Sungai Lembing is a tin mining town 42 km northwest of Kuantan in Pahang, Malaysia. "Lembing" is Malay for spear, and "Sungai" means river. Per local legend, the local ruler saw a vision of a spear in the nearby river and thus named his town after this vision.
Until the 1970s, Sungai Lembing was a major producer of underground tin. Sungai Lembing town developed in the 1880's when the British set up the tin mining industry, although the history of mining in this area extends much further back. From 1891, the Pahang Consolidated Company Limited, (PCCL), which was under British control, had a 77-year lease to mine the area. PCCL managed the mine from 1906 until its liquidation in 1986 when world tin prices collapsed.
The pit mines were closed in 1986 due to high operational costs and low yields, but during their heyday they were among the largest and deepest in the world. The total tunnel length is 322 km, with a depth of between 610 m and 700 m. A museum highlighting the tin mining industry was opened in 2003. The museum is housed in an old bungalow once used by the mine manager. The museum houses a collection of mining artifacts.
Today the town of Sg Lembing is in decline although it was once the richest town in Pahang, known as El Dorado of the East. In the 1940's about 1400 people worked in the mine. Today many of the wooden shoplots are closed and people are moving away. The town straddles the river, and the main street on the right bank is split by an avenue of majestic trees. At the end, an old wooden building overlooks the padang where games of cricket and other social activities were held. 1
14 May 2010
Departed from home at 7pm, together with Han Yuen and Valerie, headed straight to the LRT station to pick up Zentrox. Met up with a few more friends at Wangsa Maju and Gombak. The 8 of us left Gombak at 9pm in 2 cars and off we go, along Karak Highway, headed straight to Sungai Lembing.
We reached the house where we're going to stay at around 12.30am. Met up with the rest of the gang who have reached there earlier. We brought our luggage into our room, chit chat a little and call it a day as we need to wake up at 4.30am the next day to visit the Rainbow Waterfall.
Rainbow Waterfall, as well as Bukit Panorama are one of the main attractions for visitors to Sungai Lembing.
Our accommodation - RM60/night for a twin room. The room was clean, as well as the attached bathroom. We were pretty satisfied with the place.
15 May 2010
It's an early start for us. Woke up at 4.30am and left the house at 5am. There were roughly 20 of us. Most of us are members of a local photography forum - photoclub.com.my; Special thanks to 闪灵 (pronounced as "San Ling", or rather we call him 30) who had organized this trip.
A few 4x4 pickup picked us up and headed to a food court at the city center , which was just 3 minute drive away, for breakfast.
Valerie and I
Our breakfast - Toast with butter & kaya and Milo
After breakfast and it's time to depart to the Rainbow Waterfall. We kept our camera bag inside an 4x4 and hopped onto the back of another pickup. None of us want to lose our precious gears during the bumpy journey to the waterfall. During the journey I only shot with my phone camera.
The ride was really BUMPY but it was FUN! I would really want to try it again. Since we were sitting at the back of the pickup, there was no shade and bear in mind, we had to travel through some rough terrain inside the jungle to get to the waterfall, so we had to keep moving our head and body to avoid the tree branches, as well as dirt water splashes from driving pass mud holes! The driver made the journey more "fun" by speeding up when he drove pass the mud hole. Fun!
Our ride...
Han Yuen and I camwhoring. Trust me, the wind was blowing hard on us
Went pass some sort of abandoned resort
Maybe the photos are not enough the justify the "adventure" that we had gone through. Watch the following video clip that I had recorded for better understanding XD
The journey took almost 45 minute and we reached the "entrance" to the waterfall. This wasn't the end but the beginning of another journey. We had to ascent through the forest to get to the waterfall which would take another 45-60 minute depending on our speed.
Here comes the next pickup, also from our group
30, Jong Seng and Justin
Our gears... easily worth more than RM50k
The very first obstacle - walked pass the waist-level-river
Why the umbrella in the photo? It was drizzling at that time. And some used tripod as walking stick... rich fellas XD
Anyway the hike was like our regular mountain hiking. Just need to watch our steps as the rocks were slippery.
I didn't take another photos during the ascent. Only took some during the descent with my phone camera. Well, both ascending and descending are on the same route, so the photos below justify the condition of the path that we had gone through.
After almost an hour of walk, we finally had a glimpse of the Rainbow Waterfall.
Nothing special eh? Why is it being referred as the Rainbow Waterfall? It may seem like a normal waterfall from far but once you're beside the pool, you'll understand the meaning behind the name.
At certain hour of the day, e.g. between 8-11am (that explains the reason why we needed to crawl out of the bed so early in the morning), the water droplets/mist of the waterfall creates a rainbow beneath/around the waterfall when the ray of the sun shines through it. I really do not know how to explain it by words so I'll just show some photos to do the talking.
Spot the rainbow at the bottom of the photo?
Here's a double rainbow
I know "double rainbow" is not a proper term. I just want to use a layman term. As adapted in wikipedia:
Frequently, a dim secondary rainbow is seen outside the primary bow. Secondary rainbows are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside the raindrops, and appear at an angle of 50°–53°. As a result of the second reflection, the colours of a secondary rainbow are inverted compared to the primary bow, with blue on the outside and red on the inside. The secondary rainbow is fainter than the primary because more light escapes from two reflections compared to one and because the rainbow itself is spread over a greater area of the sky. The dark area of unlit sky lying between the primary and secondary bows is called Alexander's band, after Alexander of Aphrodisias who first described it.
A third, or tertiary, rainbow can be seen on rare occasions, and a few observers have reported seeing quadruple rainbows in which a dim outermost arc had a rippling and pulsating appearance. These rainbows would appear on the same side of the sky as the Sun, making them hard to spot. One type of tertiary rainbow carries with it the appearance of a secondary rainbow immediately outside the primary bow. The closely spaced outer bow has been observed to form dynamically at the same time that the outermost (tertiary) rainbow disappears. During this change, the two remaining rainbows have been observed to merge into a band of white light with a blue inner and red outer band. This particular form of doubled rainbow is not like the classic double rainbow due to both spacing of the two bows and that the two bows share identical normal colour positioning before merging. With both bows, the inner colour is blue and the outer colour is red. 2
Now I want to find the "triple rainbow"!! XD
Valerie and I with the waterfall and rainbow
Han Yuen
The giant and the tiny :p
Ultramen
And featuring me as Masked Rider XD
I was hesitated for a while whether or not to get into the pool. After some persuasion from Han Yuen, I gave in and dipped myself into the pool. The water was soooo cooling. But after that I was unwillingly to get out from the water as the wind was soooo chilling. I really suggest you all to jump into the pool.
I also highly recommend to swim all the way to the bottom of the waterfall and climb up the stones. From the top, when we look down the pool, we saw wonderful rainbow(s) surrounding us. The view was magnificent but too bad I didn't dare to carry my camera over. Next time I shall get a weather resistant compact camera with me if I happen to revisit this place. Beware of the slippery rocks though. Climbing up and coming down of the rock posses some challenge but it was made easy with the help of our guide. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! You're guaranteed to be delighted with the reward you get.
The big rock underneath the waterfall
The guides were considerate enough to carry a whole bag of Maggi cup noodle as well as instant Milo sachets. They set up their portable stove and started boiling water collected from the pool (now that's what I call spring water) for cooking. After the swim and under such chilling condition, a bowl of warm noodle and Milo really did warm us up. And yeah, don't worry of the trash, the guides had the rubbish gathered in a big bag and brought it out with them for disposal. Environment friendly!
Before we left the waterfall I managed to snap another photo which I personally love very much. A rainbow was hanging above the waterfall. The guide told us that this was the first time he had ever seen this. Lucky us.
Satisfied, we followed the same path we took to earlier back to our transport. Took photos together with the pickup before we departed back to the town.
The journey back to town wasn't as excited as before because everyone of us were already exhausted. I dozed off despite the bumpy ride.
Reached the town at around 2pm and it was time to look for food. After shower, Han Yuen, Valerie and I went to the food court where we had breakfast for food hunting. We didn't know what to order so we ordered the following which was recommended:
Han Yuen and I - Ketchup Noodle (RM4)
Valerie - Char Kuey Teow (RM3.50)
We had ice kacang as well (RM1.50)
The food was good and the ketchup noodle was special and better than expected. Worth trying. After the meal we went to visit the Sungai Lembing Museum, just 5 minute drive from the food court.
The museum is worth visiting if you're interested to know more about the history and background of this once-largest-tin-producing-town in the world. Furthermore it's free! We spent an hour there and left. Valerie was tired so we sent her back to the "hotel" to take some rest. Han Yuen and I were still eager to explore more in this little town so carried on with our exploration.
We drove around the town, looking for every possible path that we can drive on and we found some interesting sights.
Sungai Lembing Town... just 1 major (small) street
Found 2 ostriches surrounded by fence
Warning: Do not rock the suspended bridge
but...
Lots of colourful bird (I don't know the species) flying around
And these holes on the ground are their nests
Sungai Lembing Village
Brabus K4 with nice number plate in front of the village houses. Couldn't resist and stopped my car by the road side to take this shot.
Han Yuen and I saw the signboard of this temple for God of Wealth, were curious and finally found this building but we didn't pray to the god... I bought that number after the trip but didn't kena :(
There more more sights that we saw but since I was driving, I didn't photograph a lot of them. That gives me the excuse to come back to this wonderful place. We went past some abandoned site of the old tine mine's generator building. I did take some photos but couldn't locate those photos. What luck... From the site we could roughly figure out the scale of the tin mine and well, it's really huge.
Went back to our room at 5+ pm, took a nap, woke up for bbq dinner, prepared by our friendly organizer 30. nothing much and went to sleep early because it's going to be another early start the next day to climb Bukit Panorama.
16 May 2010
Long story short, we crawl out of the bed early (again), walked all the way to the foot of Bukit Panorama, which takes around 15 minutes. Just follow the crowd and you will definitely not get lost.
The crowd was really SCARY!!! We had to literally queue up to hike the hill. It has nice cemented steps, roughly 2 feet wide which allows a 1 way traffic. Overtaking is possible at some spots and we really had to watch our steps because it was pitch black, despite having some light source from those who brought torch lights. One wrong step could possibly send us down to the foot of the hill, rolling all the way down that is.
Without the crowd, the hike could have been EASY! Stopping after every few steps definitely isn't my game. We overtook the people in front of us whenever it was possible and got ourselves on the peak of the hill in an hour. The hill was already crowded with people, and it's only 6 in the morning. The "good" spots for photography have already been taken up so Han Yuen, Valerie and I settled down on a still-alright spot.
Stary stary night
Since the sky was still dark and our main objective was to view the sunrise, there wasn't much that we can do. We just chit chatted until we finally saw a glimpse of light coming from the back of the far far mountain.
Awesome "Sea of Cloud" - actually it's just mist
No luck for us as the sun was hiding behind the cloud. Nevertheless, the view was fantastic.
The view at the West of the hill
Our photos
At around 7.30am, we decided to descend. The crowd was getting lesser as well. Now we could finally see the path that we were walking on earlier more clearly.
A view of Sungai Lembing town from the hill
Descending was much easier but still it took us quite some time due to the long "queue" at the steps. Reached the foot of the hill and there was a morning market. Nothing much to buy but we did buy a few packs of the famous local delicacy - the coconut biscuit.
Decided to have breakfast before we head back so we went to the food court again. The food court was crowded with people as well. Apparently there was a fair/parade happening at the local Chinese primary school on that day and many people from outside the town came to participate in the event. We managed to find a place to sit down and ordered our food.
Han Yuen and I ordered braised pork noodle while Valerie ordered curry noodle and the famous Sungai Lembing beancurd, which we've been told that it's made of fresh spring water.
After the food, we walked back to our room, packed our luggage and left this peaceful small town. I'm sure that someday, I'll be back to this town again.
Some other photos I took during breakfast and while we were walking back to our room.
This is the only petrol pump at Sungai Lembing town and it is closed on Sunday
This was our last day at Siem Reap. We were discussing the day before on whether or not to revisit the Angkor Wat but finally decided not to. The plan was to rent a bicycle and explore Siem Reap city by cycling.
Since it should be a "relaxing" day, we enjoyed our nice breakfast at the hotel before we took a tuk-tuk to a nearby place where we could rent a bicycle. We rented 4 bicycles at price of USD2 per bicycle per day. To us that's dirt cheap. the condition of the bicycles ain't that bad either. Bicycle lock was provided as well.
Since I've forgotten to take a photo of the shop during the day, this is a photo I took when we returned the bicycles in the evening.
We were getting all excited but at the same time nervous when we first rode on the road. That feeling soon became a joy/pleasure when felt the wind blowing at us as we cycled. As soon as I got the hang of it, I started to hold my camera and took photo with 1 hand, while the other hand remained on the handle. Warning: please do not try this at home as I have undergone professional training :p
The hotel we stayed at
Kid waving at us
Daeved on his wheels
Javen
Han
And of course, not to forget myself
Our first stop was the Angkor National Museum. The museum introduces the history of the ancient Khmer Empire by presenting the genuine artifacts, excavated from the Angkor Wat sites within the 7 galleries through a state of the art multimedia technology. It provides the visitors a full understanding about the Khmer's belief and culture.
With the help of the road signs as well as the map, we arrived at our destination safely.
The entrance fee was USD12 per person. Since we didn't want to hire a guide, each of us rented an Audio Tour Guide, which is like Walkman at a price of USD3 each. Thing to note is that camera is strictly prohibited in the galleries. I had to store my camera in the safe box. So there won't be any photos of the galleries. For those who are highly interested with history and archeology, I recommend this place as it was full of useful information and artifacts to let you know more about the Khmer Kingdom - religion, lifestyle, history background etc.
The 7 galleries are:
Pre-Angkor Period: Khmer Civilization
Religion and Beliefs
The Great Khmer Kings
Angkor Wat
Angkor Thom
Story From Stones
Ancient Costumes
After spending almost 1.5 hours in the museum, we left the museum and walked to the Museum Mall, just beside the Museum, wanted to grab something to eat but only found out that it does not have much choices. We left the place to look for something else to eat.
Unlocking our bicycles
You have tuk-tuk, we have bicycles
We cycled along the Pokambur Avenue, which seems to be one of the main streets, toward the city center. The road was built along the Siem Reap River. The ride was smooth and relaxing. There were trees along the road, providing shade to the motorist and pedestrians. The road wasn't busy as well, so we could cycle on our own pace.
Check my wheels...
My foot :p
A
And my basket...
People relaxing under the shade
Check out this cool looking jeep
Hawker cycling around to sell dried and chillied "siham"
Road side stalls
We cycled non-stop on our food-seeking-journey but still couldn't find what we want
Finally decided and made our u-turn
Marching forward to our lunch place in this wonderful weather
Riding with 1 hand and taking video with the other. Do not try this at home
And our lunch was...
KFC @ Siem Reap! I couldn't remember who came up with this idea. definitely not me!
A group photo of the "riders" before we left the place
Where would we go next? From the pocket map we found something which attracted us, "Killing Field". It is located along the Angkor Wat Road, which leads to the Angkor Wat site. Being curious, we then cycle towards this seemingly mysterious killing field. The killing field is located together with Wat Thmey.
Wat Thmey is a large monastery half way out between the centre of town and Angkor Wat - and is notable for being at the centre of an area that served as the killing fields during the Pol Pot years. Wat Thmey features a live in monastery and new temple, as well as grounds in the middle of which is a large stupa, glass sided, with the skulls and bones diligently gathered by local residents in memory of friends and family and villagers who died. The monastery has served as a school and orphnage from time to time (in 2009 the small school was closed - but may have reopened again) while most days the site is visited by several tour buses, organised from Japan and Korea. This isn't just holocaust tourism: many of these visitors are also Buddhist, and the site is the main place in Siem Reap to pay homage and remember those who lost their lives. 1
When we were there, together with us was a tour group from Japan.
There were glasses on the four side of the building on the right
Look through the window and you'll see...
Skulls and bones!!!
The Monastery
The school
There wasn't much to see here. As we couldn't read the writing nor understand the language. We just walked around the area and left. We cycled along the road we came towards the city.
This is how petrol is sold. Didn't manage to find out the difference between the green and the yellow
On our way back, we passed by the War Monument. We stopped by to take a look. I tried to google on this place but couldn't find any information.
Nothing much to see as well. After some photos we left the place. We were already somewhat tired after cycling around. We wanted to grab some rest back in the hotel but before that, we headed to back to the Senteurs d'Angkor Workshop, the place where we first got in on our first day at Siem Reap to get some souvenirs.
I had no idea what Daeved was trying to do
All of us got what we needed and before we left the place, we requested a photo together with the lovely and helpful ladies in the shop
We went back to the hotel for some rest. It was already 5.30pm when we reached our room.
Took a quick nap, woke up and we left the hotel at around 7pm. By the time the sky has already started to dim. Took a shot of the beautiful sky before I left the hotel.
First of all, we need to return the bicycles. So off we go, back to the place where we rented our bicycles.
After returning the bicycles, we took a tuk-tuk to the city center to hunt for dinner. We got down the tuk-tuk and started exploring the city by foot and we found this.... little brother of 7-11
Due to curiousity, this was the place we had our dinner
And they serve scary food...
The mood of the restaurant was pretty good
I guess we made the right choice as we were all dead hungry
You don't need to be a rocket scientist to mix 7-up and beer to get Shandy
While waiting for our food, we enjoyed the wonderful traditional Khmer Dance performed at the center stage
Still waiting for the food...
And finally the food is here!
The food was great. We enjoyed our dinner very much. Good food, good friends, good dance performance, everything is just great!
The toilet was fun to visit as well
With a fully loaded stomach, we settled the bill, walked out of the restaurant, and headed to the night market for more souvenir shopping.
One last shot of the restaurant
Each of us got ourselves some souvenir to bring back home. One final destination before we head back to the hotel to pack our luggage - traditional foot massage.
The massage was just so-so. I fell asleep throughout the massage. The massage lasted for an hour. Time to go back and pack our luggage. Good night Siem Reap.
Date: 22 December 2009
This was the day we left Siem Reap. We already had the hotel's receptionist arranged a taxi to pick us up from hotel and send us to the airport.
People cycling to work
One last shot at the land of Siem Reap, in the airport
We all gathered at the hotel lobby at 5.30am and met up with our taxi driver of the day (I forgot his name). I will refer him as "Tom" in the remaining of this post. The reason we had climbed out from the bed this early in the morning was to witness the magnificent view of sunrise at Angkor Wat. We happily boarded Tom's taxi and off we go to Angkor Wat. We paid Tom USD60 to drive us around for the whole day.
The street was still dark and quiet. We drove further away from the town and took around 15 minutes to reach the check point where we have to purchase our daily pass to enter the Angkor Archeology Park. The price for a 1-day-pass is USD20, 3-day-pass is USD40 and a 7-day-pass is USD60. With a day pass, visitors can enter to the park freely as long as the pass is valid. Since we were not sure of our own schedule, we decided to just get a 1-day pass first. The lady behind the counter took a photo of each of us with a webcam and our photo was printed on the day pass, with our look stretched sideways :p
Angkor Wat
It took another 10 minutes to reach Angkor Wat. There were already crowded with taxi, tuk tuk and people. We stepped down from the taxi and discussed with Tom on where and what time to meet up after we've viewed the sunrise. After that we followed the crowded and headed towards the entrance of Angkor Wat where we got our day pass checked. We had to walked pass a "bridge" to cross the moat towards Angkor Wat. It was pitch black and we were so worried that we would miss our step and fall into the moat.
We didn't hire any guide so we can only follow the big crowd and stopped at the pond in front of the Angkor Wat's main building. There were 2 ponds. Since we didn't know which was a better angle to view the sunrise. We just stood and waited patiently. The dark sky was filled with shimmering stars.
Some background story of Angkor Wat:
Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. 1
We waited while we chit chatting and finally saw a glimpse of ray from behind the Angkor Wat building. Time for photo...
finally the sun is out...
Why was I the only one without shades...
More photos of the sunrise... The pond was full of lotus flowers and leaves...
It's time to walk back and meet up with Tom. we visited some smaller buildings nearby on our way back.
I "conned" them into doing these...
We noticed that there were many statues of a 7-headed-snake all over Angkor Wat. Later only did we know that its name is "Naga". I googled on the background of Naga and this was what I found:
Naga is an odd-headed Cobra snake; the varying number of heads (3-5-7-9) gives a different meaning to the Naga. It is also a symbol of the Khmer people, because, according to a legend, Prah Thon, the founder of the Cambodian nation, fell in love with a young woman who eventually told him she was the daughter of Bhujang Nagaraja, king of the snakes and lord of the seas. Prah Thon agreed to meet his beloved's father to obtain approval to their marriage. Bhujang Nagaraja had nine heads and was followed by other snakes with three, five and seven heads. As a wedding gift he and his fellows drank all the water covering Cambodia and Prah Thon and his wife settled in the new country and gave origin to the Khmer people. 2
On our way back to the entrance...
Another statue of Naga...
Beautiful carving on the wall...
Taken at the entrance of Angkor Wat...
So we met up with Tom and he sent us back to the hotel for breakfast. Since the breakfast was paid for, we wouldn't want to spend extra money on food. The breakfast in the hotel was surprisingly good. We really did enjoy the breakfast. After we were done with our breakfast, Tom drove us to our next destination, Angkor Thom.
Angkor Thom & the Southern Gate
Angkor Thom, literally: "Great City", was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by King Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north. 3 Angkor Thom has the shape of a square: each side has the length of approximately two miles: the area includes buildings of previous periods. It was surrounded by thick walls and by a large moat: this defensive structure was due to the fact that the previous capital had been taken and sacked by the Champa in 1178. King Jayavarman VII, the prince who led the Khmer reaction and forced the Champa out of the country (varman was a suffix added to the king's name in India and Cambodia). It was built between 1181 and 1216.2
We first reached the South Gate of Angkor Thom. There is a bridge leading to the South Gate. We were first greeted by 2 huge Naga's, 1 at each side of the bridge. Behind each Naga there were statues of deva (angels) and asuras (demon) - devas behind 1 Naga and asuras behind the other one. They are believed to be the additional wardens of Angkor Thom.
Naga...
asuras...
Retaining wall of Angkor Thom...
We walked pass the entrance and found a path to climb the retaining wall...
At the top of the retaining wall...
I just love how they fully utilize what they have...
We boarded Tom's taxi again and our next destination was the Bayon. It was a short 5 minute drive.
Bayon
The Bayon is a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th century or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. Following Jayavarman's death, it was modified and augmented by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious preferences. The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak. The temple is known also for two impressive sets of bas-reliefs, which present an unusual combination of mythological, historical, and mundane scenes. The main current conservatory body, the JSA, has described the temple as "the most striking expression of the baroque style" of Khmer architecture, as contrasted with the classical style of Angkor Wat. 4
Beautiful carvings at the Bayon...
Be extremely careful if you were to walk up their steps. We were wondering the reason why the Khmers would build such small steps. They were like 10cm in depth and 20cm in height for each step.
Stone faces on the tower...
One of the entrance into the Bayon...
We went into the Bayon and soon ourselves in a maze. Luckily there were many tourist inside else the feeling would be creepy. Almost everywhere we went we could see faces "staring" at us...
4-faced-Buddha from Thailand???
This was what we did when there wasn't anyone around us...
We stepped out from Bayon and discussed on where to go next...
And we had decided... the Baphuon...
Baphuon
The Baphuon is located northwest of the Bayon. Built in the mid-11th century, it is a three-tiered temple mountain built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. It is the archetype of the Baphuon style. The temple adjoins the southern enclosure of the royal palace and measures 120 metres east-west by 100 metres north-south at its base and stands 34 meters tall without its tower, which would have made it roughly 50 meters tall. Its appearance apparently impressed Emperor Chengzong of Yuan China's late 13th century envoy Chou Ta-Kuan during his visit from 1296 to 1297, who said it was 'the Tower of Bronze...a truly astonishing spectacle, with more than ten chambers at its base.' In the late 15th century, the Baphuon was converted to a Buddhist temple. A 9 meter tall by 70 meter long statue of a reclining Buddha was built on the west side's second level, which probably required the demolition of the 8 meter tower above, thus explaining its current absence. The temple was built on land filled with sand, and due to its immense size the site was unstable throughout its history. Large portions had probably already collapsed by the time the Buddha was added. By the 20th century, much of the temple had largely collapsed, and restoration efforts have since proven problematic: a first effort begun in 1960 was interrupted by the coming to power of the Khmer Rouge, and records of the positions of the stones were lost. A second attempt started in 1995 by a team of French-led archeologists as of 2005 was still ongoing, restricting visitor access. As of May 2006, partial visitor access is once again allowed, though the project is still expected to be underway for another 2 years. 5
As of this visit, the restoration is still far from completion as how we saw it.
Pieces of the stone taken down from the Baphuon for restoration. The identification tags were lost/destroyed by the Khmer Rouge which made the restoration work difficult to proceed.
The walkway leading to the Baphuon...
Terrace of the Elephants
Next stop... the Terrace of the Elephants. This is an impressive, two and a half-meter tall, 300 meter long terrace wall adorned with carved elephants and garudas that spans the heart of Angkor Thom in front of Baphuon, Phimeanakas and the Royal Palace area. The northern section of the wall displays some particularly fine sculpture including the five headed horse (which we have missed it) and scenes of warriors and dancers. It was constructed in part by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century C.E. and extended by his successor.
Elephant sculptures and I...
Lion headed sculpture, Han Yuen and garuda...
garuda...
Lion headed sculpture...
Just a small experience to share. At the Terrace of the Elephants, a local kid, probably around the age of 10 year old approached us to sell his guide books. He offered us 2 books at a price of USD20 (printed at the back of the book). At first we thought of just buying 1, but since he was such a good talker and he ran a very long way (left his books with us and ran all the way until we couldn't see him) to get change for us, which he eventually told us that he couldn't get a change when he got back, we decided to just grab 2. We thought it was a good deal as the total value of the books (based on the price printed on the back of the book) was around USD50. Later only we discovered other people was selling at only USD1 each for the same books that we got. Just to pass on to you who are reading this right now on not to fall into the same trick like we did.
From the Terrace of the Elephant we proceeded to Phimeanakas, which was located between Terrace of the Elephant and Terrace of the Leper King (which I will talk about it after this).
Phimeanakas
Primeanakas was constructed in the late 10th - early 11th century C.E. by Jayavarman V. Inside the ancient Royal Palace compound, Primeanakas served as the king's temple. It is an impressive laterite and sandstone pyramid. It is the tallest scalable temple in Angkor Thom, providing a nice view from the top. legend has it that the golden tower crowned the temple and was inhabited by a serpent, which would transform into a woman. The kings of Angkor were required to make love with the serpent every night, else disaster befall him or the kingdom.
There weren't much to see here. We climbed the pyramid-shaped tower. And as what I have mentioned earlier, the steps of the stairs were really small and care must be taken.
Descending from the top of Phimeanakas
Dogs prohibited...
Surprisingly, I found so many lucky clovers around the building...
Terrace of the Leper King
We left the place and went straight to the Terrace of the Leper King. It is a double terrace wall of the north end of the Terrace of Elephants with deeply carved nagas, demons and other mythological beings. The inner wall is an earlier version of the outer wall that was covered at the time the outer wall was added. The reason for building the outer wall was probably due to the fact that the inner wall has started to collapse and the king has decided to enlarge the terrace. The inner wall was excavated by French archaeologists in the late 1990s. The terrace was named after the statue of the "Leper King" that sits on top.
The highlight of the Terrace of the Leper King was probably the hidden wall (the inner wall). We had to find the "secret" passage which leads into the gap between the outer and inner wall. There were nothing special with the carvings on the inner wall as they were similar to those on the outer wall. However, due to the fact that the carvings on the inner wall were shaded by the outer wall, they were preserved better.
asura...
deva...
deva, asura and Naga...
Ta Prohm
Ta Prohm was built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray near Tonle Bati, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. 6
What attracted me immediately when I stepped onto the compound of Ta Prohm were the enormous fig trees and silk cotton trees in the area. The trees had made the view at Ta Prohm such a wonderful sight. We were happy also for another reason - they provided us a shade from the hot sun...
Not to ignore the beautiful flowers as well...
Look at the size of the tree trunk...
Accordingly this was the tree Lara Croft "jumped" out from, in the movie "Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation"
Tree growing over the ancient building...
Carvings on the wall...
Look carefully at the middle of the photo, the root "avoided" the face of the buddha
Angkor Wat
It was already 2pm and we decided not to go back to the town centre for lunch. Tom brought us to a small restaurant opposite of Angkor Wat for some Khmer meal. Nothing much to say about the lunch but we thought that the meal could have been better considering the price that we had paid for.
Since we had planned to view the sunset at Phnom Bakheng instead of at Angkor Wat, we had very limited time to stay in Angkor Wat. It was a shame of us for not being able to stay long in the famous Angkor Wat. We spent only around 1.5 hours here.
My advice is that, hire a guide if you're planning to visit Angkor Wat. There are so many stories behind the building as well as the carvings and murals in the building. Since we didn't have a guide, we could only stroll around the building, looking at the sight blindly without knowing the history behind it. If I were to visit this place again, I'd DEFINITELY hire a guide.
Carvings which tell the stories and history of the Angkor empire...
I am simply amazed by the structure of the building from 800 years ago...
Finally.... photo of a monk...
It's time to leave Angkor Wat to Phomn Bakheng... the reflection on the moat...
Phomn Bakheng
Tom drove us to Phomn Bakheng. By this time I was already tired of all the walk and took a quick nap in the taxi. It was only a short distance from Angkor Wat to Phomn Bakheng.
Phnom Bakheng is a Hindu temple in the form of a temple mountain. It is the first major temple to be constructed in the Angkor area 2 centuries before Angkor Wat. It marks the move of the capital of the Khmer empire from Roluos to Angkor in the late 9th century AD. It served as Yasovarman I's state temple at the center of his new capital city Yasodharapura. Thhe foundation of Phomn Bakheng is carved from the existing rock edifice rather than the laterite and earthfill like most other temples. Phomn Bakheng's hilltop location makes is the most popular sunset location in the area, offering a view of the Tonle Sap Lake and a distant Angkor Wat in the jungle.
More walking to do. We had to walk up a hill and climb the steps of the ancient building to reach the platform to view the sunset. We had the option to ride on the elephant to give us a ride up/down the hill but the fee was USD15/person/journey or USD20/person/round trip. We opted to walk to save money. Besides, we need exercise. The walk was roughly 20 minutes.
View of Angkor Wat from Phomn Bakheng...
Waiting for the sun to set...
Sunset...
Make sure you reach there early and get a nice spot and never leave the spot. The crowd was just so big that you need to fight your way to get a nice view of the sunset. After the sun has set, there are workers who had asked the tourists to leave the temple platform and descend the hill before it gets dark. By the time we had reached the foot of the hill it was already dark. I couldn't imagine the eeriness if we were to descend the hill in the dark alone.
Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil...
That was all for our Angkor Wat trip. We met up with Tom and he sent us back to the hotel. It was only 7.30pm when we reached the hotel. Dinner time...
Dinner & Night Market
We have chosen to visit the town center for dinner as well as to visit the night market. We took a tuk-tuk to the town center and stopped at the night market. We walked from the night market towards Bar Street to look for food.
Look just like our hawker/mamak stall eh?
Bar Street was full of tourists...
Since we did not have any recommendation from anyone, we stepped into the same shop where we had lunch the previous day. We were all attracted by the BBQ meat in front of the shop.
Yummy yummy...
This time we went upstairs and this was a different restaurant (same shop but different name on the menu). The food was good and cheap. It was only around USD7 for each portion of BBQ meat - chicken, beef, lamb, fish to choose from. And of course, beer was cheap too!! USD1 per glass! Further to that there was also dance performance.
The environment in the restaurant
Our drinks...
Dance performance...
After our dinner, we walked back to explore the night market...
None of us bought anything because we wanted to get the souvenirs only on the next day. After all day walking, we were already tired and decided to call it a day. Hopped on to the tuk-tuk and headed back to the hotel to grab some rest. Another day to go...
The 3 of of us - Daeved, Javen and I put up a night at Han Yuen's (Han) house the previous night and we woke up early in the morning, 4am as our flight was at 7am. After washing up and made sure everything was in place, while waiting for the taxi to pick us up to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), group shot of course :)
We reached LCCT at around 6am, checked in and enjoyed our simple breakfast before we went in to the gate. Our flight was Airasia AK280.
The flight was smooth, without any hiccups (thank god) except for the 30min delay that we had to wait on board, but everything was fine. The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Siam Reap was roughly 2 hours. Cambodia is 1 hour behind of Kuala Lumpur, GMT + 7. It was only 8+am when we reached the airport. We stepped down from the plane and walked our way to the terminal. Quick photo session before we saw the security guards walking towards us :p
We were deciding whether or not to exchange some Cambodia currency, the Riel as we only brought USD. It was lucky that we didn't as the main currency for tourists was USD. Most of the places accept or ONLY accepts USD. For your information, 1USD = 4000 Riel. The smallest usable US note in Cambodia is USD1. For amount less than that, Riel will be used, e.g. for USD 0.5, you will be given 2000 Riel.
After we had stepped out from the Siam Reap airport, to our surprise, the hotel that we have booked, Empire Hotel, which is a 4 star hotel, actually arranged a taxi to pick us up from the airport. Very thoughtful of them. By the way, before I forget, we actually booked the whole package - round trip air ticket + 3 nights hotel accommodation through Airasia website. The hotel wasn't far from the airport and it only took around 15 minutes.
On our way to the hotel - I love the blue sky and cloud formation
The outlook of the hotel was clean. We were told by the taxi driver that this hotel only started its operation a year ago. The interior was very good I would say and we were even served with a welcome drink - a glass of orange juice for each of us while we're waiting to be checked in.
We had 2 twin sharing rooms. The rooms were clean, neat and spacious! Han Yuen and I shared a room.
After we've settled our luggage and cleaning up, we went to the lobby to get more details on where to go and visit. Honestly speaking, we had not done any prior arrangement or planning before the trip. We only had our hands on the Lonely Planet the night before which I got it from MPH, Midvalley.
Han Yuen in front of our room
Anyway, we found that there were actually a lot of day trip package available. With the help of the friendly hotel staffs, we decided to take the package to Tonle Sap Lake. The package included pickup service from hotel to the jetty, cruise ride at the lake to visit the floating villages, sunset viewing on a boat deck, dinner, free flow of drinks (which includes beer) and finally transport back to the hotel. All this for only USD33 per person. I would say that this was pretty affordable.
Since the guide will only pick us up from the hotel at 3pm, we decided to explore the city a little on our own before that.
Our hotel and the blue sky
Traveling around Siam Reap is easy as there are always "tuk-tuk" around the corner. Tuk-tuk is just a motorcycle, but dragging a carriage behind which can fit 4 person in it. The price can be negotiated and please, it must be done before you board. We thought that it was ok for us to save a few USD and decided to walk along the street to the Cambodia Cultural Village. We rejected few offers from the tuk-tuk drivers in front of the hotel. They are sure like flies I would say - They kept bugging us to offer their service and even when we're walking along the street, many drivers approached us to offer their service which we turned them down. All you need is to be persistent while rejecting them :p
By the way, if you're curious how we actually communicate with the locals, we spoke english and almost everyone that we met during this trip speaks pretty fluent English. Sad but true, I found even the local kids speak better English than many Malaysians. This is probably due to the heavy development of tourism in Siem Reap, which has attracted many travellers from all around the world.
On our way we came by this shop - Senteurs d'Angkor Workshop, got attracted by the word "Free tour" on the banner and decided to walk in to check it out.
Apparently this is a place where they fabricate soap, candles, fragrance oil etc out of local ingredients. They also do foodstuff such as coffee powder, spices, rice out of local plantation as well. We were given a free tour around the premise and was shown how everything was done. The lady staff, Net, who brought us around was very friendly and answered our questions patiently. The last part of the tour was into their product shop and everyone of us had made up our mind to buy something, but not today as we didn't want to carry plastic bags to walk around.
Making boxes with dried and dyed palm leaves
Making soap of different scents and shapes
Cleaning coffee beans with rice wine
Some plants in the premise
We proceeded our walk to the cultural village. I would say it was around 800m from our hotel. The entrance fee is USD11 and they have programs and shows such as cultural dance, traditional wedding ceremony etc. throughout the day. Too bad we didn't have the time to stay here so we left. It was a pity that we didn't have the chance to go in but this will definitely be a place I want to visit if I ever have the chance to visit Siam Reap again.
It's lunch time and we wanted to go to Siam Reap town to look for food. We looked on map and it's quite a distance. Since we're lazy to walk anymore we decided to give the tuk-tuk a try. We talked to a driver outside of the cultural village and after some bargain, we made a deal of USD4 to send for of us to the town.
The weather in Siem Reap, although is as hot as it is in Malaysia (~30°C), which you can feel the sun scorching your skin, the air is dry. This means that you won't be sweating like how we usually do in Malaysia. It leaves our skin dry. Furthermore while we're on the tuk-tuk, since it's not enclosed, we can still feel the cool breeze, which was something different.
The driver dropped us at Bar Street, where there are many restaurants along the street. Since none of us had small change to pay the driver, neither did he have change for us, he told us that he will pick us up from the same location at 2pm and only pay him after he has sent us back to the hotel. They really do trust travellers!
Since we didn't have any recommendation, we decided to step into a restaurant which looks cozy to us.
The food we ordered to share among us
The food was great. We enjoyed our meal and stuffed our stomach. The environment in the restaurant was so cozy, and since all of us didn't grab much sleep the night before, we didn't feel like leaving our comfortable seats. The lunch cost us a total of around USD20.
We walked around the town a little before we heading back to our tuk-tuk pickup spot and head back to the hotel.
Dried and chillied "siham" - many people selling this "delicacy" but we didn't dare to try
This guy will only perform if we paid USD1!
Daeved enjoying his Coke in the hot weather
You can see people here doing amazing things with bicycles
We rest a little in our room, head down to the lobby to meet up our guide for the Tonle Sap tour - Sim. We were the first group to get picked up by a van. Later 2 pairs of couple, 1 from New Zealand and another from the states, from 2 different hotels. The journey to the lake took 45 minutes and Sim explained lots of things about the country to us.
We reached the jetty and boarded our "cruise"
During the journey, there was a local kid which I believe is the kid of one of the stafff, caught my attention. His smile was so pure and innocent.
Han Yuen wanted a photo too
According to Sim, During the dry half of the year the lake shrinks to as small as 2,500km2 - water drains into the Tonle Sap River and merge with the Mekong River. In the wet season, a unique hydrologic phenomenon causes the river to reverse direction, filling the lake instead of draining it and making it one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, covering an area of 12,000km2.
On this lake there are many floating villages. Floating village is made up of several floating houses, which can move around, dragged by a motor boat. People staying here live a very simple life - main entertainment during the night is watching TV with family members, which power is generated by petrol generator. There is no power supply the the houses. They earn a living by selling food, drinks and souvenir to tourists. Of course, the only transport available is by boats.
We were first brought to a floating market so we can have a look at the souvenirs. They keep crocodiles at the bottom deck! Better watch our steps.
Local kid riding on his "boat", with water snake in his hand
A group photo with the Cambodia flag
We stayed in this place for roughly 30 minutes. I kinda had a phobia here because I was chased by a little girl, age around 10, with a phython around her neck, who wanted me to touch it. I was running backwards and nearly fell into the lake. Well, I am afraid of snakes afterall. Forget about this scary experience, we rode on the same "cruise" we took and was transported to a larger boat, where we get to enjoy the beautiful sunset while having our dinner and our free flow drinks.
This was the boat - took this before we left
Angkor Beer before our dinner
Group photo together with Sim (standing in the middle)
The view would have been better without the clouds
Our free flow drinks
Angkor Beer and Beerlao - we prefer Angkor Beer :)
My dinner - fried rice with beer
We did make extra order of french fries at no cost and we were also served with fruits as desserts.
No more sun...
We left the boat at around 7.30pm. The surrouding was all dark and I love the starry starry night
Once we have landed at the jetty, we took the same van back to the hotel. That ends our first day in Siem Reap. Stay tune for my next blog entry on our amazing trip. Next stop is the National Heritage, Angkor Wat.
My flight, JL722 Departed from KLIA at 22.15 on 10/5/2009 and landed at the Kansai International Airport at around 6.00 on 11/5/2009. Finally I was at the land of where I always wanted to be - Japan.
To be honest, I had not planned my journey at all until I boarded the plane. While I was in the plane, with the help of "The Rough Guide to Japan" published by Rough Guides (www.roughguides.com), I decided to make Nara (奈良) my first destination. I have always been relying on travel books such as "Lonely Planet" and "Rough Guide" when I travel alone. They had always been a great help for me to plan my journey. My first tip to travelling alone is to always have a guidebook as a reference.
After I've gone pass the immigration and collected my huge backpack (65L), it was time for me to search for the train station. The public transportation in Japan is really convenient, either by bus or by train. My second tip is to get a Japan Rail Pass. I HIGHLY recommend this to those of you who are backpacking to Japan and know that you will rely heavily on public transport such as trains, and better still, the Shinkansen/bullet train (新幹線). With this pass, you can ride on any of the trains and buses under the Japan Railways Group (JR)unlimitedly within the valid period of the pass.
This pass can be purchased from the Japan Travel Bureau (JTB, www.jtbmalaysia.com/1217920802622) which branches can be found in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu. It comes with different packages for you to choose from to suit your need. For more information, please visit JTB's homepage. I have purchased the pass 1 week before my trip and I've bought a 7-day Ordinary Adult pass for ￥28,300.
So I found the train station. I walked to the counter, took out the purchase receipt of my Japan Rail Pass issued by JTB and happily got my actual pass over the counter. Time for some train ride. To cut story short, I boarded the train on the Yamatoji Line, spent 40 minutes in the train and I'm finally here in Nara.
Brief introduction about Nara: Before Kyoto became the capital of Japan in 794 AD, this honour was held by Nara, a town some 35km further South in an area that is regarded as birthplace of Japanese civilization. During this period, particularly the 7th and 8th centuries, Budhism became firmly established within Japan under the patronage of court nobles, who sponsored magnificent temples and works of art, many of which have survived to this day. Fortunately, history subsequently left Nara largely to its own devices and it remains today a relaxed, attractive place set against a backdrop of wooded hills.1
I came out from the train, went straight to the information counter and talked to lady behind the counter. She was really friendly and helpful. She gave me a map of Nara with all the major attractions marked on it and told me where the nearest lockers are. Another thing that I like about my trip to Japan was that I could always find lockers nearby the train station so that I can leave my big backpack in the locker and carry only my camera bag with me while I do the sightseeing. For a size of a locker which can fit my backpack cost ￥400 per storage for 24 hours.
After walking out of the JR Nara Station, I walked along the Sanjo-Dori street (三条通り) and came to the Sarusawa-ike (猿沢池), a small pond at the entrance to Nara Park, built by Kofukuji Temple for performing a Buddhist ceremony of releasing fish and other aquatic creatures into the pond each year. It is surrounded by willow trees, and the reflection of the 5-storey pagoda of Kofukuji on the water is considered one of the Eight Marvelous Sights of Nara.2 I didn't plan to stay overnight at Nara so I couldn't witness this wonderful sight.
Slightly further down the road is Kōfuku-ji (興福寺). Kōfuku-ji, along with several Buddhist temples, Kasuga Taisha (more details as you read on), the remains of the Heijō Palace, and other sites in Nara, received the distinction of being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name: "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara".3 This was the place I first met one of the iconic symbols of Nara - deer. Why are deer considered as the icon of Nara? Please read on the article and you will find the answer. Anyway, without any hesitation, I took out my camera and asked someone to take a photo for me.
There were deers roaming around the place which amazed me how tame they were and how close we can get near to them. There were people selling Shika-Senbei (鹿せんべい, deer cracker), a Japanese rice cracker for feeding the deer.
Tōkondo (東金堂, East Golden Hall), the remaining of the three golden halls (National Teasure)
gojyū-no-tō (五重塔, Five-storied pagoda)
Moving on, I came to Nara Kōen (奈良公園, Nara Park). This is a public park located in the city, established in 1880. The park is one of the "Places of Scenic Beauty" designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The are over 1,200 wild deer roaming freely in the park. This is also under designation of MEXT, classified as a "Natural Monument." While the official size of the park is about 502 ha, the area including the grounds of Tōdai-ji, Kōfuku-ji and Kasuga Shrine, which are either on the edge or surrounded by Nara Park, is as large as 660 ha.
According to local folklore, deer from this area were considered sacred due to a visit from one of the four gods of Kasuga Shrine, Takenomikazuchi-no-mikoto. He was said to have been invited from Kashima, Ibaraki, and appeared on Mt. Mikasa-yama riding a white deer. From that point, the deer were considered divine and sacred by both Kasuga Shrine and Kōfuku-ji. Killing one of these sacred deer was a capital offense punishable by death up until 1637, the last recorded date of that law having been enforced. Post World War II the deer were officially stripped of their sacred/divine status, and were instead designated as National Treasures and are protected as such.4
Jinrikisha (人力車, ricksha) service by the Himura-jinja, a shrine dedicated to the god of ice
I walked across the park, relaxingly while enjoying the nice view in the park. My next destination is Tōdai-ji (東大寺). Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex. Its Daibutsuden (大仏殿, Great Buddha Hall), houses the world's largest statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu (大仏). The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism. Eventhough the Daibutsuden was burnt down by fire and was reconstructed again to 70% of it original size in 1709, it is stll the largest wooden building in the world.(WOW!!)The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site.5
The main gate of Tōdai-ji
After the main gate, I followed the path and went through 2 other gates before reaching to the Daibutsuden. The entrance to Daibutsuden is just beside the middle gate and the entrance fee is ￥500.
Nandaimon (南大門, The Great Southern Gate)
Middle gate to the Daibutsuden
Daibutsuden, the world's largest wooden building
Daibutsu, the world's largest statue of Buddha Vairocana
The temple gives the following dimensions for the statue:
Height: 14.98 m (49.1 ft) Face: 5.33 m (17.5 ft) Eyes: 1.02 m (3.3 ft) Nose: 0.5 m (1.6 ft) Ears: 2.54 m (8.3 ft) Weight: 500 tonnes
To the right of the Daibutsuden's entrance is a scary looking wooden statue of the Yakushi Nyorai (薬師如来), the Buddha of Medicine and Healing. Touching a part of the Yakushi Nyorai and then the corresponding part of your own body is said to heal any ailments you have there. I thought I was healthy therefore I did not try.
After wandering around the Daibutsuden, I then decided to walk to Nigatsu-dō (二月堂). The sun was sunning brightly and the weather was warm. It didn't stop me from walking relaxingly while enjoying the beautiful scenary.
Daibutsu pond
The first torii (鳥居) I see in Japan. A torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine, as well as Buddhist temples.
A deer resting under the shade in front of a restaurant
After around 15 minutes of walking, I reached Nigatsu-dō. Nigatsu-dō offers a good view over the city from its wooden terrace. Unfortunately because the sun was shining so brightly, it was difficult to have a good view as the reflection of the light was too strong. Next to Nigatsu-dō is the Sangatsu-dō (三月堂), which is Nara's oldest building. However, I did not stop by this place. Maybe I would the next time I visit Nara again.
Stone lanterns...
The stairs leading to the Nigatsu-dō
Wooden Terrace of Nigatsu-dō
Bronze lanterns were hung all over the wooden terrace of Nigatsu-dō, though I don't know the reason behind it. They do look nice and special.
Sacred Water
Student outing
Done with Nigatsu-dō, next stop, Kasuga Taisha (春日大社). Taisha, in Japanese, means "Shrine". This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as one of the oldest and largest shrines in Japan. It was built in 768 by the Fujiwaras, a clan that was powerful when Nara was made capital of Japan. There were originally four Shinto deities enshrined in four main structures, but a fifth was added in 1135. Over the years the shrine, closely affiliated with the powerful Kofukuji, received many sacred gifts from the Fujiwaras and the Imperial family, and many of these items are preserved in its treasure house. Today, visitors will be impressed by the bright vermillion lacquer on the wooden railings and the many lanterns hanging from its eaves. The lanterns are presented as offerings by worshippers, and are lighted twice a year in a beautiful ceremony. The deer, which roam freely all over the city, are thought to be sacred to this shrine.2
While I was walking, I saw more students. They really do seem like they were enjoying themselves with friends. I saw this boy who got frightened by the deers that were surrounding him. It was funny to see how he was shouting and running.
A tea house I saw on my way to Kasuga Taisha
On my way to Kasuga Taisha I walked through a very peaceful and serene path. I felt so tranquil while walking. Not forgetting the shade, so that I didn't need to stay under the hot sun.
Love...
Human 1 side, deers the other...
More stone lanterns
Finally, Kasuga Taisha...
Bronze lanterns by the worshippers...
From the moment I reached Nigatsu-dō, and during the whole walking journey to Kasuga Taisha, I was amazed by the sheer numbers of stone lanterns erected in this area. There are easily thousands of them.
Stone pole with the carving "Nara Kōen"
I left Nara Kōen and head back to the JR Nara Station. While on my way back, I decided to walk past Nara-machi (ならまち), just to have a look of the quaint area of traditional shops and lattice-front houses off the tourist path. There wasn't much to see here but this definitely an eye opener for me as I have only seen this kind of houses and streets in Japanese dramas.
Even the sewage cover is nice...
While walking I read through my travel guide book, called up a budget hotel in Kyoto to book for a room for tonight. As soon as I reached the JR Nara Station, I collected my bag from the locker and took a train from the straight to my next destination - Kyoto. Of course I get to take the train by using my JR Rail Pass.
Stay tune for Pt2 of my journey... to be continued...
Travel
