Thursday, April 17, 2014

Lotus garden, Phnom Krom and a Boxing day!

Most tourists and travelers visit Siem Reap just for Angkor temples and rightly so. There is not much else to do in the town unless you are ready to find and experience new things yourself. On one particular afternoon, me, Kim and Bjorn set off to explore the town and check out few souvenir shops. It was a red, hot day as usual and we kept ourselves hydrated by drinking a lot of water. There are many markets in the city center and all claiming to be original markets. All these markets have similar stuff to sell though. Key-chains, bracelets, jewelry, bags, paintings brandishing Ankor temples during different times of the day, sketches, postcards, small idols of Hindu gods and so on.  We stopped briefly for lunch and then continued walking again, a cold coffee in hand...aimlessly. In spite of the heat, the time went by pretty fast and it was 4 on the clock already, sun starting to go down slowly. Tired, we sat at the canal, staring at the water and enjoying the cool breeze. And out of nowhere, I said, "Let's go to Phmom Krom....it's supposed to be a nice hill with temple ruins on top...view from the top will be awesome..and sunset also". As I said this, a big mass of cloud had started to gather and cover the sky. Kim said she wasn't really interested in anymore activity and wanted to go back to hotel to take rest. But Bjorn was all up for it. So me and Bjorn picked up a tuk tuk, negotiated the fair at $ 7 for a return trip and were off!
Phnom Krom is around 15 kms from the city and is on the way to famous floating village of Chong Kneas. (Do not got to Chong Kneas. It's a rip off. I had to pay $ 25 for a very short trip. The guide was useless and arrogant and kept asking for donations and tip. Not the best 25 bucks I spent in my life.) The road to the hill is not in a very good condition and we felt the bumps throughout our body as the suspension of our tuk-tuk failed miserably. We past numerous small houses on stilts on the canal side and many locals smiling at us. Within 20 minutes we had left crowded streets and houses behind and we were on a street with rice fields on either sides. The rice fields stretched as far as the our naked eyes could see, dotted with palm trees every now and then. Since the weather had taken a turn, the evening had become cooler and Bjorn was sure that it would be second time I would be leading him into rain. Soil on the street kept creating clouds of dust as our tuk-tuk continued on and on. And all of a sudden, scene on our right side changed. Instead of rice fields, the whole ground was covered with lotus farms, with squarish ditches filled with water, lotus leaves covering the surface and thousands of pink lotus flowers jutting out...all together creating very beautiful image. We decided to take a stop and went into the farm. A small family of husband and wife, welcomed us into the farm. They didn't know much English but were communicating through their eyes and smiles. Bjorn decided to surprise Kim and bought a couple of flowers from them and then we were off again.
We reached the base of the hill and it had already started to get dark, especially because of presence of clouds. As we started to climb the stairs, a distant thunder made us believe that we will be soaking wet in next 15 minutes. But we continued on. As the steps end, a small winding road leads the path upwards. On one side is the hill itself and on the other vast, stretching rice fields and beyond that....the famous Tonle Sap lake, which looks almost like an ocean. We kept walking as the cold wind ruffled our hair. It was quiet, really quiet and the hill looked totally deserted. As we reached the landing, there was no one to be seen except a few monks hurrying to their quarters. There is a small modern temple on the top which looks nothing like Angkorian and going around it, we did not come across any other ruins. Dejected, we felt that we came on a wrong hull. A path, straight ahead of this modern temple takes you to a cliff which has a big tower, maybe a telecommunication/satellite tower. Reaching this point we could see the whole view of Siem Reap and the rice fields that lay before it. We tried to spot Ankor wat from there, but could not...thanks to the storm reducing our visibility. And as we turned back, behind the modern temple and on a little elevated ground, we could see old temple ruins. The time was against us and it was getting dark, so we rushed towards this marvel. These temple ruins, presumably date back before the more famous Angkor wat was built. There are around six small temples, each one in ruin, carved out of black stone. Lack of attention and conservation has resulted in decay of this temple. But you can almost imagine, standing there, how magnificent these would have been before the time consumed their magnificence. The wind blows from all the sides and you get a feeling of being in the middle of nowhere. I started to shoot a video, trying to cover the state of these temples, the rustling of tree leaves, a distant roar of thunder and as I pointed my camera towards the sky, there was a great lightening; it was so big and so bright that it almost made me take step back. I had witnessed it and I had it on my camera...I was feeling particularly thrilled!
The sun had set beyond the ocean -like lake, sky had begun to darken even more and we started to descend. Soon, we were heading back towards the city, the feel of exhilaration and thrill still in our minds. This time, there was no rain though...only clouds and thunders.
All this excitement, I think, helped me to do something I never had done before. Eating a giant spider. Yes! A big, black, slithery, hairy...spider. Almost like a tarantula. I broke one of it's many hairy legs and put in my mouth as Kim and Bjorn acted as photographers. It took more courage than appearing for an interview as I chewed it and swallowed it. Actually, I must admit, it wasn't bad. It tasted a bit like....nothing! No taste..just something crispy in my mouth. But as I ate the middle part, it was more juicy and had taste like some sort of sea food, maybe squid, flavored with chocolate. It was yet another adventure!
There is one thing you should not miss when in Cambodia and it's Kickboxing. Like many other South East Asian countries, kick boxing is quite of a craze in Cambodia. And hence, when I saw a board advertising kick boxing matches in my hotel, I decided to buy the ticket. The ticket was $ 15 and was for much awaited international event. Match between Thailand and Cambodia. My hotel manager allowed me to go with him and his friends and as we were heading to the arena, he told me that Thailand are the favorites as they have much better boxers than Cambodia. The arena had a normal sized boxing ring in the middle, surrounded with seats rising gradually on all sides except one. One side was a podium where guests would be sitting. Within 15 minutes the arena was packed, mostly with locals. Each match has 5 rounds lasting a few minutes. Judges on all the sides of the ring were counting the score.
The opener was a match between two Cambodians and then began. The noise from the crowd was still subdued, perhaps they were reserving it for more important matches ahead. As the more important match began...the first one between Thailand and Cambodia, traditional music started to play. Coupe of guys came in the center, both dressed in suits and introduced the players in typical, high pitched voices. Standing up, I saw that the music was not recorded and rather it was life music being played by some people using traditional instruments. As the music started its slow rhythm, both the fighters began to move their body slowly, crouching every now and then or sitting on one knee, their hands moving and joining together in the form of traditional greeting. It was a traditional dance, which also served as a kind of warm up for the fighters. The bell rang, and the fighters were ready. They were not lunging at each other...rather waiting for right moment, judging their opponents. Crowd was getting restless, each casual punch or kick drew shouts from crowds. Soon, they were closing on each other, trying to dominate. Crowd was on their feet. There was shouting and many people raised there hands and shouted at each other and then shook their hands. I could not believe. This was the rawest form of betting I had seen till now! I spent too much time looking at the crowd and a big roar from crowd made me look back at the ring. The Cambodian fighter had knocked down the Thai fighter. The referee and medical staff checked the Thai fighter, helped him on his feet and the winner's name was announced. Delighted, the Cambodian fighter leapt from the ring and into the crowd, where he was given dollars upon dollars by delighted crowd. Next four matches went the similar way, but towards the last match, the whole crowd was on their feet. A local guy next to me knew a bit of English and he told me about sad state the Cambodian boxers are in. He told me, looking sad "They don't get money...not much...not from government..if they win, they can go to crowd and ask tips. Most of them are tuk-tuk drivers". Now I was looking at them from a different angle. Their eyes and their expressions were clearer now, which carried a sort of hunger. It was not about winning and it was not about glory. It was about food and running a family!



Thursday, April 10, 2014

Nostalgic rain..

Herman Melville, in his perhaps the most famous piece of literature, Moby Dick, says that every human being desires the Ocean and wants to get as close to the Sea as possible without getting the feet wet. I feel the similar thing about the first rain, the rain that comes after the earth is left in scorching heat for months in a row. Every living creature desires the rain then and not only to watch it from as close as possible, but to get drenched in it. Every person has some memories assigned to the first rain, may it be time spent with family or friends or a nice cup of tea they had while enjoying the rain or maybe a game of football they played as kids, soaking wet. These memories come flourishing back with first rains every year and that is why everyone craves for it so much. It's the nostalgia and it's very hard to ignore it.
So after being in the scorching heat in this part of the world, I started dreaming about rain and the scent it carries with it. Huong decided to stay back in the hotel to mend to the sub burns he got the previous day, but me and Yu-shin were keen on going to the water for a swim. And once again, as Herman Melville wrote that "let the most absent-minded of men be plunged in his deepest reveries--stand that man on his legs, set his feet a-going, and he will infallibly lead you to water", our feet carried us to an island and then to the calm waters on the other side, with white sand on the shore giving it a beach like feel. The walk was painful, the Sun was persistent and we were sweating to the core. The white sand that looks so beautiful in the pictures was hot as frying pan on the stove. Our flip flops weren't great help and it turned out to be a walk on burning coals. I looked hopefully at the sky, looking for sign of rains, saying "how much hotter can it get!". But no signs of the dark clouds. It was a bright day as any. With a sigh, we continued the walk toward the water. The great Mekong is silent here, on the western edge of the island. The water is calm and the sun makes it really warm, making it perfect for a swim. We began where we had left the previous day, Yu-shin giving me tips about free stroke and how to improve my stamina and me managing to get more water in my lungs than the day before. The heat had taken its toll and my head was swimming more than I was, so I decided to practice no more and sat down in knee deep water. Yu-shin continued to show his skills in the water and swam like a fish for a long time. There was a loud thunder then and I looked up. Still no clouds. I started to think about the fighter planes and war that once raged in the country and then started to formulate plans in my mind if the war starts again. Where to hide? Where to run? Deep in my rescue planning, I didn't realise when did the weather change from scorching hot to pleasant and breezy. I closed my eyes and felt the breeze on my face. It was flowing from the west. Always a good sign! The coconut trees on the other side of the river were now swaying merrily and a large mass of dark cloud appeared on the western horizon. I didn't want to get my hopes too high, but I could smell the rain then. The breeze grew stronger and converted itself into wind. The river surface now had ripples, almost wave-like, each one trying to race each other to reach the shore. The water where I sat started to sway stronger and stronger, making me move with it. And the power of wind brought clouds closer and closer. We knew then that we were going to witness a splendid rain and so came out of the water and sat under the dark clouds, chewing on lotus seeds....watching. The south western shore of the river became fainter, almost as if someone had pulled a transparent curtain between us and that shore. The rain had arrived and it had brought that fresh smell I was so craving for. Yu-shin said "We are at perfect spot" and I agreed. We could almost feel the rain closing on us and soon it came down upon us with all its might. The temperature reduced significantly and we started to feel cold for a change. We retreated back to the warmer waters of Mekong and once again sat there, getting splashed on the face with huge rain drops. Millions of rain drops, now the size of a grape were lashing the river and bouncing off its surface, creating an illusion that the river was sending jets of water to the sky. It was an amazing sight.
I did not realise how long I sad there as nostalgia had taken over me. First rains of each monsoon during my lifetime flashing before my eyes. I could almost smell "Masala chai" that my dad makes so well or smell home made snacks that my mom cooks so well, specially during rainy season. It brought to my memory the puddles of water created due to potholes on the road and kids jumping in the puddles splashing water everywhere, shouting with joy. I could see the people smiling all around and relief on their faces that the first rain brings. Those smiles and those faces are care free.
A strong, cold wind made me shudder and I looked where Yu-shin sat, his face upwards and his eyes closed. He was too gripped by the same kind of nostalgia I guess. Some say that nostalgia is not good, or that it's denial of painful present. But I don't care. It makes you feel alive and as I mention, its really hard to ignore it!

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

To the land of Angkor

My routine for seven days on 4000 islands was something like this: Get up, breakfast, hammock, pineapple shake, a shower, lunch, hammock, pineapple shake, a shower, blogging, sketching, hammock, reading, a bit of nature show, dinner a shower and then bed. As you can see, it was quite a busy schedule and by end of one week I felt pretty tired.
Leaving behind these good memories, Me and Lauren (Patrick decided to stay back one more day) took a long bus to Siem Reap. The border to Cambodia was only an hour from  Cambodia. Border crossing was one of the easiest, as everyone on the bus gave the passports to the bus guys to get the visas done. So, it was just two of us, applying ourselves. It took about 10 minutes to get the visa done and almost the same cost as the bus guys offered us. But there was sort of an adventure-feel to getting it done ourselves.

Border crossing- Visa office of Cambodia

What was promised to be 9 hours bus ride, took more than 15 hours and we reached Siem Reap in the wee hours of morning. Thankfully though, there is no scarcity of Tuk Tuks in this part of the world and the time of the day or night does not matter. We quickly negotiated the price with one tuk tuk guy and he took us through the sleepy streets of this city to a hotel.
The next day was a blur as we slept through most of it. In the evening that day, I took a walk to the famous Pub Street which is filled with western bars and restaurants. At one glance, I realised that staying in this city was not going to be cheap.

The famous pub street

We decided to see the famous Angkor temples the next day early morning and rented the bicycles.
Determined to see the sunrise over the temples, we set off at 5.30 in the morning, when it was still very dark. Lauren realised that there was some problem with her bike as it took too much efforts to make it move forward. By the time we reached the Angkor she was sweating heavily. I was thrilled to see the outer walls a little ahead, but we were stopped by security guards asking us for tickets. It was a 7 km long road and we had not come across any ticket counter. To our surprise and our dejection, the guard told us that there are two roads to come to Angkor and ticket booth is only on one of them! We were going to miss the sunrise. Not believing our luck, we went back the whole way to our hotel and changed Lauren's bike for a better one and then set off once again!
So 21 kms later, cycles parked outside and tickets in our hand, we entered the walls of the 8th wonder of the world, Angkor Wat. This world's largest religious monument was built by a Khmer king Suryavarnam II in 12th century and served first as a Hindu temple and then a Buddhist temple. It was dedicated by the kind to the Hindu god Vishnu. The temple is protected by a moat which is 190 m wide. As you go through the gates of outer wall and stand on the causeway, you can't help but feel stunned at the sight of this marvel. As we kept walking on the causeway, our eyes beheld this piece of archaeological perfection. The walls of the temples are carved with stories from Hindu mythology such as Mahabharatha or churning of ocean of milk. The whole structure is so huge that it would take almost whole day to see each of its part. Going through numerous doors it felt like going back in time and indeed the temple is designed to reflect four ages, with central temple being the oldest age of mankind. The central temple has steps so steep that you have to be on all your fours to make it top, thereby forcing you to bow while climbing, showing humility to the great lord. Thankfully though, they have constructed wooden steps now which are not as steep and you can climb these much more easily. Inside the main structure are a few statues of Buddha, reflecting the conversion of the temple from Hinduism to Buddhism in the later part.

One of the many passageways

Some paints are still there

Oh that feel

Reliefs depicting a scene from Mahabharat


View from the top


Beautiful ruins

Angkor from distance

As we started to go back on the causeway, a pack of children came running around us saying in their innocent voices "Sir, mam, you want some postcards?, 10 for one dollar" and then they started counting the numbers to ten to prove that there were indeed ten postcards. There was some emotional blackmailing involved too, when a girl said "I don't have money to go to school, buy from me!". Please do not fall for this and buy if you really need postcards.
By the time we came out of this vast structure the sun was towering on us and we were sweating like hell. We continued on the bicycles to the temples of Angkor Thom which is around 3 kms from Angkor Wat. Angkor Thom was once a huge city and royals used to live there. Now its a land of the lost. The road leads you under one of the four entrance doors. Near the entrance, the bridge has statues of gods and demons on both sides, holding a big snake, again depicting the scene of ocean churning. The gate itself has a statue with head of the king on each side, smiling solemnly.

Demons holding Naga

The most famous temple in this lost city is the temple of Bayon, which has 54 similar statues with four heads facing East, West, North and South. 54 heads are for 54 provinces of the nation, showing that the king is looking after all his lands and subjects, no matter where they are. The faces have a distinct smile, which depict calmness at the same time showing the force of the king. Apart from these heads, the temple itself has really interesting architecture. There are small doorways and narrow passageways running like a puzzle. At times its very dark in the halls or the passages as hardly any light reaches there. In one such small hall, there is a Shiva Linga, a sacred symbol in Hinduism. Small stairs take you to different levels of temples and it feels as if you are in a scene from Tomb Raider. If you are there in the right time of the day, when there not too many tourists, the place be a little scary and can send some chills to your bones. Unlike Angkor Wat, bas-reliefs here are much different. While Angkor Wat shows legendary stories, Bayon depicts normal day life pictures such as fishing, farming or cock-fights. One wonders, if the different styles of the two temples also depict the nature of the kings themselves (as Lauren so rightly pointed out). While Suryavarman II wanted to show his power and wealth, Jayavarman, who built Bayon, was much more modest. And hence the structure itself is a bit more modest.

Small passages in Bayon

Bayon ruins

A Shiva Linga

Famous heads

The solemn smile

We continued to the next temple in line which was Baphuon. Archaeologists believe that Baphuon had a pyramid like structure, but most part of this temple is destroyed and now its pile of rubble and stones. Archaeologists are working hard to reconstruct the temple, but with not so much information, its like the world's biggest jigsaw puzzle. They have to figure out which stone goes where and it is going to take ages to bring the temple to its formal glory. We climbed the central pyramid like structure before setting off again to the last temple on our agenda.

At Baphuon

Half completed pyramid

Pyramid

Ta Phrom is a temple in the middle of a dense forest. As Lonely Planet rightly states, this is undoubtedly the most atmospheric ruin at Angkor. As we entered the forest area, I had a moment of pride, when on a board I read that the conservation of this temple was being financed by Indian Government. But I do not get the point of information plates being in Hindi language as well. I was probably the only Indian there.
As you enter this place, you will feel like being on a film set. The stones of the ruins are of dark shade at times covered with green fungus. Some of the structures have holes in the roofs or the entire roof missing and the lights throw shafts through these. But the most amazing thing about this place is the fact that a number of trees have grown directly through the stone structures, engulfing the walls in their branches, almost like a giant snake. These brown branches are everywhere and have grown in and around the temple structures. It's a brilliant place and you can't help but feel stunned. Naturally, it's also a famous place for taking pictures, and you have to wait anywhere between 10 minutes to 1 hour to get a clear shot of the structure. But patience rewards you and you should not be in hurry in the first place.

Ta Phrom



A famous photo point


Tomb raider like


A tree coming out of the stones


Ruins

Passageway at Ta Phrom


As we walked under these immense trees, through passageways and under small dark doorways, I completely lost track of time. I did not want to leave the place. I wanted to breath in the whole atmosphere. But more and more tourists came pouring in and soon the place became too crowded and lost the feel that I so much cherished. It was time to go.
Cycling more, we reached a huge lake where we took rest for sometime, before continuing our ride back to the hotel. Even though we did not stay back to watch the sunset at the temples, the sunset at the city was beautiful too. There was a sense of achievement after completing a long cycle ride, as we sat on the balcony of our hotel, sipping delicious cold coffee and watching the traffic below as the sun went down on the rooftops.