In Siem Rip, we came for two days, the hotel booked on the whole of the well-known site, chose simply by the number of reviews and the middle ball. The transport problem was decided on the day of settlement, in the evening, having agreed with a tuk-tucker that tomorrow he would drive us along the route scheduled by us, they were twisted on $ 25.
Stop on the whole row of temple complexes, or rather their ruins (although some have preserved quite well) I will not.
Just because only two temples impressed us to the state of wild puppy delight. One of them Prasat Bayon.
Temple Prasat Bayon (Coordinates on Google Maps: 13.441278,103.858992) - the heart of Khmer culture. If you are in Cambodia, you will most likely visit Siem Rip. Well, having arrived here, it is impossible not to visit this magnificent monument of Khmer architecture, to Angkor in Toss hand. The temple was built at the end of the XII - early XIII centuries.
As it turned out the temple acting! According to the tradition, we did not know anything naturally on our hands from a silk red thread to build bracelertors a servant of the temple and handed three aromatic sticks. For which it was necessary, we then guessed themselves, although he certainly explained to us something, but alas, neither I nor my husband understood anything. We and with bracelets, I miraculously guess what they want from us, rather in gestures became clear than hearing.
The greatest monument to Buddhist culture saw the light for the first time during the reign of King Jayavarman VII, later he was completed and complemented by other rulers, including representatives of Hindu culture, which was the cause of mixing styles and bizarre weaving cultural layers. The temple is known for a large number of towers in the upper tier (today they have survived 37), unique bas-reliefs with scenes of mythological and historical nature, but of the greatest value of certain bas-reliefs representing a rather rare phenomenon - worldly scenes.
On the Towers of the Temple, you can see the image of Jayavarman VII, it is 216 different bas-reliefs (according to some historians these persons belong to the Bodhisattva of compassion). It is on their similarity with the image of the ruler and among themselves a hypothesis that this is all the faces of Jayavarman VII. Wide forehead, lowered eyes, thick lips, the corners of which are a bit raised up - all this in the aggregate reflects the famous "Smile of Angkor". I personally struck not this, a smile honestly looks like a smile of numerous statues of the Buddha, whom we by that time they were seemed to be. All these facilities were built 900 years ago, each face is an uncountable number of huge stones, which, as a result, connecting completely for me in an inexplicable way to form the perfect sculptural image of the face ... How?! How is this possible? It is possible to understand the technology to know the architect or sculptor, I do not know ... I have not thought of a logical explanation for myself.
In one of the many galleries, where the bas-reliefs were viewed, a statue was discovered with a cape over her shoulder, like the Buddhist monks, there was a vase with flowers and a sand bucket in which there were burning aromatic sticks, there was a box with the same chopsticks (maybe it's for Those who did not meet with the servant of the temple at the entrance). We also wrapped our wands in the bucket and lit. I do not know what exactly that means, but I think this ancient Buddhist ritual carries something good and bright.
In memory of the adventure you can buy such a wonderful canvas.
Although what adventure is? This is a story, it really gives a feeling of touching the history of the world, and the smallest, very little feel like an Alice in the Wonderland. But for the sake of this, after all, all the adventures are crying, isn't it? :)