Southeast Asia Sabbatical: Angkor Babies, Day II: Angkor What?

Siem Reap, Cambodia, 8/7/11

"I was very young during the reign of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s. I remember one night my family was sitting down at the kitchen table enjoying dinner when we heard gunfire and explosions coming from outside. We immediately sought shelter in a small underground bunker, hidden through a trap door under the floor. Such shelters were quite common during the late 70s. My whole family huddled together in the cramped space as the roar of ammunition raced above us. We sat there preying the officials would not find us or destroy our house. Hours passed and the gunfire eventually ceased. We climbed back up to thankfully find our home fully intact. Our meal, however, suffered a much worse fate, as when we were underground our dog helped himself to quite a feast." - Angkor Wat Guide, 8/7/11

This is just one story in what was one of the worst examples of genocide in recent history, killing nearly one third of the Cambodian population from 1975 - 1979. As our terrific guide at Angkor Wat recites the tale, his consistently affable manner turns ferociously serious and his expression becomes stoic. Although the harrowing anecdote presents the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge in an overly intimate manner, I am impressed how he ends the story on a bright and humorous note to which any dog lover can relate. That he can find humor during a period of nonstop brutality truly represents the strength and resilience of the Cambodian people. A community of strong, united, patriotic citizens despite the fact that their country was on the brink of complete destruction just three short decades ago.

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It's our second and final day visiting the Temples of Angkor and we've saved the best for last. Our attempt to wake up for the sunrise at Angkor Wat proved futile but, due to the overcast weather, supposedly the sight left much to be desired. After the rudeness and general hostility of yesterday's tuk-tuk driver, we make sure today's is a more optimal choice. We get lucky with "Mr. Black," a tall, slightly oafish Siem Reap local who wears a wide grin, his smile almost extending to his eyes. Mr. Black is knowledgeable, genial, and laid back, a welcome change from yesterday. We grab a quick breakfast of pastries from a big red shop set along a strip mall composed exclusively of bakeries. No one speaks English but I still have success ordering fluffy cinnamon raisin danish with a slightly odd wheat-flavored green tea.

Angkor Wat, meaning "City Temple", is the world's largest religious site and one of the original Ancient Wonders of the World (although the youngest at a sprightly 900 years). The temple is Cambodia's premiere attraction, it's national symbol (found on the country's flag), and a triumph of Khmer ingenuity and architecture. Angkor Wat was designed to represent Mount Meru, the sacred mountain home to many Buddhist and Hindu deities, with five central towers representing the mountain's five summits. Angkor Wat is bordered by a large moat and the temple itself lies in the center of a island surrounded by dense trees. The temple grounds make up roughly 200 acres.

The complex was built in the 12th Century by King Suryavarman II and, although scholars estimate it would take 300 years to build today, the construction only roughly thirty-seven years to complete. Approximately 38,000 Cambodians worked on the construction plus 4,000 elephants. Angkor Wat's stone were found in a quarry at Mount Kulen, roughly twenty-five miles away from the site and transported down the SIem Reap River. The temple is predominantly composed of sandstone, almost all of which is carved into ornate bas-reliefs and friezes. One of the most landmark friezes is a scene of the Churning of the Sea of Milk, an epic good versus evil battle fought by Buddhist and Hindu gods as they battle to harvest the elixir of immortality from the sea. There are 1,796 devata carvings spread across the temple grounds. Devatas are sacred Buddhist female guardian angels and each deva in Angkor Wat has a different hairstyle and dress. Other reliefs depict giant tortoises, dragons, unicorns, griffins, elephants, and lavish dancer.

We explore the lavish grounds with our incredibly informative guide who not only possesses the encyclopedic knowledge of every frieze and pagoda, but has an uncanny knack for great photo opportunities. He is like a walking Natural History Museum. He points out bullet holes and grenade explosion craters from the Khmer Rouge's unsuccessful attempts to destroy the mighty temple during the late 1970s. The entire site is magical and, due to the low season, surprisingly quiet. We spend hours walking around, admiring the bas-reliefs and friezes, which are so precise they seem as if they were carved with needles, learning ancient Khmer mythologies. One section of the temple houses four small swimming pools laid out in a 2x2 grid. Suryavarman had a daily ritual of bathing in the pools and then retreating to the "echo chamber," a small stone room roughly the size of an airplane bathroom. The king would stand and pound on his chest with both hands, creating a reverberating echo that representing his sins and disease leaving his body. Amit, Louise, and I all connect with our inner royal by beating our chests, hearing our sins rush out of our bodies and echoing throughout the small chamber. Oddly the echo only works when you beat the center of your chest, other parts of the body or shouting do not work.