Awestruck in a temple

Dropping in for a three-day trip to Siem Reap, and a visit to Angkor Wat, a temple complex nearby, was a change of plans, and a welcome one at that. 

Rediscovered by a French archeologist in the mid 1800s.

Siem Reap was Cambodia’s ancient capital, now with a population of 249,000.

The temple itself was built in the 12th century and is a little over 399 miles north of Phnom Penh, the current capital. Early the morning after my arrival, I hired a pedal cab for the three-mile hike to Angkor.

Like the French explorer Henri Mouhot, who must have been awe stricken when he discovered the complex, I was awe stricken and could only stare at the temple for a few minutes. I was quickly surrounded by young boys offering me a tour of the site for what was only a little change.

Supposedly, Mouhot was searching the jungle for butterflies when he stumbled upon the temple site. Other temples are located nearby.

I elected to go it alone, in spite of one of the boys advising me that there were cobras inside. Great adventure and no cobras (that I saw).

The five towers and additional space were built on a 400-acre site surrounded by an extensive moat. No water in the moat now.

The stone that made up the building material had to come from a faraway place to the east. There is some speculation that the stones came from a quarry 50 miles away.

A reminder, like the pyramids, that architects from those early days really knew what they were doing. Pity they didn’t have the Bureau fire station project.

The steps leading into the interior were steep, and a challenge. Inside were a combination of rooms and large open spaces. Statuary and bas relief picture walls were everywhere. No one there interrupted a free run of the place. I could hear activity but didn’t see anyone. Today, access is restricted, and any visit is more orderly.

When Mouhot stumbled upon the complex, the jungle had surrounded the temple and banyan tree roots were beginning to crush part of the structure. 

Flash forward a hundred years, and the jungle has been forced back to reveal a free look at the scale of the place with huge carved elephant heads. Men carved in stone dotted the exterior everywhere. A wall maybe 50 yards long had carved reliefs telling some of the stories of the temple.

It’s been a struggle for Angkor Wat; not only has it fought the encroachment of the jungle, but the ravages of war and the assault of art thieves who liked to knock off the heads of statues to sell in art circles.

Luckily, the ravages of the Khmer Rouge war was much milder than the destruction and theft by those seeking some of the art pieces.

I spent a couple of hours wandering around. While I could hear others, no one appeared to curb my wandering around.

After the destruction of some of the statues, the government started the task of restoring them from the damages.

It is the main tourist attraction in the country and draws thousands of visitors each year.

Angkor is only one of the many temples discovered there. I didn’t make it to other sites.

The statues are huge, and the many elephant statues are life size.

Banyan tree roots have crushed many statues and are an art form all their own.

When leaving Siem Reap, I opted for a bus ride to Phnom Penh, and discarded my plane ticket. The countryside was challenging, and the road followed the Tonle Sap River. The bus driver must have been trained on the Los Angeles freeways. The road was terrible, and we ran into a number of elephants being used for various tasks. They always had the right of way. Many stops along the way and a chance to enjoy a variety of dishes on roadside eateries. 

I must have traveled under a lucky star, no sickness along the way.

But of all the places along the way, the image of the five towers of Angkor will always be with me, and the evidence of the ravages of war.

The river during the war carried the bodies of those killed by the Khmer Rouge, carrying them as far as the capital.