Cambodia: Exploring Angkor

Even with crowds of people migrating towards it, Angkor Wat dwarfs them and makes all those heading to the sanctum behind its stone walls seem fleeting in their passage.  At no point as I walked the stone bridge across the moat did I feel that there were simply too many people.  The gargantuan nature of the complex defied such a sensation.  I passed beyond the outer wall and entered the massive courtyard further along where the iconic five-tiered temple  of the Wat itself looms with timeless power.  Unfortunately during my visit (and this season, if not year, in general) safeguarding construction is being undertaken on the main structure, highlighted by large green curtains.  No matter though, Angkor Wat provided an unexpected amount of roaming room.

I'll mention now that one of the most impressive things about Angkor, besides the architecture, obviously, is just how freely visitors can roam.  Once you've bought your pass (one day, three day or one week) and have passed into the territory you are at liberty to explore as freely and extensively as you wish until closing time in the early evening.  For two of the three days I rented a bicycle, which I overall preferred to the popular tuk-tuk method, and enjoyed taking as much time as I wanted to explore every corner a given temple if I so chose to.

As far as I can tell from my map I managed to visit every temple within the main area of Angkor, consisting of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the temples along what are known as the "short circuit" and the "long circuit".  I could go into detail to describe each, but rather than do that I'll suffice by posting some of my pictures here, though if ever it could be said that pictures won't properly convey a place, this would be a prime example.

Cambodia: The Road to Angkor

Journal excerpt, January 17th, 2012

I wake up to the gentle breeze of an air conditioner blowing over my shorts-clad legs.  What??  I left Korea in strict sub-zero temperatures yesterday afternoon, the han-cheon river running through Yecheon frozen solid enough to skate on--is this really possible?  I roll out of bed and trudge into the shared bathroom of the dorm style room I'm staying in at the Mad Monkey hostel.  I shower and go downstairs to the lobby, one side open to the street, and get my first glimpse of Cambodia in daylight.

Last night my plane got in late and after taxiing to drop of my bags at the hostel I went out in search of cheap eats.  I was immersed in humidity, recalling drenched memories of summer in Japan and Korea, except amazingly it's mid-January.  Definitely the furthest south I've ever been.

After eating my first Cambodian dish--a bunch of things I pointed to all placed on a plate, including curried stewed beef, eggs and rice--a hostel mate I had just met and I ordered a couple domestic beers for the road and then discovered we couldn't find our hostel again (later we'd discover that this was because they turned off the lights, took the signs in and closed the steel gates out front for security after a certain hour).  After wandering around a half-lit suburb of Phnom Penh, palm fronds and exotic plants looming lusciously in tropical shadows off and over the street, we finally gave up and paid a passing tuk-tuk (motorcycle pulling a small carriage) to find our hostel for us.  After even he circled through the area twice without finding it, he was successful and I crashed in my bed to wake up this morning.

I order some food for breakfast and sit down to wait, glad I got up early and have a full day ahead.  Outside I can see massive tropical plants fanning out greenly in front of buildings.  Green!  The air smells moist, fertile and decidedly wild, even here in the capital.

Today I head out to Siem Reap where I'll stay for the next four nights.  I've bought my bus ticket already, opting for the six hour bus (as opposed to the four hour option), intent on taking in lots of the countryside of this jungle rich land.  Ahead of me after that lay the temples of Angkor.

Korean Temple Stay (동화사)

On New Years eve I did a temple stay at Donghwa-sa temple, outside of Daegu, where we could get a taste of the Korean monk's daily life.  We wore traditional clothing and moved throughout the complex to different buildings where we met monks, chanted, bowed and prayed with them (a Buddhist monk spends the majority of their waking hours praying and meditating).  Additionally, we each made a Buddhist necklace from 108 wooden beads (one for each sin man is prone to according to Buddhism).  To do this we had to fall to our knees and bow deeply, then string a single bead, after which we would stand, then go to our knees again and repeat until we had done this 108 times, completing the necklace.

In the evening we were able to have a long Q and A with one of the monks over tea.  I've often been curious about what drives people to become monks.  Fortunately, one person present soon asked that question.  The monk told us that he used to own a music store in the city and had a fairly normal life.  Then one day he heard a monk out on the street singing and it touched something in him so deeply that he decided to quit his job and business and begin studying Buddhism.  Perhaps there were other factors at work besides that, or maybe it really is was as simple as that for him.