon after his death, that is, no more than 40 years later.
The temple consists of three concentric rectangular buildings, the height of which increases towards the center, surrounded along the perimeter by a wall of 1.5 x 1.3 km and a moat with water, the length of which is 3.6 km. The interior structure contains five lotus-shaped towers. The 65m high central tower is very impressive. The total area of Angkor Wat is 200 hectares. There are such small buildings on its territory.
In the 15th century it ceased to be used and was abandoned. Opened to European civilization in 1860.
One of the first Western visitors to the temple was António da Madalena (a Portuguese monk), who visited it in 1586, he described what he saw as follows: “this is such an unusual structure that it is impossible to describe it with a pen, especially since it is unlike any other building in the world. It has towers and decorations and all the subtleties that human genius can imagine.”
Khmer temples were not a meeting place for believers, but served as a dwelling place for the gods, and access to their central buildings was open exclusively to representatives of the religious and political elite. What makes Angkor Wat special is that it was also intended to be a burial place for kings.
The architecture of Angkor Wat is organically combined with its sculptural design. On the three tiers of the temple's bypass galleries there are bas-reliefs on the themes of Hindu mythology, the ancient Indian epics "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata", as well as on the theme of Khmer history.
The most notable are the 8 huge panels on the first tier with the compositions “Churning the Milk Ocean” (they churned the milk ocean with a mountain to obtain the divine drink of immortality and gain power over the universe), “The Battle of Kurukshetra” and others, total area which is 1200 m 2. The walls of the second tier are decorated with about 2000 figures of heavenly maidens - apsaras. By and large, all surfaces, columns, lintels and even roofs are covered with carvings.
The 4.5 meter outer wall is surrounded by a 190 meter wide moat.
Access to the temple is carried out along an earthen embankment from the east, and from the west along the crest of a sandstone dam. The entrance to the west is the main entrance and there may have been a wooden bridge here in the past instead of a dam. Each cardinal direction has its own gorupa (gate tower that serves as the entrance to the temple complex). Accordingly, the western gorup is the largest, it consists of three, now destroyed, towers.
Much of the area is now covered in forest. The western group is connected to the temple by a three hundred and fifty meter stone road (platform) with a balustrade in the form of Naga figures. The road has six exits into the city on each side. A cruciform terrace guarded by lion figures connecting a stone road to the complex itself and ponds were added later.
This is where we first finished our acquaintance with ancient Khmer and world history. We returned to our room at 19-00 and went for a walk around the city at night. Are you here
Good luck friends!
Kingdom of Cambodia - Lost city and snow-white beaches - a note for tourists. Useful articles on “Subtleties of Tourism”.
For many Russian tourists Holidays in Cambodia have become quite popular and a priority. A tour to Cambodia will not leave even the most sophisticated traveler without impressions.
Cambodia is a country located in Southeast Asia in the south of the Indochina Peninsula, bordered on the east by Vietnam, on the north by Laos, and on the northwest by Thailand. The country's shores overlook the Gulf of Thailand in the South China Sea. Cambodia is rich in unique religious and architectural monuments. One of the main attractions is the ancient temple complex of Angkor Wat, which people from all over the world come to see every year.
Angkor Wat is the largest temple complex in the world, a unique monument of religion and culture, awarded the right to be depicted on the national flag of Cambodia. Every year, Angkor Wat is visited by more than two million people from different parts of the planet, constantly admiring the incredible beauty and grandeur of the grandiose religious structure.
The name of the temple fully corresponds to its monumental splendor: the name Angkor Wat in translation means the phrase “temple city”. It is often called the best example of traditional architecture, a monument that laid the foundation for the Khmer canons of construction. However, the history of the temple is complex and confusing. According to some assumptions, Angkor Wat does not belong to the heritage of the Khmer civilization, since it is an atypical building for them. Today it is known that the Angkor Wat temple complex was built in the 12th century, during the reign of King Suryavarman II in the Khmer Empire.
By purchasing tours to Cambodia, you get a unique opportunity to choose excursion route or combine a holiday on the snow-white beaches of Cambodia with sightseeing.
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After wonderful excursion programs the ancient temples of Angkor are worth going on holiday to the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, in resort town Sihanoukville. This is the most Big City in a country located on the sea. Sihanoukville is very young, it arose in the 50s of the 20th century and played the role of a large deep-water port, and later, twenty years later, it turned into an elite seaside resort. The rapid development of Sihanoukville began around the 1990s and continues today, with new upscale hotels constantly being built and the necessary tourism infrastructure being improved. The beaches of Sihanoukville are famous for their fine golden sand and azure clear waters of the sea. There are almost no nightclubs, discos and similar entertainment here, but in Sihanoukville you can feel the spirit of real Southeast Asia, see its stunning natural beauty and colorful national traditions. The resort offers visitors a variety of activities aquatic species sports and a large selection of excursions, including trips to nearby islands where you can enjoy sea fishing. The best way to start getting acquainted with the nature of Cambodia is to travel to National Park Ream. For many tourists, tours to Cambodia with a seaside holiday are a great opportunity not only to get acquainted with the traditions of the ancient Khmers, but also to experience the beauty of the best beaches.
Ream is one of the largest national parks country, at the same time well guarded and the most comfortable for guests. The park is located southeast of Sihanoukville, very close to the city, and occupies a huge area containing several ecosystems. Here you can see plants of the marine coastal zone, tropical and mangrove forests. Ream Park is home to many species of animals, including those that are in danger of complete extinction and have been taken under state protection. Along special trails in the park you can make walking tours and watch colorful butterflies and amazing birds, some species of which are found only in Cambodia or Southeast Asia.
In the morning, something very special awaits us at the residence of the Buddhist patriarch. Only for those who have a dream, the monks will perform the Sroy Tek ritual. Now your dreams will definitely come true!
Then let's take a leisurely look Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda are the main attractions of the city.
But our dinner is again completely unusual: hospitable Irina, one of the “first Russian Cambodians,” is waiting for us in her restaurant. Irina will tell guests about the local fruits and teach them how to properly serve Cambodian fruit dessert. This is delicious! And very unusual! It’s not good to reveal other people’s secrets, but what kind of moonshine does Irina make from pineapple...
Memories of the terrible times of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge will not leave anyone indifferent.
Now is the time to browse Phnom Penh's markets - the Yellow and Russian markets. Exhausting shopping! But, on the other hand, how can you return home without gifts and souvenirs?!
Exit Sihanoukville. To the ocean! To the beach! In the sun!
Today we will interrupt your lazy beach holiday to meet Nikolai Doroshenko, the owner of Snake House, the prototype of one of the heroes of the film “The Golden Ratio”. He will talk about the fauna of Southeast Asia and introduce snakes from his living “collection.” He will teach you how to handle them and even... “milk” them to collect poison. The bravest ones will even (don’t be alarmed: strictly at will!) experience a snake bite.
You can also have lunch at the Snake restaurant.
Sea, beach, bliss! How do you like the idea of riding along the most interesting islands? Coral reefs, snorkeling, fishing? Want to stay sunbathing on the beach? Your will, of course, but...
Departure to international Airport Phnom Penh. Flight to Hanoi 17-50 - 21-00, hotel accommodation. Night in Vietnam.
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Arrival in Saigon at 08-45 am, Flight Saigon - Siem Reap 12-00 - 13-00.
Arrival at Siem Reap airport, hotel accommodation.
Take a breather after a long flight. Wander the streets, take your first photos, feel the aromas of Southeast Asia.
In the evening we start: dinner awaits us to the tunes of a national dance show.
Angkor was once a huge city, the capital of the powerful Khmer Empire. Its ancient majestic monasteries have been preserved, testifying to the strength of spirit and faith of the ancient Khmers. For example, Angkor Wat, the main Hindu temple.
After lunch - Khmer dance lesson. You won’t necessarily learn it right away, but you will definitely admire the ancient, very beautiful, complex temple art.
Travel to Beang Mealea Temple and Koh Keh. Beng Mealea translates to "Lotus Lake". This is the second largest temple in Cambodia, it has been preserved in its original form and is buried in the jungle: a fabulous picture! Koh Ke is an ancient city, one of the capitals of the Great Khmer Empire. Main temple the city of Prasat Thom is a seven-step pyramid, very similar to the Mexican ones.
There is no restaurant on site in Beang Mealea, but we will take care of a delicious picnic - perhaps the most unusual thing in your biography. On the way back to Siem Reap, local residents are waiting for us to visit. In one village we will learn all the secrets of Cambodian moonshiners who make rice vodka. And in another, we will help a family prepare palm sugar, the raw material for which, as the name implies, is palm sap.
In the evening, enjoy a Khmer massage.
Travel to sacred mountain Phnom Kulen. We will visit an ancient and very beautiful pagoda, wash ourselves in the Thousand Lingams stream, and take pictures against the backdrop of the waterfalls of Mount Kulen. We will visit the Pink Temple of Banteay Srei.
And in the evening, upon returning to Siem Reap, we will practice the art of preparing Khmer cuisine.
Departure to the capital of Cambodia - Phnom Penh. On the way we will stop at Sombor Prey Kuk to see temples from the pre-Angkorian period that look like inverted Mexican pyramids. .
On your way to lunch, you can try world-famous local delicacies: fried field cockroaches, tarantula spiders, scorpions stuffed with worms or deep-fried locusts. Don't be scared! The most impressionable ones will be offered quite ordinary dishes.
Having reached the capital, we will check into a hotel and go for a walk around the city.
Departure from Moscow at 19-00 on Vietnam airlines.
A group of archaeologists in Cambodia made a sensational discovery - an ancient lost city that had been searched for for decades was discovered in the impenetrable jungle. 
The exact location of the city, until recently, was hidden from the general public, thanks in part to the inaccessible terrain covered in minefields and swamps, as well as the unfriendly settlements of Khmer ethnic minorities hidden in dense forests: tribes far from civilization and professing animism. 
Not long ago, I came across a map of a lidar survey of part of Phnom Kulen Mountain. There was fragmentary information and coordinates of one of the objects ancient city Mahendraparvatas, located just 27 km from Wat Phrea Ang Thom temple, on Mount Kulen. 
Using the scant information about the location of the ancient city, we deciphered the map and, applying it to GPS, planned a walking trek along the excavation route. In this article you can familiarize yourself with the results of our walking expedition to the area of the ancient city of Mahendraparvata, carried out on February 23 and 24, 2016. We set out along the route early in the morning. The entire area around the ancient city is overgrown with impenetrable tropical forest. 
In the forest there are paths blazed by poachers extracting valuable tree species, as well as by sappers clearing some areas of mines. 
Kulen plateau It was a stronghold of the Khmer Rouge in recent times and became accessible to archaeologists only in the 1990s. You can read about the history of the Khmer Rouge in the article 
There is currently no way to visit the excavation site by car. 
The paths in the forest give way to swampy areas and thickets of yellowed grass, in which the full range of poisonous snakes living in this region is found. 
Pedestrian trekking along the route is complicated by clearing the area and carefully monitoring reptiles. We chose not to think about mines, relying on the fact that archaeologists and activists from the mine clearance group had gone this way before us. 
For the first 25 kilometers we did not meet a single living soul along the route. Only giant silent trees hiding centuries-old secrets of ancient civilizations. 
Unexpectedly, a clearing opened up to us with a characteristic mark of the ubiquitous Apsara fund, from which we concluded that we were already close to the first object: 
The main secret is in detection ancient cities in Cambodia is that on the territory of the Kulen plateau, as in the main part of the country, the terrain is extremely flat, and any mound or unevenness on the earth’s surface is nothing more than an archaeological site covered with sediment of sand and withered leaves. 
Excavations of an ancient city in Cambodia
Any such irregularities indicate the presence of human settlement.
Our intuition did not deceive us, and now a clearing with the first archaeological objects opened before our eyes:
There were five rectangular prasats (brick towers) in the clearing, of which only one has survived:
Inside the towers and in the area around we found these artifacts:
Based on the similarity in size, these two elements resemble some kind of installation with a lid
with characteristic high-tech processing.
The purpose of these objects is not entirely clear, nor is the reason why such elaborate and difficult doorways were installed in simple brick structures.
After a thorough inspection of the nearby area, we discovered three more dilapidated complexes, consisting of similar brick towers, on a laterite platform.
Each of them contained a stone artifact unlike the others. These could be ancient wells, water purification systems, or something else.
These structures have long since disappeared into the jungle, leaving only traces in the form of mounds and depressions that are easily visible among the trees and overgrowth, and which are hidden by the moss-covered ruins of the temple.
The mounds are several meters in diameter and to the untrained eye they look like ordinary natural hills. However, archaeologists know that they mean much more.
Scientists suggest that the population ancient city of Mahendraparvata died out due to lack of water - the land's resources were exhausted and not restored, and people had to go in search of territories conducive to the prosperity of life.
Moreover, the mystery is the mysterious objects of the ancient city that have stood for centuries, unique, technologically skillful stone carvings, and unparalleled engineering structures, the intended use of which has not yet been solved.
You can read about the intended purpose of some artifacts in the article:
The most interesting objects were found 6 kilometers to the north:
Archaeological maps claim that these are nothing more than quarries in which stone was mined for the construction of Angkor.
On lava that solidified thousands of years ago, artificial excavations and perfectly even cuts are clearly visible:
The giant structures of ancient Angkor were built from the stones mined from these quarries.
In the center of a kilometer-long area, lined with lines of excavations and rectangular trenches, a laterite pyramid rises.
The pyramid is crowned with a destroyed brick prasat, inside of which, however, another mysterious installation has been preserved:
Let me give some historical accounts of what it is:
Archaeologists are sure that this structure is called
Yoni
(Old Indian yoni, “source”), in ancient Indian mythology and various movements of Hinduism, a symbol of the divine productive force. Cult yoni appears to date back to the earliest period of Indian history.
Worship within Indian culture yoni most clearly visible in the mythology and rituals of Shaivism and related sects, where yoni revered in conjunction with the corresponding male symbol - lingoy(creative beginning) as a natural energy that contributes to its manifestation, as well as a way to obtain “sacred” healing water.
The water that falls on the top of the Linga and flows into the Yoni is considered sacred and endowed with healing properties.
All found Yoni have this ideal processing
Enough interesting fact is the presence under each "Yoni" a shaft that goes vertically underground. In some natural depressions you can see shafts filled with sand and compressed leaves. 
In these photographs you can see perhaps the last of the untouched mines, which we have cleared a little of the cultural layer. 
Some information from the press about the discovery and research in the area of the ancient city of Mahendraparvata:
The ancient city of Mahendraparvata, which disappeared in the wilds of the tropical forest, was previously known only from legends.
Mahendraparvata or "Mountain of the Great God Indra", - this name has been brought to this day by an inscription on one of the ancient temples discovered 40 kilometers from this place. In 2013, in the jungles of Cambodia, Australian archaeologists using a Lidar laser system discovered an ancient lost city. 
Ancient city in Cambodia, lost 1,200 years ago on a foggy mountainside, archaeologists have tried to find repeatedly. So, in 1936, an expedition of the French archaeologist and art historian Philippe Stern explored the Kulen plateau. He discovered previously unknown temples and statues of Vishnu and described the area as the first mountain temple complex. But only an expedition of scientists from the University of Sydney finally managed to find the ancient city itself. 
The organization of the study was supported by the Cambodian Office APSARA (Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap), who is in charge of security archaeological sites Angkor and the entire province of Siem Reap. 
An archaeological expedition whose goal was to find Mahendraparvata city, led by Damian Evans from the University of Sydney and Jean-Baptiste Chevance from the Archeology and Development Foundation (London). The team presented preliminary results in June 2013. An important feature of the expedition was the use of a Lidar device attached to the helicopter to scan the Kulen area and subsequently mark the city on the map. The results of the first land expedition of a group of Australian archaeologists are mentioned in the article: 
Surveying an area using lidar involves frequently emitting generator signals and measuring their return time. The slightest change in time is instantly calculated by the system. 
Later, using Lidar technology, another 30 previously unknown temples were discovered. “Suddenly appeared before us the whole city, whose existence no one suspected. The impression cannot be expressed in words,”- says Evans, not hiding his amazement. 
In addition, scientists discovered a complex network of roads, dams and ponds that formed the city's infrastructure. While scanning the area, the laser locator also detected numerous hills scattered throughout the city. 
According to the preliminary assumption of archaeologists, these are temple and burial mounds. “What we saw looks like the central part of the city. There is still a lot of work ahead; we need to learn more about this civilization.”, - said the leader of the expedition. 
Discovered ancient city of Mahendraparvata Historians date it back to the era of the Khmer Empire in Cambodia. The name Mahendraparvata, meaning “Mountain of the Great Indra,” was first discovered by scientists in the inscriptions on the Ak Yum Temple in the Angkor region. The founding period of the city dates back to the reign of Jayavarman II, who is considered the founder of the Khmer Empire. During excavations of an ancient city in Cambodia, scientists came to the conclusion that the city he founded was one of the three capitals of the empire, among which Amarendrapura and Hariharalaya were also listed. According to Dr. Evans, the decline of civilization could have occurred as a result of deforestation and water supply problems. The expedition team dated the founding of Mahendraparvata to 802 AD. Thus, the city was founded before the famous Angkor Wat by about 350 years. Recall that Angkor Wat is a giant Hindu temple complex in Cambodia, dedicated to the god Vishnu. It is one of the largest religious buildings ever created and one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. You can read in more detail about the history of Angkor Wat in the article: Thus, thanks to modern technologies, today scientists have managed to uncover the mystery of the history of the Khmer Empire. However, despite the significance of the discovery, the most important finds are probably still ahead for archaeologists. 
The main goal of our mission was achieved - this is indisputable proof of the existence of a long-destroyed ancient city of Mahendraparvata, which each of you will be able to see and touch with your own hands. 
In the bed of the dried river you can see the so-called cultural layer, in which fragments of ceramics and other artifacts stand out. 
These finds will help shed light on the history of human civilization.
On special request we provide trekking walking tours for the excavations of the ancient city of Mahendraparvata, as well as day excursions on motorcycles with a driver, as part of individual tours: