The Pilgrimmage to Angkor Wat

We decided on a little spurge to take the $25 boat (instead of the $4 bus) across the Tonel Sap to Siem Reap. I kind of think it was worth it, but maybe only because I accidentally befriended the captain of the ship and spent much of the boat ride in the cockpit. I even got my hand on the steering wheel for an exciting 3 seconds.

Siem Reap is very very different from Phnom Penh. With no tall buildings around, and most guesthouses without hot water, it is mainly "the town beside Angkor".

Angkor Wat. What's not amazing about it? Approaching I felt my heart beat as the temple came into view. Cambodians are very very proud of these ancient ruins. Sensing our excitement, our tuk tuk driver stopped dramatically in front of the temple to announce that we had arrived at Angkor the Great.
The Angkor ruins are truly amazing. One wonders how this ancient civilization lived, and how the enormous stones were put into place for the giant temples. The best day to go to Angkor Wat is actually on a cloudy day. With the low clouds in Cambodia, the great temple looks like a palace in the sky. You can feel the wind carry the clouds to you as a fantastic cold gust hits your face, leaving a light dew, at the very top of Angkor Wat.

There are nearly a hundred temples in the entire area. Why? Because each emperor just had to have their own temple. This was part of the belief that divinity passed through blood lines. So when you became king, you had to build a temple for yourself as well as your parents to maintain royalty with the gods.

I made another spurge for the $60 seven day pass. A deal to me since the day pass is $20. Let's see how many temples I can hit before it's over.

This entry was posted by cheapculture, on Friday, October 05, 2007. You can leave your response.