I Want to Ride My Bicycle (in Angkor)
- Apr 3, 2020
- 2 min read
28 miles. 99 degrees. No problem.
After having conquered the Small Circuit by tuk tuk the day before, we wanted to raise the stakes a bit. Craving the freedom that a bike grants, and a do-over of our Frogger cycling experience in Ayutthaya, we set off into Siem Reap’s early morning heat.
It was surprisingly onerous to locate a bike rental shop. The usual suspects had closed due to plunging demand. As the minutes went by and the temperature soared, we resorted to roaming the city until we happened upon an open rental store. I opted for the mountain bike, while Steven settled into his beach cruiser complete with handlebar tassels (just kidding). What this man will do to save a couple bucks :)
Before reaching the Angkor complex, we weaved through approximately 5 miles of traffic - major roadways soon narrowed into tree-lined dirt paths. It was a comfortable ride being that the majority of drivers were 2- and 3-wheelers.
Our Big Circuit route: Pre Rup -- Mebon -- Neak Pean -- Banteay Prei -- Preah Khan
(disregard the car - this was our bike route)
Pre Rup
Our first stop was Pre Rup, a Hindu temple dating back to the 10th century, honoring Shiva the Destroyer. Its name translates to ‘turn the body’, believed to have been utilized for funerals with the ashes being rotated as the service progressed. While Shiva is the deity of destruction, Shiva also represents transformation, and the new beginnings that emerge from destruction.
East Mebon
A couple miles further down, we visited East Mebon, another 10th century temple. The defining features are two exquisite guardian elephant statues at the corners of the temple. Centuries ago, the temple was only accessible by boat.
Neak Pean
After about 40 minutes of biking, we reached the entrance to Neak Pean, an 11th century Buddhist Temple created during Jayavarmin VII’s reign. Built between four man-made pools of water, each representing one of the four elements. The temple is believed to have been utilized as a hospital, harnessing the water’s balancing energy to cure a bather’s afflictions. It was refreshing to see water after many days of dust-laden landscapes.
Across the road from Neak Pean is a smaller temple called Banteay Prei, a lesser known temple.
Preah Khan
We ended our cycling tour at Preah Khan, a 12th century temple also built by Jayavarmin VII. At one point, this temple housed 100,000 civil servants and officials!
We then began the long haul home, in the midday heat.
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