I got a
late start on Sunday.
It was
overcast when I set out, my bike clanking away as it does and me wondering if
it would last the day. It’s not a very long ride to the archeological park, to
Angkor Wat a bit further, and from there another few minutes to Angkor Thom.
I could
have started at Angkor Wat, but had discovered sometime during the week they
had elephant rides in Angkor Thom, and I thought only in the morning. They
normally go from the south gate of the city to the east gate of Bayon temple, but
when I got there they had moved up to the east gate already, and so just cycled
the rest of the way.
They were
now doing loops around the temple, and I parked my bike. The people running the
rides were very friendly. They can’t do rides for just one person, but quite
fortunately there was a friendly Malaysian guy who was also by himself, and so
it worked out perfectly. We waited for the elephants to come back and chatted amiably.
I bought a
pineapple to give to the elephant, and they cut it up into three pieces for me.
Most people seemed to be afraid of the elephants, kind of dropping the fruit
and running, but I know they’re very gentle and tried to wait while the trunk –
so delicate for such a big creature – wrapped around the fruit.
The ride
itself was bumpy, the little platform to hold us rocking back and forth as the
elephant shifted its weight, and not entirely comfortable. But it was really
cool. Afterwards, I set off to the temple, which turned into a much longer
adventure as I realized there were many more – Angkor Thom was, in fact, a
whole city – and it was going to take a lot more exploring than just checking
out Bayon.
The
adventure took me the entire morning, each again totally different from the
previous day and from each other, today an experiment in climbing very steep
stairs. The clouds had gone away, and the day was sweltering hot. The shade –
wherever I found it – was welcome, and by the time I started trying to find my
way back to Bayon, I realized I’d wandered very far.
There was
one thing of special note in this adventure, a stop by one of the huge shrines
surrounding the temple with the enormous statues of Buddha. I found one empty,
three ancient women sitting around with shaved heads and a great lack of teeth.
They smiled at me and waved me over, and I came gladly. I took the incense and
one showed me how to do the three bows, which I already knew, but let her show.
Then, she pointed me to her two colleagues, and one tied another bracelet
around my wrist. As she did so, all three came over, touching my hand with
theirs, and intoned the blessing together.
At the end,
the one put my hand to my head. They pointed me on to the next temple, and I
went, feeling quite touched.
When I
finally found my way back to my bike – taking a wrong turn and unnecessarily
wandering around the entire dang Bayon temple – I found the elephants gone, the
table gone, and a small plastic bag with some mysterious foodstuffs in my bike
basket. Wondering if they had been thrown there or left for me purposefully, I
headed off to the next stop, Ta Prohm, stopping to buy a one dollar pate
sandwich along the way.
Curiosity
killed the cat, and however much I had no clue what was in the bag, I had to
try it, finding it to be something fried, with some veggies in the middle. I didn’t
trust it, but had a few bites, and went off to explore.
By the time
I was on the road to Angkor Wat, I wasn’t feeling very well, though whether or
not that was the heat, a lack of water, the sun, or the mysterious foodstuff, I’m
still not sure. It was a full 7km to return to Angkor Wat and by the time I got
there I was seriously dragging. The sun was really overwhelming.
I parked
the bike and bought a cold water. I didn’t stay long. The temple looks like it
does in the picture, and is impressive for its sheer size – and I guess the
bas-reliefs, which I said I wasn’t much interested in. It was crowded, and
under construction, and I stayed long enough to feel the stones and then went
off in search of a rest and water.
Following
this, and feeling a bit better, though still hotter than I’ve ever been in my
life, I got back on the bike and dragged myself home, my body protesting the
entire way, and wasted no time in cranking the AC and going to bed.
Traveling
alone was nice for the freedom I had, though the day was a bit of a struggle,
most for the heat. I suppose I could have spent more time everywhere, but I
just didn’t feel the need. It was enough, as I said, to see them, and to feel
the stones.
By the
evening when the rains came, they were heartily welcome, and I again had dinner
with my new friends, this time joined by a couple of Dutch girls, as they were
sitting next to us and we just started chatting.
It set the
stage for Monday dinner, which is currently one of the fascinating experiences
I have ever had, and I guess that’s saying a lot. To be continued…
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