Angkor Wat

Climbing up to the high inner courtyard at Angkor Wat

If Christmas was non-traditional, than Angkor Wat was pretty incredible.   Michael from Koh Rung emailed me the day we got there to say Angkor Wat was magical and mystical.  Being a curmudgeon and a skeptic by nature I bought into none of this.  I only thought of it as another example of how egotistical and vain we are and how we build these monuments, many in the name of religion, to enslave and keep the pawns busy so they don't have the time or energy to organize an "occupy" movement.  I think of the Shelly (Keats)  poem Ozymandias "look on my work ye mighty and despair".  I know what you are thinking, I must be a fun guy to travel with. 

Looks like the Ents from The Lord of the Rings

Angkor Wat is a religious site built a thousand years ago by the Khmer King Javaryman VII. It is the largest religious structure in the world and has been in continuous use since it was built.  Wat means like temple or pagoda and on the grounds monks live and there is a school too.  Just a little background info, Who is in China, Wat is on second and Why was thrown out on third.  Angkor Wat is the best preserved of maybe twenty pagodas in the National Heritage Site which is called collectively Angkor Wat.  Some have not been used for hundreds of years and some, like  Bayon, is in the forest and giant trees are rooting through the foundations of the structures.  All are surrounded by moats that are almost too big to see as moats and then outer walls and then inner courtyards and then the pagodas themselves.  These were the capitals of the ancient and powerful Khmer Kingdom.

On the river

The Frangipani

 Chris and I left Phnom Penh early of Friday morning on the fast boat to Siem Reap.  It was really a great trip. Up the Mekong River basin traveling at maybe 30mph, the view of the river became something from another world.  Fishing boats, water buffalo, rice patties.  Then on to Tonle Sap, the largest lake in SE Asia.  We lost our view of land and seemed to be traveling fast but going nowhere. We were traveling in time and space but in what direction?  Then to Siem Reap and out hotel, the Frangipani.  Ai and Rith, my upstairs neighbors are managers, and it was fun seeing them there and the 10% discount was nice too.

A good example of temple creep

Which century?

Still smiling after all these years

Angkor Wat

Aspara

Wat could be more fun?

We took the half day tuktuk tour the next day and my generally dour nature seemed to be confirmed.  Enormous and impressive for sure, but why?  Crowded and hot and exhausting.  Got back to the Frangipani around three and spent the rest of the day dozing by the pool.  Now a pool was structure I understood.  Chris wanted to do the entire park the next day by bike.  Ok, but it is hot and aren't you tired and isn't there a beer called Angkor?  Well he seemed to agree but off we went on bikes the next morning and we decided to to the grand tour, maybe 25 miles.  The roads were flat and smooth and the air surprisingly cool as long as you kept pedaling.  There were Wats everywhere, not just on second, and Why, still not sure. The country side was beautiful and ancient and mystical and magical.  After stopping at every Wat, we just began to slow down as a sign of respect and then just pedal right by, the joke was SAME SAME and temple creep.  The forest would open up to rice fields that went to the horizon with water buffalo and workers, no tractors or motos or trucks.  Back to the pool with a greater appreciation of Angkor, beer, that is.  Next day bikes again, but only to Angkor Wat.  We never went into the pagodas but walked the grounds, sometimes followed by monkeys.  It was such a powerful place, to be in the presence of this human endeavour and surrounded by equally impressive massive trees, as old and more complex.  On the way back we stopped at the National Museum and found out more about Angkor Wat and the entire complex.  No mention of enslaving and conquered peoples to build the Wats.  The moats were not defensive but to control water for the cultivation of rice.  Jayavarman VII built rest stations and hospitals all throughout the empire so people could safely travel to Angkor Wat.  The huge battle scene on the interior wall was not a depiction of war but the struggle between Vishnu and Shiva, the creator and destroyer.  One hundred and something soldiers and eighty something minor deities pulling in one direction on a snake in bas relief with an equal number pulling in the other direction.  Above the epic battle between life and death, and because of the struggle, were the Aspara, the fairies, the angels, the dancers in fantastic costumes and poses.  I can only think that they are the ones that cause us to write on our bumper stickers "preform random acts of kindness".  The Aspara are our connection to that other world, they are art and compassion and humility and kindness. They are beauty.  Beyond the rational world, yes Michael, magical and mystical, thank you for planting that seed.

My beer is Angkor, the enlightened beer

Every Khmer person, our tuktuk driver from the bus to home, the waiter at the Boddhi Tree, seemed to  understand what I was saying about how incredible Angkor Wat was.  I said you are so lucky to have that in you culture.  They said, yes we are.