Cambodia - the temple complex of Angkor

The temples of Angkor, built by the Khmer civilization between 802 and 1220 AD, represent one of humankind's most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements. From Angkor the Khmer kings ruled over a vast domain that reached from Vietnam to China to the Bay of Bengal. The structures one sees at Angkor today, more than 100 stone temples in all, are the surviving remains of a grand religious, social and administrative metropolis whose other buildings - palaces, public buildings, and houses - were built of wood and have long since decayed and disappeared.

Angkor Wat is a temple complex built for the King Suryavarman II in the early 12th Century as his state temple and capity city. It is said to be the largest Hindu temple in the world. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and one on my bucket list for ever so long. The temple is pretty well preserved and has been a significant religious centre since its foundation. It was first Hindu dedicated to the god Vishnu and later Buddhist.

Angkor Wat which means "City Temple", is symbolic of Cambodia and is the main tourist attraction. It was also made famous by Angelina Jolie in the Tomb Raider. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas (guardian spirits) adorning its walls.

Cambodia - The land of Smiles :)

Siem Reap Airport

Landing into Siem Reap was a very pleasant experience. This gateway to the world heritage site of Angkor Wat is quite geared up for tourism and everything is hassle free. Visa is on arrival and the process is quick and neat. All the Cambodian officials were very pleasant and they even had smiles on their faces! So unlike India.

Cambodia, is part of the Indochina Peninsula in South East Asia and is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. Most Cambodians are Buddhists and one gets the feeling of them being a very calm, serene, content people. This belies their recent turbulent and horrific past.

Offerings to the Buddha

The Khmer Empire was established in 802 AD when Jayavarman II declared himself king. Thereafter the empire flourished and dominated much of Southeast Asia for over 600 years. Also, most interestingly there was a lot of Hindu influence and much later Buddhist. Angkor is actually the world's largest Hindu temple!! In the 19th century, the French colonised Cambodia and you can see the influence in the architecture as well as food.

The town of Siem Reap is pretty small and can be covered in an evening. They have an old market, new market and a night market that opens at 4 pm. You can buy all kinds of stuff there including cheap cotton and silk shirts and trousers, cloth bags, paintings, jewellery, knick knacks and little artifacts.

There are many cool restaurants to dine at. My favourite was the Blue Pumpkin and Viva Mexico.

 There is a great museum that showcases their history and culture through the centuries which is a must visit.

And of course not to forget the Buddhist monastery around which their lives revolve.

Some of my observations:

• This is a complete US based economy where even the local transactions are carried out in US dollars.
• It is still an undiscovered tourist gem. But this will change over the next few years. So I would recommend you make a visit soon.
• Despite their recent horrific past and the tribulations suffered under the rule of the Khmer Rouge, people still smile.
• There is none of the sleaziness you see in Bangkok or Thailand in general.
• Poverty is extreme. Once again makes me thankful for what I have.
• Reminds you of the reach of Hinduism and the Indian kings and emperors of centuries gone by.
• English is not widely spoken. You could see the wheels turning in their brains when they would try and translate what you said to make sense of it.
• A great value for money destination.
• And lastly, their massage is great. Different from the Thai one. 

Created entirely of paper cones!

The first ever Indian Grand Prix

There was a lot of excitement to the run up of the first ever Indian Grand Prix. First there were news reports about the track not being ready in time and then there were reports about Bernie Ecclestone giving a go ahead for the circuit. No one really knew the truth till one got there. I think most people went out of curiosity rather than for the love of the sport.

In any case, the Buddh International Circuit has opened with a lot of fanfare and has been very well received by both the drivers and the spectators. The race track has been designed by famed designer Hermann Tilke who I met at VJM's place some years ago. The high speed layout and the challenging corner combinations make the track a high octane one for the drivers.

The circuit

One of the most notable sections of the circuit is the multi-apex turn 10–11–12 sequence. It has been likened to the long, fast Turn 8 at Turkey’s Istanbul Park circuit and is expected to generate high tyre loadings. Unlike Turkey’s Turn 8, it tightens on exit and is a clockwise right-hander. It is anticipated to be one of the main overtaking points, and circuit’s main straight, at 1060m, is among the longest in F1. The pitlane is also one of the longest in F1, at more than 600 metres.

Source: Wikipedia

Personally, I was not planning on attending the race. However during my trip to Agra, a few days before the race, I met Sebastian Vettel there. It was a sign that I needed to be part of the excitement and as luck would have it, I managed to get passes for both the qualifying race as well as the main race.

With Seb Vettel at the Taj

I was super impressed by the infrastructure to and at the circuit. The roads, highways and expressways were absolutely great and comparable with the best in the world. The entire Buddh International Circuit area including the track is also world class. It emphasises the point that it is possible to deliver a world class product in India.

It was also a very emotional moment to hear the national anthem being played before the race. Never thought I would hear that. Am sure my boss would have been very very proud, emotional and happy as he was very involved in getting Formula 1 to India.

Force India is the only Indian team on the grid

I was not too taken by the BIC anthem as I did not think it was catchy or inspiring. Nevertheless, it was exciting to be there and experience the first ever race in India. The sound of the cars and the enthusiasm of the crowd more than made up for the heat and dust. However, my personal view is that if one is not in Paddock Club, then one should watch the race from the comfort of home. :)

The driver's parade.

Before the race starts, the drivers do a round of the race track in vintage cars and wave to their fans.

The start of the race................Seb Vettel in the front

and continues to be in the front.........the end of the race.

The winner takes it all.

And finally I was happy that Sebastian Vettel, the World Champion was the winner - apt and fitting.