I went to Siem Reap with friends Kristin and Rudy to visit Angkor Park and the world's single largest religious monument, Angkor Wat:
Monks walking toward Angkor Wat. Photo credit: Ko Hon Chiu Vincent
Disclaimer: I DID NOT TAKE THIS PHOTO. Why would I use a stock image instead of my own photograph documenting my presence at what is known as an 8th Wonder of the World you ask? Because when I went there, it looked more like this:
Just a few people photographing the water lily pond at sunrise in front of Angkor Wat. Just a few...
Crowds of tourists, vendors at you to buy their goods, loud buses, tuk tuks, motos and the occasional sad-looking elephant shuttling the wealthier among us temple to temple. It should come as little surprise then that I found it hard to enjoy. We quickly learned that taking advantage of the park's 5:30 am opening time not only helps avoid the crowds but the heat as well.
While I anticipated crowds and tacky souvenir shops, I didn't expect the large amounts of construction (or rather, reconstruction) underway at all of the main temples. Statues are being replaced, walls rebuilt, new stairways put in. All to allow more tourists to experience this ancient, sacred place that is also home to several villages inside the park itself. But where does it stop? Is there some sort of line that is drawn in this kind of historical monument reclamation that defines when a structure is no longer an original but a replica? I mean, isn't that really what we're looking at when we see the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel? The temples of Angkor, now, are still very much original, but you can see how future generations will take tours to view the 'painted-over' version. Perhaps the couple architect friends I have out there can help me reconcile this issue. As much as I appreciate seeing ancient works of engineering, architecture and art, nothing is made or meant to last forever. I only really began to understand that during this trip.
I'll do another photo dump some time of everything we saw but you could probably just look up the 'Big Three' on the internet and it will be better quality and less people than what I managed to capture. Hopefully, below are some things you wouldn't see in a Google search.
Construction at the Ta Prohm temple
Tree roots taking hold of the ancient brick.
Succession
The amazing, original detail of a doorway at the Preah Khan temple.
Left, Rudi enjoying some quiet at Angkor Thom. Right, the library at Preah Khan
We found a place where there was no sign of people in the woods behind Angkor Thom. I think this was a reflection pool at one time. I guess it wasn't interesting enough to be included on the maps. You could hear the jungle staking its claim around us.
A quiet place for lunch
Buddhist faith lives among the ruins
MONKEY
Angkor sunrise
Modern staircase to replace the original. Sunshine on the Wat.
Back of Angkor Wat
Figures on the bridge. This one had some face work done.
More crazy trees at Preah Khan temple
While in Siem Reap, we happened to catch a giant puppet parade! It is a yearly event where all of the schools in the area make giant puppets, requiring many people to carry them. Not only was it one of the first instances of artistic expression I've seen in Cambodia, but also one of the first events where both Khmer and Westerners were genuinely hanging out together and having a good time. The whole town was there. For my fellow Juneauites, think 4th of July parade.
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