Angkor Wat and the Postcard Children

Angkor Wat, a collection of temples spread out about 40 miles outside the city of Siem Reap, Cambodia. They were all built between the 8th and 13th centuries with the Temple of Angkor as the main temple of the complex. I arrived at Angkor early enough to catch the sunrise. It was quiet and peaceful and felt other-worldly. I was amazed by the architecture itself and the art within. It was emblematic of an ancient cathedral with its long high naves and its quiet transepts. One of the most unique things about the entire temple complex is the variation of religious motifs. Since the Cambodian rulers and kings vascillated between Buddhism and Hinduism, one finds very clear shrines to various buddhas and Hindu dieties. They would simply build new altars right over the old ones. I was amazed to find so much represented in one little area.



After walking around the main temple of Angkor, I headed back out to grab a snack and ran across some great little school-age entrepreneurs. Their english was almost perfect !! When I asked them how they learned such good english, they replied . . . "Oh, we learn alot from talking to the tourists. Where are you from?" I told them I was from San Francisco and the little leader of the gang said to me, "Oh, I know exactly where that is. It is in California and the capital of California is Sacramento." I was amazed by these great little entertainers. They were alot of fun and they BEGGED me to buy their postcards (a very typical thing in tourist destinations all over Southeast Asia - kids selling stuff). I couldn't refuse the postcards - a whole dollar for 8.


I continued out on my Angkor trek to the rest of the temples. I hit the Bayon Temple next which turned out to be my favorite. I think it was the symmetry and proportion that really struck me. It was so similar at every turn, yet it continued to amaze me. I just coudn't believe that something like these temples could be built as early as the 9th century!!



My next stop was the Ta Phrom Temple. It is one that is somewhat close to me since my manufacturers chose to honeymoon here and also made it the namesake of their business. It is fabulously ethereal and completely overgrown by the surrounding jungle. I easily felt like I was in my own little Jumanji movie. It was a playground for photography. In fact, the last cover of the Cambodia Lonely Planet was shot here. Sadly, the pictures pale in comparision to how cool it actually is.



My last stop of the day was at the Bakeng Temple. This is customarily the point where people end the day since it is a wonderful spot to see the sunset. One has the option of taking an elephant to the top or braving the slate steps all the way up. Of course I chose the steps. The tough hike just makes the sight all the more worth it. The temple was interesting in itself, but the best thing was the many languages I heard as I roamed the site snapping sunset shots. As I sat there by myself soaking it all in, I thought to myself how neat it was to have such differences in our nationalities, yet such common threads as people who loved the beauty of the earth. It was a memorable day.