The story of two geeks and their adventures in (and around, above and under) Asia. We're a couple of gamers, historical reenactors, and all-around geeky folks living in Bangkok, Thailand starting in February 2008.
Nestled deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia lies one of the largest religious compounds ever created--the temples of Angkor, popularly known as Angkor Wat.
Angkor comes from an ancient word meaning 'capital', and this area was, in fact, the capital and center of the great Khmer empire. The largest palace and temple complex is called Angkor Thom, established by King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. You may recall his visage from our trips in Thailand, as he had his face carved everywhere as the face of the Buddha himself.
A Chinese explorer, Zhou Daguan, described his visit to Angkor in the late 13th century. He describes these figures pulling on a naga, or serpent. They represent an important Hindu story: The churning of the sea of milk. Supposedly, the devas (angels) and ashura (devils) pulled on naga, wrapped around an upside-down mountain in the sea of milk, to churn it to produce the elixir of immortality. The story is quite involved and serves as a creation myth for many different things.
The Bayon is the primary temple of the city complex. It is a 3-level Buddhist mountain temple, with nearly 200 faces of the Buddha (or, as I mentioned, Jayavarman VII). However, while impressive, that is not the most important feature to archaeologists.
Around the galleries are an impressive array of bas reliefs--and besides the written account of Zhou Daguan, this is some of the only records we have of how the Khmer people lived.
Less impressive, but no less important, is Phimeanakas. This is believed to have been the seat of Khmer kingship, where the ruler would ascend every night to ensure peace and tranquility throughout the realm by appeasing the naga who was the spirit of the land. Behind this structure was the royal palace, but it was made of wood and nothing significant remains.
Other stone structures remain as well, but little or nothing remains of the wooden buildings that were once located within these walls. At 3km at a side, the city was huge. Protected by a moat which was part of an ingenious hydrological system that helped keep the fields of Angkor fertile. In its heyday, Angkor could raise three crops of rice a year. Now, that is only possible for those living directly on the river. However, recent discoveries may allow better irrigation once again, and the past may hold some clues for the future of Cambodia.
To be continued....
I've been reading anything I can get my hands on about Thailand recently, and one thing that caught my eye was the story of Tongdaeng (Copper), His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's pet dog:
Wow! Sorry everyone, but we've been really bad about keeping up. A lot has happened, so here's a preview of what's to come:
Angkor Wat -- Angkor Wat is massive... and so I hope you'll understand that it has taken us some time to get around to posting about it. Like the Ancient Thailand posts I think we'll have to break it up into several different posts.
Japan and the Mugai Ryu tournament -- Information on my trip to Japan.
The Temple of Literature -- A look at an ancient Confucian temple in Hanoi.
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh, capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia, is probably not one of the world cities most Americans think about when they start listing off the capitals of various foreign powers. You may get Tokyo, London, Paris, Rome, Moscow, Beijing, etc. (and probably 'Sydney', too), but I doubt you'd get Phnom Penh in the top ten.
The people of Cambodia have a long and impressive history in the Southeast Asian penninsula. Originally centered on the northwest shore of the Tonle Sap, the ancient Khmer capitals near Angkor date back to the 8th century, and their occupation continued up until 15th century, when the forces of Ayutthaya conquered the Khmer and put their own puppet on the throne. The Khmer king and his court escaped to Phnom Penh, further downriver and away from the Siamese.
Wat Phnom had been built in the 14th century (Phnom means 'hill' and it is the only one in the city, apparently). It became the center of the new capital. Eventually the Khmer pushed the Siamese out of their country, and now the town near Angkor is known as Siem Reap, or 'Defeat of Siam', but we'll save that for another post.
Phnom Penh continued as the capital of the Khmer kings. Eventually, they came under French colonial rule, and remained so until the mid-20th century. They obtained their independence from France and had Independence Monument built in 1958. In throwing off the yoke of European colonialism, however, many turned to Communism. An extreme form of the socialist doctrine was behind Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, who instituted a bloody revolution. Its goal was 'Year Zero'--which included as a goal the complete extermination of all scholars, even those who only wore glasses. The bloody reign of the Khmer Rouge was eventually countered by the invasion of Vietnam, which itself set off a wave of conflicts throughout the region.
Today, Cambodia is one of the poorest nations in Southeast Asia. Phnom Penh is a mix of the old colonial wealth and modern poverty in a milieu of an economy that is on the rise, though still hampered by widespread corruption. The people, however, are some of the friendliest people in Asia.
This is a country with a proud past, and has the potential for a bright future. In the days of Angkor, the fields of the Khmer were so fruitful they could grow three crops of rice a year. There are still landmines in the forests, but they are being slowly cleared. Currently, I believe that Cambodia is definitely a hidden jewel of Southeast Asia.
Greetings, all. I'm once again holding down the fort by myself this week, as Josh is in Japan for some martial arts goodness. (No, he's not evil: I had the option to go with him, and decided not to, because he'll be going again later in the year and I want to wait for better weather!)
On the subject of weather, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about weather here in Thailand.
The seasonality has so far been (and will continue to be, I think) the hardest thing to get used to. I miss cool weather! Thailand has essentially three seasons, instead of four: 1) a cool season, November to early February; 2) a hot season, February to May; and 2) a rainy season, the rest of the year (May to November). The cool season only gets to what we would call "springlike" weather in the US, and often hotter than that, but the humidity is more manageable. We arrived at the end of the cool season, in February. The hot season has little rain and can be very uncomfortable, especially around mid-April-- which is why the Thai New Year, Songkran (which we've mentioned before) features so many water fights!
The rains started right after Songkran this year-- the day we got back from Chiang Mai, in fact. This is pretty early, which many people are commenting on as a sign of global temperature change. There was also more rain during the cool and hot seasons than this area is used to.
Right now, the temperatures during the day have varied between really hot and more comfortable (see Weather Underground for more details if interested-- the current temp at the airport is listed at 88 F, but I was just outside and it actually felt cooler than that), but at least one major rainstorm a day (and often two) is par for the course, often in early afternoon. I've also noticed a lot of lightning late at night, for the past couple of nights. (We've had a lot of problems with electricity in our neighborhood, too, once because the driving rain got into one of the transformers-- BOOM!-- but they are pretty speedy about fixing it.)
Towards August and September, the rain will really pick up, we are told, and we also may need to schedule our activities around some flooding! Bangkok is a very low-lying city (and is sinking) and is built over an old network of canals, so any sudden influx of water can seriously back-up the storm drain system. We are told to be prepared to wear flipflops and roll up our pant legs if necessary, as some areas can get up to 1.5 feet of water for a short time before it drains away. Our neighborhood is known for floods like this: along the major streets along Sukhumvit (and elsewhere in the city), shops often either have a raised entrance, or a low wall between the street and the shop door to block the water. Just as we arrived in Thailand, they were doing some work on the sewer systems along Soi 11 to prevent this happening in the future-- and some neighbors have told us that it seems to be working so far, since we haven't seen really deep water yet. Time will tell, I guess!
All in all, although I really miss US spring weather, it's not so bad right now. Many people do get their "fix" by using the summer as the time to travel back to the States or to cooler climates. Come fall, I know I'll really need a break!
For those who didn't see it already, you might want to scroll down to see the first part of our Siam Society trip.
(Continued from below...)
The second day of our trip started in Kanchanaburi, where we headed north towards U-Thong, another Dvaravati site. Before we got there, though, we turned down a small side road until we came to a school with a small building off in the corner.
The small building turned out to be a museum, however it was locked. The key was, fortunately, with a person at the school on the same grounds. It turns out that there had been an excavation, and a small museum had been erected to house the artifacts found. Unfortunately, it is unclear just who is responsible for the museum, so it has not been kept up very well. However, we were able to handle some amazing artifacts that the man from the school simply handed around. One was a bracelet approximately 2,000 years old. While the decrepit state of the facilities was lamentable, the opportunity to be that close to history was incredible.
(Ellen adds: It's hard to see from the picture, but the bracelet is a solid piece of stone-- probably agate. The white markings were actually made by heat-treating the stone so that it changed color. Amazing!)
We next traveled to U-Thong. Like many Dvaravati sites, it was surrounded by an irregular moat. The ruins of this chedi (above) were actually on the outside of the moat, surrounded by urban development (as it probably had been for centuries). There is more to be discovered here, but most of it is occupied by squatters, making it difficult to access.
The museum at U-Thong is very much worth the visit. I was doubly impressed because they allowed us to take photos. They have excellent examples of Dvaravati art, including some incredible rare bronze Buddha statues.
Continuing on our tour is like moving forward through the centuries. In Suphanburi, the moat around the old city is almost rectangular, much like later moated cities. Wat Pra Si Rattana Mahatat was once the central temple of the complex, with a Khmer style prang still visible at the back of the current temple complex. Much of the complex relief work can still be seen on the visible plaster.
While at Wat Pra Si Rattana Mahatat, we were fortunate to be able to view an ordination ceremony--one of the happiest moments in a man's life. The entire community comes together for these festivals, and it is a joyous occassion. This parade was traveling clockwise around one of the temple buildings--I believe it was the viharn. The ordination candidate was being carried around beneath a large umbrella, throwing out candy and lucky coins (little 1 Baht coins with a ribbon tied on).
We continued our journey to two temples: Wat Pratu San and Wat Makham No. These temples both contain excellent examples of Lao, Thai, and Chinese influences in the murals all along the inside walls. The primary artist was a displaced Lao brought back from wars in the east in the late 18th, early 19th centuries. He was brought here to work, where he found his brother was also working nearby. Together they both created works that are still admired today.
Our last visit was to Wat Pa Lelai Worawihan, an ancient temple still in use. Much of the temple is new or reconstructed--including this seated Buddha which was built where, it is believed, an ancient Buddha statue once sat. It is, today, one of the most recognizable symbols of this region, and draws a plethora of pilgrims and tourists at all times of the year.
Carved into the plaster of the walls to either side were this monkey and elephant, reverencing the Buddha. These two animals are apparently a common symbol in Buddhist temples.
With nothing more on the itinerary, we returned to Bangkok and the modern world. This has truly been an incredible trip, and I am sure you will here of many more in future posts.
Where do you get a chance to visit the ruins of an ancient 6th century civilization, and handle a 2,000 year old bracelet? A Siam Society weekend trip, that's where. Siam Society trips are organized around Asia and elsewhere, and can be simple daytrips to 3 week tours.
The first stop on our tour was the ruins of Wat Phra Men in Nakhon Pathom. Likely built in the 7th century in the Dvaravati style, it was later abandoned, along with the rest of Nakhon Pathom. The four seated buddha statues that would have adorned four alcoves in the central prang, or tower, appear to have been moved to other temples. Bricks were later taken to rebuild the chedi or Wat Phra Pathom, and much of it was looted by robbers. Still, a considerable amount of artifacts were uncovered by archaeologists in the early 20th century, but they were removed from the site and now reside at various museums.
Next we went to Chula Pathon Chedi, near the center of the old moated city of Nakhon Pathom. There were actually two Pathon Chedis--this was called 'Chula' because it appears to have been much smaller than 'Phra' Pathon Chedi. It has been built and rebuilt several times, and the additions, usually extending the base, can clearly be seen in places. While researching this chedi, a series of bas reliefs were found that had survived the ages--some had been covered by later additions, while others had been simply been covered with dirt and sediment over the centuries. This is still an active archaeological site, and there had been a dig going on only a week before we had arrived.
Phra Pathon Chedi has long been in use, but only recently 'discovered'. The old structure was covered in earth and hidden, and only the new prang-style chedi at the top was visible. Excavations have uncovered the actual brickwork, and in some instances you can clearly see where the newer brick was laid over the old.
Our last stop in Nakhon Pathom was Wat Phra Pathom, one of the oldest Buddhist sites in Thailand and now one of the tallest chedi in the world. The current structure was actually built by King Rama IV, and is built over the old chedi, like a shell. Because of its size, engineers had to build a slight slope into the rising walls to support the weight, and beneath it all are support beams linked with a giant iron chain to help spread the load evenly in all directions. This is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Thailand, and it houses a museum of archaeological artifacts from around the region.
Next, we continued up the road to Pong Tuk, in the Tha Maka district. This unassuming site, with its remains of a laterite brick structure, has yielded some important--if potentially controversial--finds for the understanding of Thai history. One such find are these:
They have been called 'stone bells', and have been hung like this for display. Some archaeologists--our guide among them--posit a different theory. You see, in the 6th century, much of inland Thailand was actually part of a large bay. Slowly the bay silted up through deposits left by the rivers flowing in from all sides. In its day, however, there would have been major shipping lanes throughout what is now inland Thailand. Charting out the various Dvaravati sites on top of this extended bay, one sees that most of them sit along the edges of the water--likely for the obvious purposes of fishing and trade. These large stones, left over when the waters receded, were likely boat anchors, similar to ones found in the Mediterranean. The concept of drilling a hole through a stone and then using it as an anchor or anchorage point is not new, and may explain these large stones.
This was also the site where archaeologists found a rare Roman or Byzantine lamp (experts disagree, though the 6th century Byzantine provenance seems much more likely, in my opinion). Apparently it was found in two separate pieces by villagers, who didn't Together with evidence such as 3rd century Roman coins, marked with Victorinus, it shows the extent of trade in the early centuries of the first millenium. We saw a replica of the lamp in the treasure storeroom of a nearby temple.
Our final destination on the first day is at Prasat Muang Singh, in the modern province of Kanchanaburi. After passing through one more archaeological site and museum at Ban Kao we hit the westernmost outpost of the Angkorian Khmer Empire of Jayavarman VII. Built in the Angkorian style of laterite stone during the 13th century, it was probably built to express the power of the Khmer kings on their western frontier.
King Jayavarman VII spread Buddhism to all corners of his empire, and is responsible for perhaps building more Buddhist temples of the Khmer style than any other king. It was not, however, an entirely altruistic gesture, for Jayavarman VII used himself as the model for the statues of the Buddha which he sent out. Thus, he used these constructions to express his power and rule throughout his kingdom.
While Khmer structures often used laterite, the buildings in Angkor, at the heart of the kingdom, covered most exposed sections in carved sandstone. The structure at Prasat Muang Singh was more likely covered in plaster. The relief above would have been the rough carving, with the plaster used to create a more detailed image. I would guess that plaster would have been cheaper--being on the edges of the empire, it would not be expected that the king would exert as much time or resources. This is shown in tremendous detail with a later structure behind the main complex:
While Khmer structures were usually very symmetrical, this later structure shows obvious errors, with many of the rooms being offset slightly--possibly due to an error on the part of the engineers. Such lapses are probably indicators that the knowledge of the building techniques were being lost on the fringes of the empire, corresponding with a general decline in the Khmer empire's power in the outlying regions. Soon, the local Thai people--the Siem or Siam--would begin to carve out their own kingdoms in places like Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai.
That evening we returned to Kanchanaburi, to a hotel on the Kwai river--yes, the one from the movie. The famous bridge was just down the river (Ellen went down to get the shot the next morning). From there we headed up to U-Thong and Suphanburi, but that will have to wait for another post.
(This is a terribly late post. I've been intending to post about our elephantic experience in Chiang Mai for quite some time...but it was a powerful experience, and I haven't quite been able to figure out how to talk about it, so previously I've taken the easy way out and avoided it. Sorry, and here is the long-awaited account!)
One aspect of our trip to Chiang Mai last month that I haven't told you about yet is our day at the Elephant Nature Park. The park was founded several years ago by a lady named Sangduan Chailert, nicknamed "Lek" (meaning small) to present a different type of elephant experience than is typically available here. Instead of a typical elephant camp which gives tourists the opportunity to ride elephants or see them painting or playing soccer, Lek has created a place where one can interact with elephants as they are "just being elephants", spending their days eating, sleeping, taking dust baths, and playing.
We were picked up from our hotel by our park guide, a young Akha man (the Akha are one of the hilltribes from northern Thailand/Laos) nicknamed "Mammoth" ("I'm not extinct!") He proved to be an expert guide, providing us with tons of elephant information and lots of truly awful elephant jokes.
(Why didn't the elephant go to university? Because he didn't graduate high school.)
Our first stop was at a local fruit market to pick up lunch for the elephants:
(Don't worry, the puppy was not a snack-- it was just teething on the bananas.)
We then drove about an hour and a half to the park itself, located in the beautiful Mae Tang Valley northwest of Chiang Mai. The park is an open space through which the Mae Tang river runs, surrounded by banana plantations (which occasionally the elephants get into). There is a collection of buildings at the center, including huts for visitors and volunteers, and a main kitchen area and feeding platform where the elephants have their meals.
A day visit to the park involves feeding and bathing the elephants in the river, as well as learning their stories. It is also possible to stay overnight or volunteer for a week or more (indeed, the volunteers have been responsible for raising the money to rescue many of the elephants here).
Around 11 AM, a bamboo knocker is "rung" and the elephants all come to the feeding platform for lunch:
That's Mammoth on the right, and Mae Boon and Aura (I think) on the left.
Lunch is fruit-- bananas, watermelon, and so on-- which is all fed by hand by the volunteers and visitors. The elephants are quite adept at handling the fruit. Josh and I found ourselves feeding Mae Boon, mainly, while nearby her 3-year-old baby, Aura, was practicing her coordination (she was more likely to drop her treats). Mae Boon is rather picky-- she would "reject" pieces of fruit that weren't to her liking, at least until they were the only ones left!
After the elephants ate, it was time for human lunch (yummy Thai food), signaled by the ringing of a bell.
After lunch it was time to bathe the elephants. This happens twice a day: the elephants are taken down to the river by their mahouts (handlers) and get thoroughly scrubbed, to keep their skin in top condition.
The elephants really enjoy this and will get into the spirit of things by splashing water about themselves. It was Songkran, so there was even more of an excuse for a full-scale water fight!
This was also an opportunity for the mahouts to reinforce the babies' training: although they are never expected to work, the babies are still trained in many of the most common commands, including giving "kisses". Baby Aura kissed me about 4 times over the course of the afternoon. I have no illusions, though: she was doing it for the slices of Wonder bread she was getting in return!
When the elephants have had enough, they get out of the river and wander over to the mud pit where they cover themselves with dust again. This was our opportunity to sit in the elevated "Beach Hut" and hear Lek, the park's founder, speak to us about her goals.
In the afternoon, we watched a National Geographic video about the park and the situation of elephants in Thailand, then we had time for more exploring, elephant-watching, and even a nap:
(Not only elephants, but many stray dogs and cats have found a good home at the park.)
Finally, we bathed the elephants one last time, and then piled back into the van for the trip back to Chiang Mai, tired, happy and thoughtful.
But our day at Elephant Nature Park wasn't all fun and games. I debated for a long time how to talk about this-- in fact, I had a very long and "sermonizing" post all planned out-- but I finally deleted it. Instead, I invite you to take a look at the park's website, which says everything I was going to say. I think the following pictures instead say it best:
This is Medo. She was employed in illegal logging, where a runaway tree trunk broker her ankle-- and an encounter with a berserk male left her with a dislocated pelvis. She is a young elephant, but she will never walk normally or without pain. Lek brought her to the park, where she can relax with other elephants, and spend lots of time in the river, which helps her feel better.
This is Max, or Maximus, one of the tallest elephants in Thailand. He's quite old and has worked in logging, tourism and street begging, before he was struck by a semi and badly injured-- his leg has never quite healed properly, and he continues to walk with a limp.
Another of the park's elephants, Jokia, is blind in both eyes from abuse. She spends her time with her best friend, Mae Perm, who is never far away and gently leads Jokia to and from the river and the feeding platform.
Sadly, most of the elephants at the park have similar histories. Elephants have little to no protection under Thai law, and so these situations of abuse are common and there is no legal recourse when it happens. The park staff and volunteers do what they can to rescue the most needy elephants, going to great lengths to fund the purchase (one young lady from the US asked her parents if, instead of giving her a car for graduation as they were planning, they could use the money to rescue an elephant).
Many other elephants suffer not out of outright malice, but lack of resources: elephants are expensive to keep, and now that logging has been banned in Thailand, they must find work where they can, in tourist camps, illegal logging, or street begging. Many of these elephants are still well-kept (treated as part of their owners' or handlers' families) but when resources are scarce, they can still be overworked or underfed, or go without medicine. The "Jumbo Express" project run by the Elephant Nature Foundation serves as a mobile elephant medical service, traveling deep into the interior to help elephants in need by providing medications and elephant husbandry information.
Ignorance is also a huge problem: one of Lek's main goals with her elephants is to prove that the brutal "traditional" training methods for elephants are not necessary, and are in fact counterproductive. There is a widespread belief than a young elephant's spirit must be forcibly broken through a ceremony called the pajaan, which involves confining the elephant in a cage, depriving it of food and water, and subjecting it to physical and psychological abuse. None of the babies at the Elephant Nature Park are subjected to this-- they are instead trained through gentle, positive-reinforcement methods with plenty of treats and cuddles available. To drive the point home, Lek forbids the mahouts at the park to use the ankus, or "hook" typically used to direct and control the elephant; although it can be used responsibly, she wants to show that it is not a necessity. The mahouts instead lead their elephants around by voice, or occasionally will tug on an ear to get the point across.
The message I brought away from our visit to the park was not that elephants and humans should lead separate lives-- but that there are better ways for elephants and humans to coexist than are commonly seen nowadays. I invite you to find a better way to interact with an elephant than to watch this:
All in all, it was an incredible experience, in many ways. I plan to head back to Elephant Nature Park at some point as a volunteer for a week, and I would strongly recommend that you plan to visit for a day or more if you find yourself in Chiang Mai. It is a life-changing place.
