Bantreay Srei & Ta Prohm, Cambodia
Welcome to Cambodia!
The choice of the hotel “La Residence” is an inspired one: the town of Siem Reap plays host to many splendid hotels, from old colonial ones such as the Grand Hotel d’Angkor, to the designer’s dream Hotel de la Paix. But Lindblad-National Geographic tour members are treated to the enclosed and quiet garden environment of La Residence, low-lying buildings based on traditional Khmer architectural ideas, with lots of wood, plants, ponds and airy space. The hotel is magnificent without screaming out “five-star” pretentiousness, its understated grandeur complemented by an inviting long pool of deep green water that’s also an exercise in restraint. Although many of the guests did not arrive until late into the night, they surely had a restful sleep for they were all there for the luxurious breakfast early the next morning in the welcoming dining room which matches the hotel’s unobtrusive character.
Similarly, the first excursion from our wonderful base is to the unassuming temple of Banteay Srei. It is but small compared to the vast structures that make up the other renowned temples in the Angkor complex. If Banteay Srei lacks a certain majestic air, it remains rewarding for its orange-red lateritic and sandstone rock walls, its human scale pathways, and proportionate courts and doors. Most of all, Banteay Srei, or Citadel of the Ladies, built in the tenth century, boasts the most astounding carvings of flowers, royal dancers, and sculptures of sacred monkeys. No walls there seemed to have been left without decorations. At some 30km out of town, Banteay Srei is a bit further away, but it is a great introduction to the Angkor heritage, to the Ramayana epic tales, and to the religious devotions of the great Khmer rulers of centuries past. If the other Angkor structures conjure up ancient Roman or Greek opulence, Banteay Srei is subdued British aristocracy, a sure-footed architectural gem full of quiet dignity.
Following the outing, guests returned to La Residence to become further acquainted with each other and the Lindblad-National Geographic staff at a formal welcome lunch before a quick rest to prepare for the afternoon.
The second excursion of the day was just a few miles away. Guests visited an arts and craft school for disadvantaged Cambodians. Here, guests wandered through several workshops where young men and women devoted themselves to traditional Khmer crafts: sculpture, silk and lacquer painting, stone and wood carving. Their products are on spectacular display in a massive sales atrium, ranging from life-size sculptures to wall pieces, to delicate silk purses and richly-colored silk scarves and household items of metal, bronze, wood, and more.
The rest of the afternoon was devoted to the romance of Ta Prohm—a sprawling complex that reflect a French-inspired school of archeology that prescribes leaving discovered ruins and temples as is: with walls, halls, bridges, towers, and immense stone blocks left encircled by trees and their century-old roots. With huge piles of stone blocks every which way, uneven paths, crumbling galleries and shrines, Ta Prohm exudes a mysterious air: it feels haunted, stoic against the forces of nature, defeated yet possessing of terrific endurance. One is left in awe of the enormous trees rising up in the air, its roots tentacles that encircle and imprison the walls of sandstone that make up this former Buddhist monastery built around 1186 by the great Jayavarman VII.
The early evening was devoted to cocktails by the hotel’s Lotus Pond Terrace, and a presentation by Ambassador Gordon Longmuir on the history of the Angkor times. At dinner the conversations were naturally about the great Khmer Empire, as well as questions about contemporary Cambodian affairs, promising further explorations and enquiries into this region of the world. The expedition has just begun.
