The Most Magical Place on Earth

I woke today at 4:45am to catch the sunrise and was greeted with a massive hangover. I went through my morning routine with the add on of a good vomit session and went to find the Tuk Tuk I arranged to bring me to the temples. He was no where to be found so reception had to find me another one. On the ride over, I was very surprised that the sky was still so dark. My immediate thought was, "did I not account for a time zone change?" But it wasn't that. The sky was completely covered in dark, rainy clouds that were just waiting to pour. I disregarded this and still made my way to the temples.

I purchased the 3 day pass and off to Angor Wak I go! The Angkor Archaeological complex massive and holds far more than just the Angkor Wat. There are several wondrous temples scattered throughout the complex and it should take about 2-3 days to see everything worth seeing. It is not only the most popular destination in Cambodia, but also the largest employer for the Cambodian people.

Today I saw most of the famous temples that have been in movies and books. Because Tomb Raider was filmed here, both the locals and tourists are still riding that wave. Everywhere you go people are talking about seeing the Tomb Raider Tree and the Tomb Raider Temple. Unfortunately, the spots that Tomb Raider hit are now some of the most popular attractions.

I began at the Angkor Wat and at this point of the day the tourist traffic was not so bad and I was able top get a few shots here and there without anyone in them. Apart from the bad lighting from the looming clouds of death, the sight was still absolutely amazing. Towers protrude out of the ground like closed lotus flowers and the stairs ascend all around you in a near 90 degree angle. As one climbs all the temples in the complex, you feel as if your scaling a mountain face.

After Angkor Wat I went to another site called Angkor Thom. This is the biggest walled in park and holds dozens of temples, ancient ruins, pools, and bridges. This part of the complex is easily the most magical place I have ever been. Specifically the Boyan and Ta Prohm.

The Boyan is a temple that has three levels and is covered in old bas-reliefs, scriptures, and over 200 massive faces. Each tower has four faces on it facing North, East, South, and West. All the faces peer down at you with the same cold smile that some historians say may be symbolic of the look of complete spiritual relaxation and contempt. I had just beaten the crowd there and when I'd had my fill I was able to comfortably move on to the next site on my list. I'm not going to go through each temples as it will quickly get redundant, but I NEED to describe the Ta Prohm.

I'm going to do my best to help you visualise the wonder of this place. The only way it can be described, is being the closest physical "thing" to a dream. The entire moss covered temple has be swallowed by the jungle where the massive roots that both cover and intertwine with the stones that make the walls, are equally as integral to its structure. These tree's shoot out of the ground and reach heights of hundreds of feet while their roots deliver an aesthetic that can only be describes as a monstrous octopus reaching out its tentacles, wrapping around anything it can grasp. As you walk through the what remains the hallways of the temples, you notice that many of the hallways are impassable due to the fallen structures and jungle debris. As you exit each passage, you emerge from a doorway covered in stone carvings complimented with snaking tree roots. Next you see a courtyard scattered with shrines covered with intricate carvings, ruins, and several obvious and secret walking paths. These three elements are what make the temple so dream-like; passage, doorway, courtyard, over and over again. The only thing that hurts this place is its popularity. Some of the doorways and walls have lines to take picture in front of and its very difficult to take a photo with no other tourists. But no matter how many people are there, you still cant help but to feel a sense of nostalgia and awe by which the marriage between nature and civilization thrives in unity.

I choose to leave after Ta Prohm as it started to pour and went back to the guest house to eat and relax. Over the next two days I can see the rest of the temples and close this chapter of my travels.