CAMBODIA...The Magical Angkor!

The story of 

Angkor

began at a time when life was

perhaps  

gentler, kinder 

& 

graciously elegant.

Historically,

this sets it 

at around

 900 AD.

The

 Khmer empire

was at it's peak

&

over the next 300 years,

produced what was described in

Wikipedia,

as the

"worlds most magnificent architectural masterpiece !"

Personally,

I think what is magnificent is that

it survived the

 test of time!

My first trip to the quiet hamlet of
Siem Reap
 was about
12 years ago.
I was travelling with my good friend
Elsa.
Armed with little more than bits of
information gleamed from
 scattered conversations,
we made our way to
the sleepy town 
bordering on this
ancient site
via
the capital city,
Phnom Penh.
Not knowing what to expect is perhaps a good thing.
High expectations could be disappointing.
And disappointed we were not.
It was simply 
awe inspiring...
&
left us both pretty much speechless.
We were seasoned travellers with
 international viewpoints,
but the site left us humbled ,
under the 
shadow of the magnificent ruins.

Nowadays,

Siem Reap

is no longer a sleep hollow.

The proximity of

Angkor

has yielded

much fortune

in the form of 

mass tourism.

As we drove from the airport,

rows after rows of

budget hotels in all

manner of 

shape & size,

lined the dusty streets.

5 star properties

are all clamouring to get 

into the tourist market.

While sitting in the 

"limo",

our chatty driver delivered

his version of 

Cambodia

in a nutshell.

I guess everyone 

has an opinion!

This time around, we stayed in a

a charming French managed 

boutique hotel,

which

was fortunately a little away from

the main town.

Birds instead of traffic

offer a much better 

soundtrack.

Our first day was spent lazing by

the

 turquoise pool

under the shade of an

 immense umbrella.

The sun,

a 

bright & intense

ball of life-giving source,

created playful shadows on the sparkling pool.

Such was life indeed,

where the only worry was

where to have dinner!

Apparently,

Angkor

is a vast 

1000 square kilometres!

It was noted as the largest

preindustrial city in the world!

We set out early on the morning of the tour,

hoping that we would beat the

onslaught of eager

tourists on bus-loads.

By the time we arrived at the gate to 

purchase our passes,

hundreds of the aforementioned 

holiday makers were already there,

dressed in

various manner of colourful

holiday gear!

A convoy of all sorts of
modern-day transportation
crawled over a
statue-lined
bridge, led us onto the grounds of 
Angkor
proper.
This is the outcome
of
having close to
2 million 
visitors a year!

Angkor Wat,

that most photographed 

Hindu temple,

which was later transformed into

a Buddhist site,

 is still a wonder

to behold.

Built along the lines of ancient Hindu beliefs,

with a central

"peak"

 to resemble a mountain,

&

circled with galleries 

& 

a moat which represents

the ocean.

How can something so old

sit comfortably among us today?

Here, there & everywhere

are 

intricately carved scenes 

of

 Khmer life from

centuries before.

Stories unfold in stone,

leaped from wall to wall

affording us a quick-study

into a culture that is long forgotten.

The predominant palette is 

stone grey,

shiny in some parts and dusty in others,

these bas-reliefs are a testament

to a skilled hand from

a once 

proud & powerful nation.

It probably began with a 

dream  

&

 a vision.

To conjure up these

incredible structures

without aid of any modern instrument

is by no means an easy feat.

Determination and steadfastness

brought everything into perspective 

&

a work force willing to execute the scope

of

building,

gave us the legacy that is 

Angkor.

In the evenings,

we sit in quaint restaurants in

downtown

Siem Reap

feasting on 

cuisine 

as 

international

as the patrons.

These establishments

are serviced

by young 

& 

enthusiastic

Cambodians

intent on showing off 

their command of the

English

language.

When the Khmer 

civilisation was at it's peak,

King

Jayavarman II

proclaimed himself the 

universal monarch.

And enforced unity in his people.

A superb & intelligent form of

irrigation, brought much needed water

to the plains of 

Angkor.

Stone carving is a thing of the past.

Instead, 

oil on canvas or wood 

is a much favoured

form of art-medium.

You gaze in wonder at the

hand-work & creativity

 of

these people from ancient times.

I stand in awe...inspired,while

I ponder upon the imagination of such splendour on this

gigantic scale.

My emotions are swept up

high, floating between the stone towers as

birds sweep 

in & out 

in playful flight.

Today, the ruins stand eerily silent
on the plains of this remote part of 
Kampuchea 
as it's known
in the Khmer language.
The long corridors of the many galleries,
dark and damp,
echoes life from the past,
with 
vaulted ceilings
&
fantastically carved pillars.
You feel the pulse of
this
great civilisation,
etched & hammered,
on every surface.

Dancing Apsaras

are all around,

casting a magical spell on us.

While natural light stream in 

wherever possible,

 illuminating

the scene like some 

Hollywood 

movie set.

I chanced upon this youth,

executing his artistic skills

on paper.

The impossible made possible.

Fresh fruit to quench your thirst...

an escape from the 

heat & the dust...

...and suddenly around a remote corner,

you come across another

wonderment!

There's so much to absorbed and take in.

A visit to 

Angkor,

is a walk-through of a well preserved historical site.

A guide may be a good idea

but

one could easily manage

it with the help of a driver

& 

a detailed guide book.

The night is just as interesting as the day!

While the day could be an
exercise in patience!

Life is after all about

 balance & harmony.

If 

Cambodia

is serious about 

conservation & preservation,

they should start now

& 

act fast.

Short term gains,

as we all know,

has no longevity.

The fruits of 

mass tourism

are definitely 

sweet & sour.

From what I see,

their only legacy is being trampled upon, 

without any consideration to damage.

How do you repair something

so old 

&

 fragile

&

 not from our time?