All templed out!
Trip Start
Jul 09, 2005
1
5
16
Trip End
Aug 18, 2005
Angkor Wat,
Cambodia
Friday, July 15, 2005
i have spent a heap of time at Angkor Wat over the past couple of days. it's hard to put into words what that place is like. those of you who have been, i'm sure will understand that. i just don't feel that words could do it justice.
there are a lot of kids there, trying to sell you stuff. it's hard to turn them away but i don't have one dollar for every child in Cambodia - sadly. it kind of breaks your heart, but i strongly believe that giving beggars money just continues that cycle of dependence. they are beautiful kids though...they follow you and try to sell you postcards and khramas and water and stuff. they ask where you are from, and then tell you every bit of information about your country that you could ever wish to know. their english is good. most of the time i just chatted to them to distract them from their selling...which sounds bad but i think kids can benefit so much more from some time and attention. they love speaking english, and they also love seeing their photograph on your lcd screen. as amazing as the temples out there are, i was far more interested in the people. my guide was talking for hours about the significance of every detail on the wall, but i tended to just slip away. in Angkor Wat itself i found a group of 3 kids and i chatted to them for a while. every time i lifted my camera, the little girl would do a silly pose. she was cute. then they were following me...i had fun with them. they of course ask for some money as well...i wish i could explain that i want to give a donation but will do so to some sort of an orphanage/NGO...a lot of these kids beg on behalf of a 'pimp' or just for their families. they do go to school for half the day...although many probably don't. it's kind of sad, but you can't help but grin at them. if you are friendly and smile, they return that. in one small village near the complex, a little boy was trying to sell his bracelets....one dollar, one dollar, just one dollar...(it gets like a chant, i can still hear their voices ringing in my ears) but someone pulled out a skipping rope. he dropped his basket and ran to it...they still know how to be kids.
i climbed to the top towers of Angkor Wat and was chatting to a "monk" - i use inverted commas because he was a fake one. he was chatting to me and trying to ask for money to help fund his schooling in Siem Reap. so many tourists must fall for that! it's pretty sad though, because afterwards, every monk i saw i couldn't help but wonder if they were 'real'.
i came across the funniest thing in another small village-y area. a monk was blessing a car and two people! they bless, by throwing water over heads...this monk was stood at the top of some steps...the car was at the bottom, and two people sitting on the bottom step catching the drips that fell on the way to the car. what was even funnier was that he was so blase about it...he really didn't care what he was doing!
we also visited Angkor Thom and the Bayon. right in the centre, the most sacred bit, there were monks making offerings to the shrines there. that was amazing, this lady gave me a handful of incense and showed me how they do it.
i'm not sure i could tell you any of the history of the temples. had i listened to my guide i would know the exact dimensions and year of building of every temple we visited. i could tell you the stories behind every intricate detail...but i would have missed out on so many amazing interactions with the beautiful Khmer people. i can read that other stuff in a book!
we went to other places too...but the highlight of the day was definitely sunset. it's so cliche and so full of people...but you can see why. i find sunsets so powerful anyway, but seeing the sun set over Angkor and some of rural Cambodia (we climbed to the top of Phnom Bakheng) wasa phenomenal.
on the way there, we had seen so many monkeys. it's unreal! this little baby one had a bottle of water...gotta stay hydrated out here!
last night i was totally whacked so i slept. my ears are better today, although my throat still sore...but i'll survive! i'm so busy and distracted, so that's good.
this morning i was up at 4am and we went back to the Angkor complex for sunrise. again, words won't do it justice so i won't bother! i also went out to Ta Phrom - and yes, i gasped as much as i have been told i would! it's the temple used in Tomb Raider (apparently) for you Jolie fans. it's the jungle one. i said a big SUA S'DEI to Mr Neam. he is always there. every day he sweeps the inside of the temples from dawn until dusk. he sells gold souvenirs to the tourists, and laughs as he counts his ever-expanding pile of dollar notes. he's real cute - an 84 year old man, with the most beautifully wrinkled face. long ears, a flat nose and a huge smile...so quintessentially Khmer. he has become a bit of a celeb in the West by means of travellers through Cambodia...he is now on the front page of the Lonely Planet Cambodia guide! he was lovely.
my tour guide took such a shine to me. he has been teaching me some Khmer each day. my vocab is rapidly expanding...i can now say three things!!! sua s'dei (hello), aw kohn (thank you) and lia hao (goodbye). i told the guy i'd be fluent in a week at the rate i'm learning, and he thought it was hilarious.
after Ta Phrom we went up to Banteay Srei - the woman's citadel. that was another beautiful temple, but then it chucked it down so we left quick sharp! i'm feeling so templed out.
THEN...we went to the landmine museum, set up in Akira's house...
i have to log off...but this is to be continued!!! i have possibly got myself a teaching job for the end of my trip but more about that later! x
Comments
on the right path!
ROR! read the temple stuff in books, photograph and enjoy the people and thier personality, you will never regret it. they are what makes the country what it is, not the temples. hope you are feeling better and sure you've got many more adventures to go. im with you in spirit so shoot lots and enjoy every day to the fullest, youuuuu rock!