Day 243 (February 20): Angkor Wat

On one hand, coming to Siem Reap and visiting Angkor Wat is merely one stop on this odyssey. On the other hand, it is immediately obvious why a person would travel halfway around the world just to see this one place.

To put this in perspective, it is one mile in between the east gate (shown in the picture above) and the west (shown in the pictures below).

It is surrounded by a manmade moat that is about 200 meters (2 football fields) across and 5 kilometers long. Dug by hand in the 12th century!

Our Visit
I want to explain that we were picked up by our guide at 8am and driven to the visitor center to pick up our passes. We arrived at about 9am and it was already sweltering. We entered through the eastern gate, traced some galleries/corridors along the north edge and then entered the main/central area. Children are not allowed to visit the higher levels so our guide generously watched all six kids while we climbed to the top. Once reunited, we reached the west side by walking along the south. We observed a blessing ceremony by some monks before crossing the causeway and exiting the complex.

Angkor Wat as Art
We were all struck by the engravings. Every surface is carved, mostly with repeating patterns. We marveled at the craftsmanship that you see in minute detail as well as in the massive expanse.

Angkor Wat as Project Management, Architecture, Construction Engineering...
Considering that three out of the four of us are involved in infrastructure and project management, it's inevitable that we would marvel in the construction of the temple. It took a little less than 40 years. The stones were quarried, hauled by elephant, floated by bamboo raft and then installed. There was this massive moat. There was architecture and art. There must have been a massive workforce that required food and shelter. It's astonishing to consider (at least for some of us).

200 meters wide, 3-4 meters deep, 5 kilometers long

You can't just pop these in a lathe!

arches!

Angkor Wat as Tourism
Of course, there's just the experience of being here. Walking through the corridors and visualizing the spiritual life of this place. Climbing the stairs. Consuming the vistas. Standing at the centerpoint of the complex. The intense heat made it hard for us, especially the kids. It's hard to get here and it's hard to explore. But, considering all the places we've visited, I think the experience is different when it comes with adversity. The heat and the persistence intensifies certain senses.

Kids climb!

12-on-6 at the center of Angkor Wat

Things are looking up

Cate trying to cool off in the breeze of a corridor

Jon (and Melanie behind him) descending at Angkor Wat

Ali, Anya and Cate

Angkor Thom
Remarkably, that wasn't it for the day. After Angkor Wat, we went to Angkor Thom, which was built by another Khmer King, the nephew of the King that built Angkor Wat. A significant difference was a shift from Hindu to Buddhist focus. The latter has mostly decorated with massive sculpted faces, some representing the Buddha and others representing the King, though we were told his likeness was altered to resemble the Buddha.

The state of this second temple was much more deteriorated than the first. It was also much smaller, which was good because the kids were incredulous that the day wasn't over after the 2-hour visit to Angkor Wat. One highlight was the entrance (again, crossing a moat) to the complex, this one lined with statues of gods (on the left) and demons (on the right) as you approach the main gate.

Our guide, Minear.

Bats!

Finally, Ta Prohm, the Jungle ("Tombraider") Temple
After a semi-successful lunch, we went to our third and last temple. This one is memorable because it has been significantly ceded to the jungle. Large trees, hundreds of years old, have literally grown over the temple. The effect of this is mysterious. Humans endeavor to create these places of worship, often hoping to please the gods with the majesty of their creations. The power of nature to dominate the human construction is definitely humbling. In size, the massive trees render the buildings small. In strength, the ease with which roots, trunks and branches turn construction to rubble is also diminishing. Finally, in time it's impossible to ignore that these three or four hundred years in the life of each tree, and the eight or nine hundred years in the life of the temple is nothing to the jungle. The time of humans here is minuscule against the epochs of nature. Humility, humility, humility.

Despite the heat and the exhaustion, this last stop was also fun. The remarkable relationship between the temple and the jungle put us in a good mood. There was lots of clambering over rubble and climbing on rocks so the kids were happy. Here are some pictures of people to prove it.