The Lonely Planet guidebook tells you to “prepare for divine inspiration!” when you visit the temples of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer empire. Although this was my second visit and the throngs of tourists precluded any semblance of peace, I still felt a sense of awe and reverence faced with nearly 1,000-year-old structures, intricate carvings, soaring towers, massive restoration projects, and the jungle’s unstoppable reclamation.
For my sister Megan, even jetlag and the sizzling heat couldn’t diminish the experience. As always, photos don’t come close to conveying the spirit of the place.
Our guide, Kim San, picked us up at our hotel at 8:30 a.m., and we joined the caravan of tour buses heading to Angkor Thom. First, we clomped around the Buddha-bedazzled temple of Bayon, one of my favorite places in Siem Reap.
Click on the Sacred Destinations website for some details about Bayon Temple.
Next we visited Ta Phrom, a lesson in humility. An original Khmer inscription at the entrance says nearly 80,000 people worked at the temple in its heyday, including 2,700 officials and 615 dancers. The sprawling Buddhist temple was built to honor the mother of King Jayavarman VII, and at least one room still bears the marks of the opulent gems that once covered the walls. Over the last few hundred years, however, the jungle has crept back and taken over. Thick tree roots crawl along temple walls and worm their way through the stone blocks, slowly toppling the mighty towers. Kim San says Angelina Jolie filmed some parts of “Tomb Raider” here, but neither Megan nor I have seen the movie, so we’ll just have to take his word for it.
Lunch break. We gobbled up some Cambodian food, including dessert – sweet glutinous balls covered with shredded coconut. Yum!
Finally, we braved the crowds and blazing sun to visit Angkor Wat, believed to be the largest religious structure in the world.
For more than you probably ever wanted to know about the temples of Angkor, check out The Angkor Guide.
Our guide, Kim San. Click on his name to visit his website.
