Bay Harbour: September 07, 2016

Wednesday September 7 2016
BAY HARBOUR
PAGE 25
Travel
Exploring the beauty of Bayon
• By Mike Yardley
SIEM REAP is the launch pad to
over 50 Angkor temple ruin sites,
reclaimed from the jungle and
swooned on by tourists.
Further afield, many others are
still submerged and out of bounds
because of the insidious presence
of land mines.
With such a bewildering array
of temple-touring options on
offer, knowing what to see and
where to go, to get a rich flavour
of Angkor’s diverse delights,
needs expert guidance.
Enter Wendy Wu Tours and
my exuberant guide Mao, who
deftly led me around a curated
selection of enticing temple ruins.
After taking in the obligatory
sunrise spectacle at Angkor Wat,
we hot-footed it north to Angkor
Thom before the heaving hordes
descended on the scene.
Translating as “great city”, this
walled and moated royal capital
was the last constructed under
the Khmer empire, by King Jayavarman
VII, in the 12th-century.
Mao led me to the staggering
South Gate, where on either side
of the road, a stone causeway
is festooned in 108 sculptured
demons and gods, locked in a tug
of war with a nine-headed snake,
in a scene played out from Hindu
MONUMENTAL: The Bayon Temple. Moats were created around the temple as an engineering
measure, not as a means of fortification.
mythology.
Like Angkor Wat, Angkor
Thom is surrounded by moats,
which were principally designed
as an engineering measure – not
as fortification. The body of water
helped maintain the structural
balance of the sandstone foundations
of the temple complex,
combating the threat of stones
cracking and slumping.
Once inside the South Gate,
shafts of golden sunlight
streamed through the leafy forest,
as cicadas droned lustily,
cheeky monkeys scampered and
elephants stood sentinel, awaiting
the another day’s toil lugging lazy
tourists about. Mao strongly dissuaded
me about recommending
these treks – sadly these graceful,
lumbering animals are atrociously
treated.
Beyond the forest glade, I stood
before the prize draw, Bayon
Temple, stunned and bedazzled.
It is like nothing else in the land.
A magical, eerie, and mysterious
place, where 54 sculpted towers
pierce the skyline, extravagantly
carved with curiously smiling
faces, as enigmatic as Mona Lisa.
In fact, many locals refer to Bayon
as the Mona Lisa of Southeast
Asia.
No fewer than 216 carved faces,
in deep-relief, infuse the temple
with a soothing, feel-good calm.
It’s the same face, masterfully
replicated, with a broad forehead,
slightly curved lips, downcast
eyes and wide nostrils. The face
is believed to be a depiction of the
king, himself.
The large central tower, or
Prang, is pockmarked with 16
small coves, where kings and high
priests would meditate.
After being abandoned in the
16th-century, in 1933, French
archaeologist George Groslier
excavated the main prang only
to unearth a colossal statue of
King Jayavarman hidden underneath.
As we continued exploring
the temple, we interacted with
beaming elderly matrons selling
Buddhist incense sticks, giving
you the opportunity to make
offerings, in a very non-pushy,
Buddhist way.
I also lapped up the bas-relief
galleries speckling the temple,
depicting an empire full of stories
and legends, illustrating warfare
and spirituality. Check out the
grisly images of crocodiles eating
the carcasses of fallen soldiers.
What a way to go.
You’ll glimpse spear-toting
Khmer soldiers riding elephants,
a crouching lady getting burned
on a fire, a man handing a turtle
to a chef and soldiers sacrificing
a buffalo to ensure good luck in
battle. As much as Angkor Wat
is monumentally magnificent,
it’s the humanity and personality
of Bayon that make it such a
heart-stealer – and my favourite
Angkor temple.
Ferrymead
A House Without Windows
by Nadia Hashimi
For two decades, Zeba was a loving wife, a patient mother, and a peaceful
villager. But her quiet life is shattered when her husband, Kamal, is found
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trial, she meets a group of women, Nafisa, Latifa, and
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WIN THIS BOOK
ENTER TO
WIN
THIS BOOK
Southern Ruby
by Belinda Alexandra
Forbidden love. Family secrets. A twist of fate. The stunning new generational
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book
release
We have one copy of A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi to give away, courtesy of Take Note
Ferrymead. To be in the draw, email giveaways@starmedia.kiwi with A House Without Windows in the subject
line or write to Take Note Book Giveaway (A House Without Windows), Star Media, PO Box 1467, Christchurch
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close Tuesday, 20th September, 2016. Winner of ‘The Black Widow by Daniel Silva’ is Penny & Ron Beardsley
of Mairehau.
ALERT TO CHRISTCHURCH
HOMEOWNERS:
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to assess own damage.
"Remedial works letters"
sent to those who've
complained about repair work
carried out by Fletchers EQR
Ask yourself: Why after 6 years
does EQC give you just 30 days to
assess your own damage? We say
it's to reduce EQC's liabilities through
homeowners not really knowing full
quake or repair damage.
• Do you know anything about
foundation damage to your home?
• Can you determine any damage to
your slab under carpets?
• Or if your piles need replacing?
Do you know if your ring foundation
is cracked on the inside?
DON’T SIGN
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UNTIL YOU
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To help you stand up to EQC we
are offering a fREE damage
assessment to all clients who sign
with us in the next 30 days.*
Ph: 03 377 8855 | 127 Ferry Road, Christchurch City
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