Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Friendships, Magic, and Angkor Wat

Last November, there was a long holiday here in Cambodia. Before this holiday, I and my very gorgeous friend, Mei, were discussing where to go to since most here were going home to their hometowns to celebrate the holiday with their families. At first, we thought of going to the beautiful beaches of Sihanoukville to enjoy the sea and the sun. But then, since we have yet to visit Angkor Wat – one of the must-see wonders of the world—we decided to see this ancient temple. It is also one of Mei’s dreams to take pictures of this beautiful creation.

It would be the longest trip for me as we were told that the trip to Siem Reap would take all of six hours. We chose to travel early so we chose the 7:30 A.M. departure time. The start of the journey was slow because traffic was bad. Almost everybody was going home to his hometown. So when we began to see the countryside, we both began to enjoy the trip tremendously because of the view being offered outside our windows. We arrived one-hour later because of the terrible traffic. But I didn’t mind because I was too excited to see Angkor Wat.

And then tomorrow finally came; the time to visit Angkor Wat and the other temples! We got ready and excitedly ate our breakfast. We met our tutktuk driver and began the journey towards Angkor. We stopped by the entrance to the temples and purchased 1-Day Pass. When we passed by the immense expanse of the Angkor Wat grounds, I was instantly amazed. I was almost brought to tears because of what I see. I could not fully describe how I felt at that time. It was like my spirit was being lifted. While passing by the Angkor Temple, our tuktuk driver told us that it is better to visit it around 2 P.M. because there are more people inside the temple at that time. As the holiday has a religious significance, people are there in the Temple to offer prayers to God and their ancestors.

He then drove us to the Bayon Temple were there was also three other smaller temples. When we saw the Bayon Temple, I could only sigh and express astonishment and wonder. I wondered about the hard labor spent by those who built it. The way they built the Temple was simply incomprehensible. There were so much details on the walls of the Temple. I am a little lost for words on how to describe this magical place. We were not yet in Angkor Wat but we were already so overwhelmed by the beauty of this place. We wandered around the temple and took many pictures. We spent around two hours just going around the temple. Mei said that we were only here in Bayon Temple and yet, we were already so amazed…how much more if we are already in Angkor Wat?

We visited the other smaller temples after having lunch. I was just a bit sad to observe that most of the temples are already in some state of neglect and deterioration. The government seems not able to preserve well the beauty of these magnificent structures. With very stiff entrance fees, one cannot help but surmise that perhaps some of the money goes to the pockets of some politicians here. But before I get distracted, it was time to move on to Angkor Wat; the main reason for this trip to Siem Reap.

When we were finally by the entrance to the Angkor Wat, I suddenly developed goose bumps. The place is huge and magical. I could not wait to enter the temple – to see the beauty inside and around it. Even if we had been walking for hours already, we could not feel being exhausted. Maybe because we were both very excited (excited to take pictures again? Hehehe). We crisscrossed inside the temple grounds and its mysterious halls, making sure that we are able to see the whole of it. I said to myself “I am indeed very lucky to see this place.” We took pictures in every possible corner and Mei also keeps on clicking her camera on every possible angle that her eyes can see. By the way, I must say this: she seems like a professional photographer! I think that the pictures she took are all beautiful. That is why it as somewhat easy to pose when she is the one taking my pictures.

We explored the place further and then once rested on a cold stone-step, feeling the energy that the place gives us, looking at every detail that was carved beautifully on the walls. We have observed that some parts of the temple are already being restored and this is a nice thing to know. After roaming around, we then went outside the temple and waited for sunset by the small lake beneath. Mei took pictures of Angkor Wat with its reflection on the surface of the water.

When finally sunset came, we noticed that the temple is changing color depending on the time of the day. The temple suddenly became golden in color. We were both really beautifully surprised. We checked the earlier photos and saw how the colors really changed! Waiting for the sunset was really worth it.

We came to realize that three hours were not enough to cover the whole complex and breathe in the magic of the place. I think spending one day in Angkor Wat only would be better. It was just a little sad that we were not able to visit all of the temples because we did not have enough time. That is why we planned to be back again soon and hopefully, with a one-week pass so we can visit all of the temples and have enough time to linger around more. I also want to see the temple where some parts of the movie, Tomb Raider, were filmed!

I think that the people of Cambodia are so lucky to have all these temples. They are heritage from the past as well as meeting grounds of tourists from all over the world. I just hope that they will succeed in protecting and preserving the beauty of these magnificent temples.

I end this with prayers of gratitude because this journey made me realize once more that this world offers so many gifts: friendships and magical places that bring us to higher places and make us fuller and richer.

P.s. To someone reading this right now: Thank you so much for everything. You know who you are. God bless and more blessings!

(This is a repost of my Friendster blog dated January 13, 2008)

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