Douglas Easton Travel Blog - Douglas Easton Travel

November 10, 2008

Siem Riep, Cambodia

Resting impassively in the lush Cambodian jungle, the monumental temples of Angkor remained unknown to the modern world until the 1860's. It was then that French naturalist Henri Mouhot "discovered' this sprawling religious complex and introduced the world to one of its greatest ancient wonders.

Angkor's most immediately striking aspect is its immensity... it is vast. Situated within and close to the edge of the perimeter of a giant moat is the main temple, Angkor Wat. The three unmistakable towers of this multi-tiered fantasy loom high above the surrounding countryside, virtually covered with countless images carved in stone: farmers, kings, gods, animals, plants, battles, religious ceremonies and more are all depicted.

The grand main entrance was built to impress. Even today, the Cambodians hold 12th-century Angkor Wat in such esteem that its image appears on their national flag, the only building in the world thus portrayed.

The other temples on the complex are almost as impressive, albeit different. Angkor Thom conveys a spiritual mood that cannot fail to capture the imagination of its visitors. Ta Prohm (our favorite) is a fantasy of crumbling buildings and silk-cotton trees. The unbelievably long and massive roots of the latter lend the impression of an entire temple being slowly but methodically strangled by gargantuan snakes. The film Laura Croft, Tomb Raider was filmed in part here.

After exploring the maze of stairs, temples, and public areas, we headed to a nearby tethered hot air balloon ride that lifted us up five hundred feet for a birds eye view of the temples. From this vantage point, one can appreciate Angkor's majesty. It is difficult to believe that even the aggressive Indochinese jungle could have hidden for centuries such a mammoth group of buildings.

Tomorrow, we'll depart our wonderful colonial hotel, the Grand Hotel d'Angkor, and fly to Bangkok, a city whose frenetic pace could not be more different from the serenity of this Cambodian holy place.

Past Travel Blogs: