When you're in Siem Reap, home to Angkor Wat, could there be a reason not to visit the place that is the national symbol of Cambodia? During a recent work trip to the city, I happened to have a few.
Firstly, I had been to Angkor Wat and the other Khmer monuments in its vicinity before. Secondly, I had only a couple of free hours this time. The most important reason, however, was that so much has already been written about those world-famous sites. You can read about them from many sources, both in print and online. I wanted to see, and write for you, something about Siem Reap that is less known.
With a hardtail mountain bike borrowed from Shinta Mani Angkor, the upscale hotel I stayed in, I set off to explore the city as soon as a meeting was over. My butler, Nophon Ron, was kind enough to also be my ride buddy.
From Shinta Mani, located just a few minutes' bicycle ride to the city's Royal Residence and the major intersection where the northward road to Angkor Wat begins, Nophon first led me to the city's sacred sites near the intersection.
Our initial stops were at the King Master Statue and the shrine of Preah Ang Check Preah Ang Chorm. The first is situated in the middle of a smaller intersection, while the latter sits just across the road. Both are popular among the locals, who come to worship the respected images. At the latter, you can also watch live performances by a troupe of traditional musicians.
Just next to the shrine is a small park called the Royal Gardens. A lane running through the park from north to south is lined with tall trees that serve as roosting sites for a large colony of flying foxes. Too bad my mobile phone (I have long ditched heavy conventional cameras to make sure I will still have a healthy back when I get older) could not zoom in close enough to get a decent photo of the bats.
From that area, we cycled to the east side of the narrow Siem Reap river to Wat Bo, an old temple with intricate decorative details that come in many forms, from stucco works to paintings and wood carvings. It's a pity the temple's main building is now being scaffolded, meaning Nophon and I were able to appreciate only part of its exterior beauty.
Apart from Wat Bo, we also visited Psar Chas, aka the Old Market, and more temples, such as Wat Thmei, Wat Preah Prom Rath and Wat Athvear. The last one, south of the urban area and surrounded by farmland, also boasts a majestic Khmer ruin within its compound.
By now, some of you might notice that like the Thais, Cambodians use the word "wat" to refer to Buddhist temples. The fact is, there are so many other words our languages share; even our numerals are written almost identically. But the similarities do not end with words. Even with traditional architecture -- such as these temples, which belong to eras different from the stone structures of Angkor Wat -- one can see many similarities.
It doesn't matter to me who invented what. I'll leave that to the academics. The more important thing is that over the centuries, the relationship between the Thais and the Cambodians has been much deeper than politics; exchanges of art and culture have been going on at many levels and still play a great role in our lives. In short, we go way back.
I must admit, I didn't feel like this during my first visit to Siem Reap a decade ago. That trip was focused on those famous ancient Khmer monuments north of the downtown area. To me, the short ride in the city was no less eye-opening.
Well, see you here again soon. Until then, if you have questions, news or biking insights you wish to share, please feel free to send an email to pongpetm@bangkokpost.co.th or go to the Freewheel Bangkok community page on Facebook.
Pongpet Mekloy is the Bangkok Post's travel editor and a mountain-bike freak.
