Siem Reap - Angkor Wat
Trip Start
Feb 17, 2007
1
7
53
Trip End
Sep 06, 2008
Siem Reap,
Cambodia
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
4AM is an ungodly hour to wake up. Especially when you're on holiday. But every one of my travelers has found a way...when it's Angkor Wat at sunrise. For most visitors to Cambodia, it's the highlight of their tour.
Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world, almost one square mile in size. And quite stunning when the sun rises behind the temple. One of the trademarks of the Angkor kings were barays, large pools of water. They were religious and economic symbols of the king's power. Surprisingly enough there's a reflection pool in front of Angkor Wat. The rainy season, when the pool fills the highest, is the busiest time of year for tourists at this site.
AW was built by King Suryavarman II. He ruled during the height of the Angkor empire - when it was the strongest politically and largest geographically. AW was a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Visnu. There are several gods in Hinduism. The three main ones are Brahma (the creator), Shiva (the destroyer) and Visnu (the protector). AW was modeled after Mount Meru, the home of the gods.
The term Indochina refers to the region Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. It's a contraction of the words India and China. Those countries were the two main influences during the Angkor Period, 9th - 15th centuries. The primary influence from China was Buddhism. And the Angkor kings frequently changed their affiliation between the two religions. So what did successive kings do if they were Buddhist? Simple. Put large Buddha statues inside the Hindu Angkor Wat. I think it's pretty funny.
A little warning for those who plan on coming to Angkor Wat: watch what kind of food you bring into the temple. I was carrying some leftover snacks from sunrise. A large blur came running at me from out of nowhere. It was so fast and sudden I couldn't even react. By the time I looked over, a large monkey had ripped open my bag of rambutan. He stared me down like an incredulous policeman. They may look friendly and aloof most of the time. But when food's involved, their demeanor changes dramatically. I originally planned on giving the fruit to one of the groundskeepers. But safety won out, so I tossed the bag as far as I could and continued the tour in the opposite direction.
Eric
