Friday, Feb 8, 2008

Wat-explorage day kicked off at 9:30am and lasted until 7pm.

Mel, Courtney and I first entered the huge fortified city of Angkor Thom where I found my favorite (so far) Wat of the Day. Upon first entering the first temple, Bayon, I was blown away with the immensity of these grounds. There are I believe 54 towers, each of which is etched with a 3-dimensional smiling face. We took out time around these premises and then wandered to another area of the walled city.
Baphuon was another temple (under heavy renovation/construction) but was worth the high, steep steps to view the crane and scaffloding!

With that bore behind us--which it hardly was, because to create something of this design and stature in 1200 A.D. is quite imperssive--we entered the royal palace walls and quiety toured Phimeanakas a pyramid-like structure which was pretty cool, but hard to remember because what came next took my breath away!

PREAH PALILAY. I can't say anything more:
Next was Tep Pranam, followed closely and quickly by Prasat Suor Prat and the Terraces of both the Leper King and of the Elephants.

We visited several more temples after we left the City (including Preah Khan and Neak Poan) ate ate lunch, having to haggle the store vendors down from $3 a meal to $1.50 a meal, and still we paid .50 more than Cambodians.. I must admit that this place is leaving a very poor taste in my mouth only because so many people are selling needless things and aren't really selling them, but, rather, forcing you to buy them or make a deal with them: "hello sir, would you like cold drink? $2 how much you pay?" Let's make a deal.. no. Each time you enter a temple you don't have time to reflect on what you experienced not two seconds earlier because every single person that sells something is running toward you, merchandise in hand, annoying you, haggling you, and not getting out of your way--it's frustrating, but usually I reply with something smart, but it usually goes unheard. One little girl (while visiting [[[[[) could count to 10 in every language, even Irish! Many of the children sell post cards and are very smart and speak excellent English, like our friend Gia, but should stay in school instead of harassing everyone and their mother's at the one place that should be the center of their country's pride! Although, many ssay they need the money to pay for book to go to school, so...

We hit three more Wats, the first being my favorite, Ta Som: Next was Eastern Mebon and Pre Rup; both elegant but similar to the rest in stature and immensity.
A brief note: while taking photos of each place I play a game with myself which is "try to take a great photo, but without EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN SIEM REAP being in it." Its difficult but rewarding--random white and red t-shirts, purple caps and colorful dresses really ruin the ruins.

My other favorite (I had so many) was Ta Prohm, but the pictures I took were rather worthless because of the tourists just slothing all over the roots and temple--yuck. Very pretty though, if you could filter out the people. But it was disgusting here. The tourism is out of control, and this is the first place that I've felt naseaus just looking at people and tourists and everyone posing for a picture. It took about twenty minutes to snap this one because everyone takes turns posing with the incredible tree. I say everyone respect its beauty and enjoy a person free view of it.

Because of this we were quick to leave and just in time to meet the herd of people slowly moving up Phnom Bakheng to witness the same glorious sunset. This was the icing on the cake: first, because it was very beautiful and I was happy to see the sun which was baking my skin all day finally set; and two, because there were so many hundreds of people on this temple, with their cameras clicking away. Flashes all over the place and people yelling and calling out to others ruined what could have been and should have been a serene and tranquil sunset--yet, as happened all too often throughout the day, the beauty is disrupted and fleeting, and I was constantly reminded why this earth is dying and of modern humanity's eventual habit of destroying both history's and nature's more finer creations.

We have two more full days here, and there seems to be much more to see, so hopefully we can escape to more remote Wats and enjoy a quieter view of another sunset. Wish me luck!