Published on October 14, 2015 21:33

Itinerary summary: September 11-15 (5 days)

Route: Angkor small circle, big circle, outer circle

Number of people accompanying: 5

Travel mode: charter, humanistic exploration, free travel

Per capita consumption: 2500 yuan for food, housing and transportation

Khmer diary September 11, 2015 (1 day before entry)

Name card of Siem Reap: Angkor historic site (listed as cultural heritage by UNESCO in 1992)

Khmer Smile

History: Rise and fall

Cambodia has a long history and splendid culture. In 802 ad, King jayabama II of Angkor broke away from the rule of the Javanese and became independent. After more than 400 years of development, around 1218, during the period of jayabama VII, Angkor Dynasty reached an unprecedented peak, and its territory reached most of today's central South Peninsula, including most of today's Thailand, Laoguo and Vietnam. However, after the Siamese invasion in 1431, the temple was destroyed, the capital moved and the scenery disappeared. Since then, the most powerful Dynasty in Southeast Asia has declined. Today, when we visit Angkor, the imperial capital of that year, and stand in front of the ruins of this historical relic, we can still be shocked by its huge scale, exquisite design and magnificent architectural community!

Here are the reigns and buildings of Angkor's main kings.

Jayavarman II (802-850 A.D.) broke away from the Javanese rule and became independent in 802, building the lichishan area.

Indravarman I built the first reservoir, Shenniu temple and Bakong temple.

Yasovarman I moved his capital to Angkor from 889 to 900 A.D., and built the luolei temple, baken mountain and Dongchi.

Jayavarman IV usurped the throne and moved his capital to Gongkai.

Rajavan II (reign time 944-968) built the eastern meiben, Biri temple, Royal Bath and Queen's palace.

Jayavarman V (968-1001) built the Chajiao Temple (unfinished).

Suryavarman I (1002-1050) extended his rule to Laos and most of Thailand. The West Lake was built and the tea glue temple was completed.

Udayadityavarman II (1050-1066) built the Bafang temple, completed the Xichi and ximeben.

Suryavarman II (1113-1150) built the famous Angkor Wat, zhousa temple and bengmili.

Jayavarman VII (ruling time 1181-1218) reached the peak of his dynasty, with the construction of Angkor City, Bayon temple, Shengjian temple, bandekati temple, Nirvana palace, tabron temple and tasun temple.

Angkor historic sites in a narrow sense refer to more than 60 Angkor era ancient architectural communities around Siem Reap, Cambodia. In a broad sense, Angkor historic sites also include more than 50 Angkor era historical sites in Thailand and four Angkor era historical sites in Laos.

Historical remains around Siem Reap

Siem Reap is located in the northwest of Cambodia. It is famous for Angkor historic sites. Siem is Thailand. In the old days, Thailand was called Siam, which means defeat in the war. Through the name of the city, we can see the historical grievances between Thais and Cambodians. Siem Reap and nearby Battambang province were occupied by Thailand after the fall of Angkor Dynasty, and returned to Cambodia in the early 20th century.

Religion: Brahmanism and Buddhism

Angkor religion is rooted in foreign civilization. At the beginning of the dynasty, the king believed in Brahmanism from India. Now when we visit Angkor, almost all the relics are religious buildings, and the main theme is Brahmanism. Later, jayabama VII converted to Buddhism. Later, Buddhism began to appear in all aspects of architecture and social life. The king was no longer regarded as the incarnation of Vishnu. The king's personal worship ended and the dynasty declined. After the Siamese invasion, the Khmer people were forced to move their capital to Phnom Penh. Angkor has since been submerged in the rainforest. In the hundreds of years of Renaissance and industrial revolution, Khmer people were not reborn under the protection of Buddhism. In 1863 after the second Opium War, Cambodia and the whole Indochina Peninsula were under the colonial rule of the French. It was occupied by Japan again in 1940. After the surrender of Japan in 1945, French colonists made a comeback and invaded Cambodia again. In order to strive for independence and liberation, the Cambodian people have waged a long and heroic struggle. With the unremitting efforts of Prince Sihanouk, Cambodia finally gained full independence on November 9, 1953.

Buddhists: monks of Bakun monastery

FanJie: the light and wine of bar street

Spiderman and pop musicians

Siem Reap today

Siem reap has more than 900000 people in the whole province, and the population of Siem Reap is about 100000, which is the second largest city in Cambodia. Tourism is the pillar industry. It receives more than 2.6 million international tourists throughout the year, and the annual growth rate is about 10%. Every day, about 40 international flights full of tourists come from Siem Reap to Angkor Wat, the seven wonders of the world. The service industry in Siem Reap is mature. There are many shops, hotels and guest houses. There are all kinds of restaurants. The business is booming. Tourists with different skin colors come together here in different languages. The traffic is busy in the daytime and the lights are shining at night. It is a prosperous scene. The abandoned capital 600 years ago, now famous internationally, seems to have regained its former glory.

Buses full of tourists shuttle between scenic spots

Pre trip preparation:

1. Visa: there are two ways to obtain a visa

1) It is an electronic signature. Fill in the application form online, pay $40 by credit card online, collect it through the reserved e-mail box within 3 working days, print it in duplicate, carry it with you, and hand it to the customs when you enter or leave the country. E-signature website of Ministry of foreign affairs of Cambodia: https://www.evisa.gov.kh/

On the homepage of the e-visa website, go in and click e-visa apply now in the lower right corner to fill in the information and pay online.

The approved electronic signature samples are as follows: when filling in the application form, you should choose the port of entry, and be careful not to choose the wrong one. There is only one kind of E-Sign, which is valid for 3 months (within 3 months from the date of approval), and can stay for 1 month after entry, which is a single entry.

Landing sign template. There are two kinds of landing visa, one is tourism, the other is business. The stay in Cambodia is one month,

When filling in the application form, you should pay attention to that the tourist visa is a single entry. Once you leave the country, you can't re-enter the country even though it is still valid.

However, the business visa can be extended to half a year or one year. After the extension, multiple entry is allowed within the validity period.

2. Air tickets

The domestic direct flights to Siem Reap are Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, and many provincial capital cities have direct charter flights to Siem Reap. Online ticket shopping is now too convenient, and the price is transparent. It takes a few minutes to get it done. In recent years, the global networking of e-ticket information has eliminated the printing of paper tickets, saving materials and protecting the environment. The price of round-trip air ticket between Guangzhou and Siem Reap is about 2000 yuan, with a big increase during holidays.

Khmer diary, September 12, 2015 (the first day of entry)

Having worked in Cambodia for many years, I seldom record my journey in Cambodia in this way. This time, I returned home on vacation. When I returned home, I came with three good friends. They were very excited and went to Angkor again. Four of us set out from Guangzhou, took flight cz3063 of China Southern Airlines, and went to Angkor, which is known as the "seven wonders of the world". At this time, we felt a little like Du Mu when he wrote "a Fang Gong Fu" outside Xianyang City, feeling the historical changes of the previous dynasty, and also like crossing the long river of 600 years. Follow the description in Zhenla Fengtu Ji by Zhou Daguan, an envoy of the Yuan Dynasty, to find out.

After a 2.5-hour flight from Guangzhou, we arrived in Cambodia. The legendary Khmer Dynasty is not far away from us. 600 years ago, Yuan Dynasty envoy Zhou Daguan sailed out to sea and sailed in the seasonal wind for three months before arriving in Angkor. It's incredible to think about 600 years of human technological progress.

Looking at the Mekong River on the plane

Entry: Cambodia is a tipping country. People will be asked for a tip of US $1-2 after going through the customs. It may be due to different cultures. It may be very normal in their eyes, but it's hard for us to accept it. Every passage of the customs is marked with "noting to pay here" in English, But they still openly ask for tips, which is a disgrace to their national dignity. If you insist on not giving it, he will let it go. The problem is that most tourists don't understand English and the signs. The Cambodian government has not paid attention to this problem, which has affected its national image. Probably every Chinese tourist has a similar feeling.

Siem Reap International Airport

In order to save worry, I ordered a 7-seat business car in advance. As soon as I got out of the airport, I saw the driver waiting at the door. Cambodian service industry employees had a good sense of it, and the pick-up and drop off service drivers were on time.

After leaving the customs, it was dark. In order not to miss the wonderful performance, I got off the plane and went straight to the lychee restaurant, the most famous aprasa dance in Siem Reap, instead of going to the hotel. The lychee restaurant is a buffet. There is an hour of dance performance every night during the meal period. The tourist season is full every day.

After the meal, everyone felt a little sleepy, stayed in the hotel for a rest, had no words all night, and could not hear snoring.....

Khmer diary September 13, 2015 (the second day of entry)

In order to watch the sunrise of Angkor temple, many tourists get up at 4 o'clock and go to little Angkor to watch the sunrise. After watching, they go back to the hotel for breakfast. We don't like to get up early. When we sleep till seven or eight o'clock, we are already on our way to breakfast. In any case, no one urged them. The four of them just wanted to go where they wanted to. We didn't like the feeling of being urged by the team leader. Today, let's start from a small circle....

Angkor's scenic spots are divided into small circle, large circle and outer circle,

Time is limited to the essence, which is the small part, including the Angkor temple (Angkor WAT), the Presat Kravan, the Royal bathing (Sras Srang), the brother of the brother's Temple (Banteay Srang), the tower brother Temple (Ta Prohm), the temple of Zhou SA (the Presat), the tea temple, the tower of the temple, and the Angkor Thom. Also known as brother Angkor brother, Bayon, Bayon, Bakheng, and so on, are all the essence and representative of Angkor's monuments. The time is full and a little tense.

If you just look at a small circle, you can buy a one-day pass, which costs $20. Angkor tickets can not be purchased in advance. Tourists need to go to the scene in person to take photos and buy them. The tickets are printed with the tourists' portraits, probably for the purpose of counting the number of people and avoiding fraud.

Ticket of Angkor one day tour

Tourists need to go to the ticket office of Angkor scenic spot and leave a record in front of the camera. The ticket shows the tourist's head.

If you have enough time, you can buy a three-day pass. You can easily see all the scenic spots, but not Phnom Kulen and BEng Melea. You need to buy additional tickets for these two scenic spots. Among them, lichishan is 20 dollars, which is a little expensive. It's five dollars.

Angkor Wat is also known as Angkor temple and little Angkor. It was built in 1113-1150 during the reign of suriyebamo II

The three minarets printed on the Cambodian flag are the main building of little Angkor, Mount Sumi in Brahmanic legend. It's a must for all tourists to Angkor.

Cambodian National Flag, the three spires of which are Angkor temple.

Bayong Temple: it is the main building of Angkor, namely Angkor Tongcheng. It was built in 1181-1218 during the reign of jayabama VII. The famous four side Buddha is shaped according to the face image of King jayabama VII. Its smiling expression shows the king's compassion for the common people. It is called "Angkor's smile"

Appearance of bayong Temple

Khmer's smile: smile from 1218 A.D., the smile of 800 years ago is solidified, but time passes quietly.

The smile of 2015 A.D. these smiling faces appear around us every day. Angkor's tourism industry has created employment opportunities and wealth for the local people. Smile is still Angkor's business card today.

Waiters at the farm restaurant outside Angkor

Caddies at Angkor Golf Course

Waiters in the catering Department of Angkor Golf Club

TA Prohm temple was built in 1181-1218 during the reign of jayabama VII. It was built by the king for his mother.

These intertwined, towering trees, and collapsed buildings, shade block out the sun, after hundreds of years of wind and rain. It makes people feel awed. It seems that there are still gods in this temple. The video scene "Tomb Raider" was shot here. If it's at night, it's really frightening.

In addition to Angkor temple, Tongwang City, Bayon temple and tabulung temple, the temples in Angkor small circle must go. If you have enough time, there are presat Kravan, bat chum, SRAS srang, Ta Prohm, Chau say Thevoda, Takeo and Ta Nei. I suggest you savor it carefully. If you don't feel tired during the first day's tour, it is recommended to go to Bakun mountain before 17:00 p.m. to see the sunset there. Bakun mountain is very close between Angkor and Angkor.

Bakhen yasovarman I (889-910 A.D.) moved his capital to Angkor to build baken mountain. Bakun mountain can view Angkor city and ride elephants up the mountain. The total number of people at the top of the mountain is controlled and the number of people in charge is issued with a pass. If you want to see the sunset, you should climb the mountain early so that you can occupy a favorable position to watch and shoot. The afterglow of the setting sun reddened the whole mountain top, and the whole picture was like a fairy tale world.

The afterglow of the setting sun on Bakun mountain shines on the golden wall on the top of the mountain

The setting sun on Bakun mountain is dreamy, gorgeous and radiant

After watching the sunset, I went back to the bar street in the city. My companions couldn't wait to have a cup of mango juice, a milkshake and some ice,

To drive away the fatigue of the day.

Just picked fresh mango, a cup of mango shake (mango juice + milkshake) 1 dollar, very fresh and refreshing!

Bar street is a place where global cultures blend. The common language is English. Almost all employees in the local service industry can speak English

Therefore, as long as there is a little English foundation, it is no problem to shop, play, consume and communicate here. There are also some shops and Hotels with Chinese service staff.

Since it is a place of cultural integration, the most direct manifestation is in food. In Siem Reap, food from almost any country in the world can be found,

First of all, the local Khmer restaurant is economical. Every time a friend comes, I would recommend you to try the fish amonk here

The ingredients are fresh and the taste is unique. In addition, Thai food, Vietnamese food, French food, Italian food, Japanese food and Korean food are all available, not to mention Chinese restaurants. Chinese restaurants run by overseas Chinese are easy to find in Siem Reap. But when you come to Cambodia, you should try the local food. Come here to eat more fish, the fish here are very good. Recommend it!

Khmer diary September 14, 2015 (the third day of entry)

After two consecutive days of running, we all want to sleep in. We don't have breakfast until 8:30, and we don't start until 9:00. Along the big circle, we can see that the buildings of different historical periods have their own characteristics.

Angkor circle refers to Preah Khan, Neak peak, Ta SOM, East baray, East Mebon and pre RUP

Pre RUP is one of the most beautiful temples in the big circle. It was built in 944-968 A.D.

The material is made of red sandstone, similar to the Queen's palace.

The sky here is so blue that people can't believe it. In China, especially in North China, it's hard to see such blue sky and white clouds due to air pollution. You can't stand the blue sky here. Every day is Zhanzhan blue, without a trace of doping.

The outer ring of Angkor: banteay Srey, kbal spear, Phnom Kulen, banteay samre and rolous, including Lolei, Preah Ko and Bakong

Among them, the Queen's palace is the place with the highest artistic achievement and is a must visit. Luoluoshi group is an early architecture of Angkor.

The Queen's palace, banteay srei, was built during the reign of rajndharma II. It was built by the king for his national teacher. The Queen's palace is often mistaken for the Queen's palace. In fact, it is also a temple, not a place where people live. The reason why it is called the Queen's palace is that there are women's reliefs in the temple. Angkor's existing architectural remains are basically religious buildings, most of which are imperial temples of the dynasty. The only exception is the Queen's palace, which was built for ministers. The Queen's palace has a regular layout, fine materials and attention to detail. Among many temples, its sculpture art is the best.

The appearance color of some temples in Angkor circle and outer ring has changed from the dark blue appearance of Angkor temple and Angkor Tongcheng to a bright warm color - reddish brown, which is the same with that of Bieri temple and Queen's palace, because they are all built by red sandstone. It seems amiable and closer to modern aesthetics.

Monkey God, monkey face and human image

Lion God, the image of lion

Khmer diary 15 September 2015 (4th day of entry)

Three days later, we can hardly find a complete building. The vicissitudes of history make us breathless. After all, this is a historical journey of several centuries. After staying in these ruins for a long time, we are eager to return to the modern social civilization. Today, we all want to relax and go to litchi mountain to relax. Due to its long history, the historical relics of litchi mountain are almost gone, and the natural scenery is yearning.

Mount Kulen, built by King jayabamo II in 802-850 ad, is now famous for its original natural environment and waterfalls. The scenic spot of Mount Kulen needs to buy another ticket of $20. The road is narrow and the vehicles can only go one way. Therefore, it is stipulated that the mountain can only be climbed in the morning and returned in the afternoon. The maximum number of vehicles is 25 seat buses. It's not suitable for large group travel.

Blue sky and white clouds in Litchi mountain

Cattle at the foot of the mountain

The stream of litchi mountain

Children in lichishan

Local people fishing upstream of the waterfall

Flying down 3000 feet

Children fishing under the waterfall

One of Angkor's farthest scenic spots in the outer circle is the bengmi train. After touring Lichi mountain, they finished their lunch on the mountain. After 12 noon, the management department of the scenic spot began to allow them to go down the mountain. In order to leave no regrets for this trip, they decided to visit bengmi train nearby. The two scenic spots are not too far away, and they are only 30 minutes' drive away. Bengmilie is an independent scenic spot. Tickets are not included in Angkor package. You need to buy a separate ticket for $5 per person.

It is the first temple built entirely of sand and stone in Angkor complex. At present, it is still tightly wrapped in the jungle, and has not been repaired on a large scale. Because of its remote location, many reliefs and statues have been plundered.

Bengmilie, just as its name is, is a collapsed building. It is in the middle of a dense forest. A piece of ruins is listed in this desolate place. Collapse, dense, column

The lost five headed snake god Naga

The main building was completely destroyed. At that time, the Siamese invaded and slaughtered the city. The blood flowed into the sea and the corpses piled up like mountains, which led to the outbreak of the plague, so that people could live there. The Siamese abandoned the city for fear of offending the gods, and the angkoreans retreated to Phnom Penh.

There are ruins everywhere.

In terms of scale, bengmilie is comparable to Angkor temple, but it is seriously damaged, and almost no intact building can be seen.

Within the scope of the site, it has also become a pasture for local people, with cattle grazing leisurely beside the ruins.

History makes people feel too heavy. After going through it, they still go back to the real world. On the way back to the hotel from bengmili, everyone is hungry. Just by the way, there are bamboo tube rice sellers, one dollar each. This is a local feature. Rice is put in bamboo tube, filled with coconut juice, and roasted on firewood fire. It tastes unique. When you come to Cambodia and see bamboo tube rice sellers, you must buy one to taste.

Little girl selling rice in bamboo tube

Cars on the road are speeding by, expecting to stop and buy one.

In the fields on both sides of the road, 70% of Cambodia's population lives in rural areas and depends on planting and breeding for a living.

It's still early to return to Siem Reap, so I went to the old market. Cambodian handicrafts are very famous, mainly wood and stone carvings,

Silk scarves, as well as a variety of labor products, are full of national characteristics. If you have enough time, you can visit the handicraft workshop to understand the production process of handicrafts.

Woodcut products

Stone carving crafts

Silk scarves are made like this:

First silkworm, silkworm eat mulberry leaves, and then grow up

When the silkworm is mature, it forms cocoons.

Reeling, spinning, dyeing.

It takes two days to weave a scarf by hand.

Beautiful handmade silk scarf.

After visiting the old market, I feel that it's still early. We all want to know about the real life of the local people. We all want to see the world-famous Tonle Sap Lake. Tonle Sap Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Asia. It's just the rainy season. Although the water level has not reached the peak, it must be quite impressive. So I drove to see what happened. It's about 30 minutes' drive from downtown to fishing village.

There are several floating fishing villages on Donglisa lake. All of them were Vietnamese people who fled here to avoid war. Now they are a special group and have lived here for generations. With the development of tourism in Siem Reap, the fishing villages have become tourist attractions. Local fishermen rent boats and local people specially manage them. The income from tourism may have changed their lives. But in recent years, the commercialization here is more and more serious, and the fishermen gradually lose their original simplicity and authenticity. They have no nationality, no status, so they can't make a living anywhere else, they can only live for a few days

I'll stay on this lake every day.

The vast lake

waterside dinning hall

Floating school on water, the little master who sailed for us said that most of these children were orphans. I hope tourists can give them some help

Then, he took us to a water shop and moored the boat. Let's buy some daily necessities and give them to the orphan students, but as soon as we entered the shop

I feel the atmosphere is not right. The shopkeeper points to a 50kg bag of rice and asks us to buy some bags of rice for the children. I think that's about it

People have taken those children as props to make money, and it has become a business behavior, not a public donation. It's a bit offensive.

Floating school buildings

The children have no way to verify their identity, but feel that the school does not seem to arrange too much learning content, every day become a reality

To the tourist reception place of the hotel. It is hoped that the school will not take advantage of the compassion of tourists, but have a business plan.

Floating shop on water

The transportation of people on the water, canoe

How can we shelter from the wind and rain in the long rainy season?

This year's rainfall is insufficient, and the water level of Donglisa lake is 1 meter lower than that in previous years.

Khmer diary 15 September 2015 (day 5)

At the end of the trip, it's time for my friends to return home. I will continue to stay in this land and work with Cambodia

Work and live together.

What's your feeling?

After a four-day visit, we have a deep feeling that the ancient Khmer people have created such a splendid civilization in the centuries from the 9th century to the 15th century, with the territory reaching most of the Indochina Peninsula. Such a powerful empire disappeared in 1431 after being invaded by other countries. It was almost unknown in the European Renaissance and industrial revolution. In 1863, the French invaded and colonized the whole kingdom. During World War II, it was led by Japan. After the end of World War II, the French made a comeback, It was not until 1953 that King Sihanouk led Cambodia to independence. In 1970, there was another Lannuo coup, 1975-1979 civil strife during the Khmer Rouge period.... Until the end of the civil war and the restoration of peace in 1993, the country was devastated.

In the 21st century, Cambodia has finally returned to the international community. The stable economic development and the prosperity of tourism in Siem Reap show us the hope of this country. It is expected that the country will regain the glory of Angkor. Pray for the people of Cambodia!