Angkor Wat In Viewfinder

Posted on August 10th, 2005 by seaciel.
Categories: Cambodia.


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What Is Angkor Wat?

Posted on August 9th, 2005 by seaciel.
Categories: Cambodia.

Somewhere in the north-west of Cambodia lies an architechtural masterpiece, the Angkor Wat, the largest and the grandest among the temples in Angkor. The temple was constructed over a period of 30 years, and illustrates some of the most beautiful examples of Khmer and Hindu art.
Looking from a distance, I can only see what appears to be like a collosal mass of stones with three towers at the center, of which much of the upper sections have collapsed. I thought these are the towers embedded in the Cambodian flag but i learned that it was just the entry tower.

The long causeway leading to the center was measured 820feet long,the left-hand side has the original sandstone blocks, on the right-hand is paved.

Walking closer to the center, I was thrilled with the row of pillars that extends along the tranquil waters to the left and right of the causeway. Looking at the proportions and its symmetry, the beauty of Angkor Wat begun to unravel before my eyes.

Confusions

On the the right side of the center entrance, there standing a stone figure that welcomes the visitors. It is said to be a Vishnu (Hindu god) image that has been transformed into an image Buddha by putting a new head.

How clever, I thought.
I was able to take photo of this image with a monk sitting next to it. Adorned with red cloth, flowers, gold leaf and incense, I’d say that this image is worshipped by the locals.

Will they worship the image of the holy cow of Hindu if it will be replaced with the head of Buddha?

I was just imagining.

The City Which is A Temple

The name Angkor is from the Sanskrit word “nagara” (holy city), “nakhon” in Thai and “ongkor” or “nokor” in Khmer. Wat, the Thai name for temple, was added to Angkor when it became a Buddhist temple.

According to the books, Angkor Wat is an immense monument occupying a rectangular area of about 210 hectares, with an enclosure wall surrounded by a moat that is 200meters wide. The perimeter of the enclosure wall measures 5.5kilometers. The moat is crossed by a huge causeway built of sandstone blocks 250meters long and 12 meters
wide.
With such impressive plan it is easy to understand why some locals believe that Angkor Wat was built by the gods.

From the central entrance towards the gallery, you will see from afar the view of the three of the five towers that appears on the Cambodian flag. To get there is another long causeway, longer than the previous one, but worth every step to see in full view the magnificent Angkor Wat.

The Alien Connection

As I stare at the wondrous masterpiece, the questions in my mind arise endlessly.
A non-sense one was “Were the aliens who have helped built the Pyramids of Egypt and Rice Terraces of Banawe, Philipines came down to Cambodia to help built this temple?”

Encircles the five central towers are three galleries with evenly-spaced columns.
It features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls. The carvings that embellishes the walls narrate stories from Hindu Mythology, sacred books or warfare of the Angkor period. If you’re familiar with the story of Rama and Sita of Ramayana, the corner pavillion has a massive expanse of this Indian epic.

At The Top of the Lotus Bud

The most prominent architectural features of Angkor Wat are the five towers, four at the corner and one in the middle. Their shapes look like a lotus bud. One can go up by ascending at a 70degree angle narrow steps.

Standing at the bottom, I tried figuring out how to reach the top. The ascent seem formidable because the steps are narrow and steep. By applying spiderman’s technique I was able to reached the summit. And there right before my eyes, mass of stones that became the finest monument in the world, the magnificent Angkor Wat.


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Enjoy The Journey, Ignore The Potholes

Posted on August 9th, 2005 by seaciel.
Categories: Cambodia, Interesting Travel Quotes.

Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and  enjoy the journey.  - Babs Hoffman
I would say  the worst travel I had so far  was when I travelled, together with Mom and sis,  from Poipet to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The road was dusty when dry, muddy when wet, and rough like the moon's surface.    It was all but pain in the butt, but we enjoyed it.  A one of a kind experience :)

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The Kingdom of Cambodia

Posted on August 8th, 2005 by seaciel.
Categories: Cambodia.

Killing Fields.
Terror of Khmer Rouge.
Scattered land Mines.
Poor country.

These were the information that was fed to me about Cambodia.
They’re all negative. I was never interested in going there. Never in my dream.

But there I was and not dreaming, standing in a long queue at the border of Thailand and the country that I never dreamt of going to.

I was with my mother and my sister, we entered at the backdoor of Cambodia in the town of Poipet where my sister is working as an admin of one of the casinos there. The immigration itself reflects the condition of the country. We were like sardines of different species inside a can, the room wasn’t big enough to occupy people coming in so the line goes beyond the gates of the kingdom to the the border of Aranyaprathet, Thailand. Some impatient ones slowly and deliberately taking over someone’s space, I suspect these were Thai gamblers who can’t wait to burn their money, gambling is illegal in Thailand so they nip over the border where they could find their nest for a quick gamble.

The kingdom of Cambodia is totally different from the kingdom of make-believe where there are big castles, nice landscapes, wide roads, king and queen, men in uniform, etcetera. This one is real and it bites. People here are struggling to make a living,
In front of the big casinos of Poipet are men and women tugging their carts full of veggies, fruits, and sometimes passengers.
What’s inside the casino is an opposite from what’s in the outside. And I prefer to be in the outside to experience the ‘richness ‘ of Cambodia.


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