Banteay Ampil Temple

Hello, and it's me, Mr. B, back with you again. Now, this opening shot here reminds me very much of my school days, going to an English all-boys school, because behind me there's a huge erection. It is Banteay Amphil, and it is an absolute corker of a temple, it really is. I mean, it's a good fair size, all the birdies are twittering away, and myself, well, I couldn't be happier, because I've not been on the road for two weeks now. In some temple news, I was called by the Indian embassy. Yes, I know. And they said, come on down, we want to talk to you. And I met with Her Excellency, the ambassador there, and there is potentially plans of me doing some filming for them. So, temple tears, keep your fingers crossed for me. I might actually get a little bit of coin, because it's not a cheap hobby, this one, but who cares? For it has, as I say, been two long weeks since I've been on those roads and been with my chums, who are these goliaths, these temples that sit so stoic, so quiet, in these lovely environments. So, personally, I couldn't be happier, because I'm back again amongst where I like to be. And as I say, this is Banteay Amphil, and if you're thinking of seeing this one, do it. Just do it, do it, do it, do it. Because the ride here is really special. The roads are dirt roads and dust roads that wind you through the rice fields, but they're decent ones. They're not trying to snap your spine continuously with all this kind of jiggery-pokery. So, all in all, Banteay Amphil is an absolute corker. So, it's now time for me to reach out my hand and ask you for your hand as I guide you round this wonderful temple. Righty-o, my temple chums. Now, what you're looking at is the perimeter wall. That approximately is about, I don't know, ten, twelve feet high. Now we go scrambling over the masonry, because there's quite a lot of it about nowadays, don't you know? Now, the door was blocked there, but we have this breach in the wall. So, this will be our entrance point. And then, from this vantage point of standing on top of the wall, you can see the majesty of this temple before you. Feast your eyes what a beauty this one is. I mean, have a look at this. Isn't it just special, special, special? And we have that lovely interaction with nature and the ancient wonders. Have a look at that tree there. Isn't that fab? Now then, this one is on the charts. Hardly anyone comes to visit it, but it's not that forgotten. It's completely neglected like some of my temples. And look at this. Now, there's one thing we love here at Forgotten Temples Cambodia, and that is a doorway. So, hold my hand if you're a little scared, and let's go in. Okay. Now then, I have to duck down, as always. Not as bad as I do sometimes. Oh, my goodness. Oh, hello. Look at this. This is a nice big space. And see that recess in the wall directly in front of me? A statue would have gone there, I would say. And it would have been a colossus. Good Lord. Now then... Oh, I do love these rooms, so... I really do, because they're such lovely, peaceful places. And they're also that bit calmer. There's a smaller room just off the back here. I don't know quite what that was for. But have a look. And it's almost complete. I mean, you see that light coming through? You could also almost imagine that as a stained-glass window, couldn't you, in a modern church. And it almost has the same sort of shape. So we can tell we're in a religious place, no matter when men built them. They have that same sort of aura, don't they? And out we go through the magic doorway. And this time, we're exiting via the window. Okay. Down past the window. And have a look. It is fantastic, this temple. As I say, not an awful lot of people come here because it's quite the drive, but it's a remarkably lovely drive. And we have a second building just offset here. So let's wander up. And another room. Lovely. We've got the lovely ornate pillars, right and left. And as always, the lintel has been thieved. Oh, gosh. Right. This is something I keep seeing. Yes, there's holes because statues would have gone in here, but would the hole really have to have had to be that deep? Because that is about six, seven foot deep. Or maybe it's erosion through the passage of time. If anyone knows, please let me know because I'm an enthusiast who also wishes to learn. Have a look at that. Now, that is an incredibly strong roof. Now, that's the room we're in. And we must remember, of course, people would have entered via here, you see, gone through there, walked in, and in the back would have been a deity, a statue, where they could worship and ask for all sorts of things. But this exterior wall here is actually a good moment to pause because, look, you see, we can see how these things are done. None of the two seams match at any point. This helps load distribution. Now, we could sit back and say, oh, those ancients, weren't they clever? Weren't they remarkable? Well, yes, of course, they were. But if you ever played with bricks when you were younger, wooden bricks, then you would have thought, you would know that you don't build them straight up. So it's more logic, really. But what is remarkable is when you start bending stone, i.e. making lovely barrel-shaped roofs like this. And I hope you've been exploring and trying to get some crunch. Now, we know what crunch is, don't we? That's the sound of the leaves underfoot, as hopefully I'm demonstrating now. Because I assure you, my sweet pie, if you get crunch in your life, you're going to be an awful lot happier Because you're out with nature, you're away from the stresses and strains of life. So Mr. B, if he's going to write you a prescription for happiness, he says, get extra crunch. Yes, get out there. Oh, there you go, there's a bit of crunch there, you see? And it made me feel better. Okay, now we are in that barrel-shaped roof building. And, oh, I say, this is what we find, you see? There's a bloody big spider's web. So I'm just going to duck down because I don't want to disturb him. I'm not bothered about him, I'm sure he's a lovely chap. But, and then I need to get my leg over. There we go. And I'm going to sit here for a moment. Wow. Now, we see inside, you see. Let's have a look up. We see it's all very rough stone, isn't it? Roughly hewed. And that's because there's something missing. There would have been a wooden sort of thing across here, roof, and it would have been ornately carved, as I'm sure it would have been on these walls. And there's something else, if I just get myself up and navigate over these blocks. Right, I want to show you something else, you see, because I've shown this before in these videos, but not very often, is have a look at these holes. This is how these things were built. Now then, if I stick it in the hole, you see, like that, yeah, what you'll see is the depth of it, which is about one finger. And here it is, here it is. They're everywhere, you see, they're absolutely everywhere. And the reason is, with your one block like this, you would get your dowel, wooden dowel, stick it in, it'd be the same on the other side, and then with some rope, you could lift them up. So that is what these holes were. Now, the strange thing I always find is they're not in a uniform pattern. You can have... Well, there's one over here, you see, look. There's... These two are offset. Oh, no, down here. These two are offset at a sort of one o'clock angle, whereas these are a direct angle. And this one, for some bizarre reason, has one, two, three, four. Well, almost five. But it's a small block, you see, so why would you do that? I've got absolutely no idea. That is the mystery of the holy stones, i.e. there's holes in them, not, I don't know, the Pope came round and gave them one of these jolly good blessings. So if anyone also can enlighten me on that, because I'm an enthusiast, is... And I do wish to learn. I'm a bit thick. I've got a brain like Winnie the Pooh. I really have. But I'm always keen to learn. Now, then, my lovely temple chums, through this doorway is something magical. And that is how we're heading towards the end of our 360. So let me walk up here with you and show you something really cool. Now, then, can you see? That was a blind doorway, a doorway that should be completely closed, and it has the lovely ornate carvings on it. But something is afoot, for there is a bally big hole in it, because some devious little bastards who'd lost their religion and their respect of these wonderful things had bashed a hole in so he could get in to this room that you can't get access to. So this is kind of a secret chamber. Now, what was it that they were after? Well, of course, being greedy little buggers, they were after treasures. And down here we have a clue. See that plinth? That's where a statue would have been. And there would have been others. So this is why they came in here, so they could loot the art. And they did it very successfully. Unfortunately, just for monetary gain. They certainly weren't here for the crunch. Look at those leaves. That would be a lovely, crunchy place to walk around, wouldn't it? And so very calm. And so it's an awful lot cooler in this chamber. You can feel the air coming out, giving one a bit of refreshment. So it still has its magic, doesn't it? Although devoid of its central purpose, which is those statues. So there you go. That is Banteay Amphil. And isn't it an absolute scorcher of a temple? It's beautiful. I don't know if you can hear that because I've got my radio mic on, but the birdies are twittering away. The butterflies are flitting around in their gay carefree manner. And me, I'm at peace. I absolutely adore doing this. So, you yourself may never, ever come to these places, but I hope very much that this is ten minutes escapism in your day. Some place that you'll probably never visit, but at least you can say you've seen it, and it may spur you on to go on an adventure of your own. Because believe me, the next adventure is just around the corner, even for you. So until next time, when I reach my hand out and say, come join me for another ten-minute temple romp, this is Mr B of Forgotten Temples of Cambodia, wishing you nothing but the very best. Take good care.