Cambodia and Ankor Wat

Posted by Jef Stott / at 2:14 PM / /

Siem Reap
After settling into our fine guesthouse (13th Villa) by the red river that bisects Seim Reap in two, Rebecca and I grabbed a couple of bicycles and set off to explore this charming small town in western Cambodia. We are actually closer to Thailand now than Vietnam. As we rode thru the mostly dirt roads with much lighter traffic than anywhere else we began to feel a relaxed and decidedly spiritual serenity in this town. Buddhist monks walking everywhere in their orange robes, living alters along the roadside, gentle faces greeting us and waving. Rebecca and I headed South and wandered accidentally into the monks University, an early 20th century complex of colonial buildings on a large campus. It was really interesting seeing all the monks stopping what they were doing to come out into the paths to check us out and say hello, waving to us and whispering to each other. With each passing moment on our bikes we became more quiet and peaceful.
On a night ride, we discovered a main alter in a traffic circle that was very active. A statue of Buddha heavily adorned with flowers, candles and incense right in the middle of the intersection, people praying right there, beautiful. Next to it was a small temple room where families would come in the evenings to prostrate before the rows of saffron monks who would chant blessings, ringing bells that carried far into the night.

Crossing the river, we then discovered a whole new section of town. Modern stylish art galleries, open air bistros, 5 star hotels rising up behind white walls and banana trees. A new presence has come to this town - big money. We were immediately concerned that the local population might not be seeing the direct benefit of this surge and our concerns where proven correct in later conversations with the locals. There is a trickle down economy here but the big money is not staying in the region. Along with these corporate enterprises is the the introduction of dozens of NGOs and humanitarian agencies that are attempting to bring relief to the this decimated nation. I am not going to go deep into the recent history of Cambodia, but I will put things in context here. The Khmer Rouge exacted a cultural genocide on all intellectuals, artists, educators and diplomats from 1975 up to the late 1980's in the name of an extreme form of socialism. The US actually added to the problem by implementing several ongoing bombing campaigns throughout the country to try to quell the Northern Vietnamese (communists) in hiding in Cambodia. Government coups were happening every other week for several years. The country has been relatively stable for only a few years now and is literally rebuilding itself from the ground up. Many of the traditional arts, dances, folklore, etc was lost with the genocide. As is the case with most oral traditions, the information was never written down. So now there is the combination of massive effort of NGO's and big business doing a land grab on the country to capitalize on the massive interest in the almost forgotten Ankor Wat. More than once we saw convoys of Toyota Land Cruisers out fitted with TV antennas, corporate sponship stickers, and tons of gear speeding thru town. Most likely a crew for a major cable network or an NGO on assignment.

Ankor Wat and the days in the temples
Once we had our bearings in town, we made plans for to first visits to the Temples. We hired Rain our wonderful tuk tuk driver and set off to see the epic Ankor Wat. The temples of Ankor are the largest religious structure in the world, actually a collection of several massive sites that comprise an area the size of a small city. Created in the 12th century by the Khmer culture that ruled the areas that are now Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Southern China.
Most of the bigger sites are easily access able and are therefore crowded. But the crowds come in waves and can be avoided. We often had these places to ourselves.

It has been a dream of mine to see this for many years and I was not disappointed.

Massive stone faces looking out from the granite walls slick from the tropical rains, labyrinth mazes of ancient walls adorned with reliefs of Apsara temple dancers, giant trees overgrowing forgotten palaces deep in the jungle. Mountain high stupas crowned with living alters attended by ancient monks and nuns keeping the faith alive and the fires burning.
A surreal sense of wonder and homecoming settled over me like a dream as I wondered thru these ancient sites. One particular power spot among many was the main alter inside the Bayon temple, a huge maze of carved faces and structures. Inside the highest stupa or pillar was a gorgeous Buddhist alter with a bronze seated statue draped in yellow robes with brightly colored umbrellas and tall candles. A dream to sit there in silence in the belly of this massive temple thinking this alter has most likely been burning for almost a thousand years.

Another moment was wandering alone into a Buddhist monks village off the beaten path. Stilt houses, giant pagodas with children quietly singing and playing inside, more children pumping water from a well for the monks to use in their ablutions pouring the pure water over the heads of the novices to cleanse them and purify their souls.

Wandering deeper into the jungle I found a totally deserted large stupa and temple rising out of the mist. Covered in giant trees and surrounded by a wall of Buddhas this one really stuck with me as the epitome of a young boys definition of exotic adventure. I was in a dreamworld of jungles, elephants, monkeys and Buddhas.

It may seem as if I am repeating myself when I describe the power and profundity of this place but it is all that. Wave after wave, temple after temple, alter after alter, endlessly blowing open all of my chakras for several days. One of my deepest memories from these places is when as I was kneeling before the Buddha in a temple an ancient nun kneeled down before me and began blessing me. She leaned over and tied a simple red string around my wrist for good luck and to "have compassion". I think of her every time I look at the colorful band on my wrist and feel very blessed indeed.

Our last day in the temples was spent riding bicycles thru the Cambodian countryside back to our favorite sites, revisiting our new old friends one last time. We rode all day along rice patties filled with water buffalo, under jungle canopy, thru the temples again. Very lovely.
I did manage to crash into a ditch on my bike as Rebecca and I were chatting too much and not watching the road. Don't worry Mom, I have travel insurance!
These days were not without other challenges. All along the temple route there are small market places and stands set up with women and children ready to sell you everything. The desperation in their eyes is as extreme as the poverty they live with everyday. Their taunts could get overwhelming. Also at nearly every temple entrance was a band of basically the same line up, traditional musicians who were victims of landmines. The one armed drummer, flute player with one eye, the dulcimer player with no legs etc...it also was overwhelming. I gave them as much as I could. Additionally I did see a pair of lepers waiting for someone near an exit of one of the temples. Difficult as these scenes are, it only made me love this place more. Rebecca and I have made a pact to assist local organizations there as much as possible thru out the year. I also hope to return often to help as much as I can. I loved it that much.

We ended our last day in Siem Reap getting a pair of full body massages together and having another fine meal of traditional food in the old market area.
We left in the morning after nearly a week in Cambodia with a bitter sweetness in our hearts. I know we will be back soon. We loved Cambodia!

photos up at
http://flickr.com/photos/jefstott/sets/