Mystic Cambodia

Cambodia, the country called me 3 times in 2009. I had initially signed up for Gold Coast trip, however that trip was cancelled due to low response. Instead another friend asked me whether I wanted to visit Cambodia with her. Hence in December 2009, I visited the Cambodia - a place so mysterious and historical.

Cambodia, officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. With a total landmass of 181,035 square kilometres, it is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest.

On arrival at Siem Reap, we were whisked off  for our visit to the floating village of Chong Khneas.
It was located at the edge of the Tonle Sap Lake. This is about 20 – 30 minutes from the center of Siem Reap.

We sat on the motorized boat, with the driver and the boat guide. The motorized boat went through the floating village for about 20minutes. There I witnessed how thankful I am to be in Singapore, seeing how the people lead their lives. This was where the people lived and the children were educated in the floating schools. The was was not remotely clean. People in the village still use it was for washing and bathing. They travel by boats or swim to get to their destination.

 Can you imagine living life on this village?

 The beautiful Sunset - took my breadth away, just admiring creation

 The following day we visited Ta Prohm Temple, also known as 'Tomb Raider Temple"

Ta Prohm is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the Bayonstyle largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. It is located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray.

 Pat at Ta Prohm Temple

Witness the enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers embrace themselves in the stone foundations of the structure.

The photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. This temple, adapted from Bayon Style, was built during the late 12th and early 13th centuries, during the reign of King Jayavarman VII (AD 1181 - 1120) as a place of worship for Brahmans and Buddhists. The temple is 42 meters long, 36 meters wide and

11 meters high. Today the temple body, the gallery, the wal, the (gateway) and the moat surrounding the temple are heavily damaged. The temple was constructed of brick and laterite and devided into many rooms

 The enigmatic smiling faces of Bayon

The Bayon  is a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th century or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. Following Jayavarman's death, it was modified and augmented by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious preferences.

 The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak.

 The face of Bayon along the narrow corridor

 Sern Yin & Pat

 Series of colossal human faces carved in stones

 Angkor Wat, one of the 7 wonders of the New World

 Angkor Wat  is the largest Hindu temple complex in the world, situated at Angkor, Cambodia, built by KingSuryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, thenBuddhist. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia,appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.

Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatasadorning its walls.

 Our final stop for the day was to ascend Bakheng Hill to view the spectacular sunset over Anglor Wat. For me, this was an experience, the steps were very steep, we had to hold on to each other and to the railing. Our feet had to be in the 45 degree position for both ascend and descend of the climb.


It was a long steep path climb to Phnom Bakheng with some steps on the east side of the monument (height 67 meters, 220 feet)

Witness the sunset for a panoramic view of Angkor and its environment. The golden hues of the setting sun on this vista are a memorable sight. What a beauty Cambodia. Thank you for the memories.