First Day to the Temples

So you may remember from a previous post, Lisa and I had signed up for a “pre-canned” tour of the temples close to town, but we adjusted this with short notice and instead rented a driver and a car for $35USD and a Tour Guide for $30USD through the hotel and started our day at the one of the furthest locations, about 50km out of Siem Reap, the Kbal Spean River.  The area we went to is referred to as the “River of a Thousand Lingas” in English because of the numerous lingas carved into the riverbed. The linga is a symbolic phallic representation of the god Shiva.

To get to the lingas and other carvings you have to hike up into the low mountains for about 2-3 kilometers (Ks) over rocky terrain.  I’m sure the guide, when he went to bed the previous night, thought he would have an easy day at the temples near the city on flat ground.  As with most places you might go in Siem Reap, you will be met with many children hawking stuff, and this is even true in the country.  Have temple or Lingas carvings; have hawkers.  Hawkers 1 : Lisa and Douglas 0 (several Cambodian scarfs purchased).

Many of the carvings have their faces removed by either Pol Pot and his crew or the armies that came to remove him.

Female symbol with lingas in the middle.  There are numerous ‘like’ representations in temples through out Siem Reap.  In many example, water is run through the carvings and it becomes blessed.

We visited the area in the dry season, but many of the carvings were still under water.  Our guide said that no one knows for sure if they dammed the stream/river, or if they carved through the water, or if it was dry enough that the stone was laid bare.

Lovely Lisa still looking amazing after the hike up.  The stream of water behind her has thousands of Lingas carved into the stone that is the river bed.