Spirit, Not a Ghost: Sweaty SEA: Cambodian Collossal

All roads in Cambodia are bumpy, but getting the brains shaken out of you is no deterrent for the awesomeness that is Angkor Wat. The largest religious temple in the world, it is a city of temples devoted to Hindu gods and Buddha. It was built by the Khmer empire in the 12th century, forgotten, then "rediscovered"* by the French during their ruling of Indochina in the 19th century.

Roar!

These jungle-covered monuments must have inspired such awe and fascination for the French explorers. Think of it: sweating for endless days through the jungle, when suddenly, a giant stone face, covered in vines and roots of enormous trees, appears. This is the stuff of Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider. To find such monolithic treasure, can you imagine?

Buddha Buddha Buddha Buddha Rockin' Everywhere!

My sister and I hired a tuk-tuk and a guide to show us the sites. Believe me, it is well worth the cost of a guide; the history behind Angkor Wat is mesmerizing to learn about. Unfortunately, you have to wake up before dawn, because A. You get to see the big temple at dawn, and B. It is waaaay too hot by 10 am. Warning: this can entail many days of exploring, but you can get to all the best parts in two days. So get the three day pass, after three days, you'll be templed out. :)

The biggest building is what everyone refers to as Angkor Wat; it is the main temple, the biggest and most impressive. You walk across a great moat on a stone pathway protected by lions. Then it appears, surrounded by trees that would dwarf any other building, with a most picturesque lake in the front. At dawn it looks sullen yet magisterial, as the day grows brighter, your eyes pick out the fantastic details - from the scalloped roofs to the crenelated walls.

The main temple of Angkor Wat at dawn.

My sister and the guide.

Our guide, who reeked of whiskey, was actually quite eloquent and could speak very good English. I've always had a fascination for Asian religions and philosophies, and seeing the Ramayana and Mahabharata carved in delightful bas-relief was truly engrossing and charming. The bas-relief The Churning of the Sea of Milk and the battle scenes were detailed and made with love as only a master carver can.

Nom nom nom

Avast ye!

Climbing up the towers, Buddha comes more to the fore, with many statues giving the place a sense of serenity. Even with the heat and multitudes of tourists, peace and buzzing of insects predominates - that's how enormous this temple is.

View from up the staircase.

Checking out a tower

Traditional Cambodian dancers.

After a good long tour of the main temple, we headed to the Bayon temple. This one is extremely picturesque, if it weren't for the hordes of tourists at every corner. Still, it has its charm, with narrow lanes and stairwells, giant buddha heads smiling everywhere, and steep, dark towers. This has been described as Khmer baroque style, while the main temple Angkor Wat is classical style. Bayon is set in Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer empire.

Count the buddhas! There are four!

Then we went to what is known as the "Tomb Raider" temple. It's real name is Ta Phrom, and it has been left in partial ruin - so tourists can enjoy feeling the experiences of the white colonialist/fake archeologist**. Seeing the rubber and Banyan trees swallowing (to its integral detriment) the ancient structure provoked amazement and inspired the must-photograph-at-every-angle feeling. The alluring aura of mystery and orientalism abounded.

Me and a banyan at Ta Phrom

The Tomb Raider entrance, swarmed.

Unfortunately, it was completely packed, more so than the Bayon temple. And leaving - you get attacked by hordes of beggar children trying to sell plastic crap from China. They kept repeating "Twoo fo' one dollah" in unison and canon, that at times it sounded like a well-rehearsed song. There are many orphans and poor children in Cambodia and it hurts to see them. No wonder Angelina Jolie adopted one.

The next day, we continued our tour of the temples farther afield. I'll just focus on Bantay Srei, because it still stands out in my mind. Since it's far from the main drag, there were about three tourists there. The quiet and heat make you walk slow, taking in every agonizingly beautiful detail. It was made in the 10th century and is on a much smaller scale than the ones we visited previously. It's made of red sandstone, which gives it a delightful pink hue. This stone is easily carved, allowing for intricate, detailed designs. The decorations and motifs force you to get close to truly admire the artwork. This was my favorite temple.