It is one of the architectural masterpieces of the ancient world and one of the most spectacular architectural wonders in the world. Once a Hindu shrine, Angkor Wat is the most impressive memento in present-day Cambodia. Angkor means city, and wat means temple or pagoda. Its size is enormous and covers an area of about 250-300 football fields. In the center of the enormous building complex is a church that is twice the size of the Tower of London. It is one of the most amazing engineering facilities in the world, not only because of its size, but also because it is built on water. Angkor Wat is practically in the middle of a swamp. Its foundation consists of an underground aquifer. This mysterious and gigantic ancient temple complex was the idea of a tyrant from the 11th-century. He was II. Suryavarman, the Protector of the Sun. He was a muscular, powerful leader and, according to legends, a demigod. In spite of his unparalleled power, Angkor Wat's construction was perhaps motivated by his own insecurity.
According to a legend, the young 14-year-old boy attacked his uncle, the ruler, and killed him, so he got on the throne. Despite his victory, he was considered a usurper who gained power by assassination. To consolidate his rule, he dreamed of a large temple complex that lasts for eternity, and unlike Khmer traditions, temples were not built of wood but of stone. Suryavarman wanted his temples to obscure all the temples of the Khmer empire, so was Angkor Wat born.
After the king was crowned, his first thought was that he really needs to go to heaven after his death, so he literally built the heaven on earth, and he had at his disposal an entire army of architects, priests and fortune-tellers. Suryavarman intended the temple complex to be a passageway to the afterlife. It might have been a gigantic task at that time to clean up the wild and untouched area, as the Khmer people of that time had only a few brushcutter tools available to clear the area by cutting down trees, all among blood-sucking mosquitoes.
Suryavarman's workers built this empire in an incredible amount of detail that eventually made Angkor Wat world-famous, the construction took more decades with the involvement of hundreds of thousands of people.
While it is possible to be prepared for Angkor Wat, as we look at it in person and as more and more details unfold, the following attributes come to our mind: enormous, huge, monumental, grandiose, gigantic, unbelievable. It is practically impossible to discover it on foot, unless we have months to do so, so we can either get to know a little slice or rent a tuk-tuk.
Siem Reap, amazing vibe of the city
Siem Reap, a bustling little town next to the ancient temple city, benefits greatly from tourism of Angkor Wat. When I say city, don’t imagine a classic city. Siem Reap is a real Asian cavalcade of colours scents noises and people with lots of riders, rickshaws, tuk-tuks and lots of tourists. Almost everything here is tailored to the needs of tourists, with pubs, restaurants and souvenir shops on Pub Street clearly following European and American needs.
For those who don’t mind bustling, Seam Reap is a liveable city, with plenty of dining options, museums, bars, concerts and nightlife. The price level here is higher than in Phnom Penh, but still affordable. Bargaining here is almost a must, as everyone from the silk scarf to the tuk-tuk driver asks for at least double the real price from the tourist.
There is a slight contrast between the partially westernised nature of the thriving small town benefiting from travellers and the sight of rotting tiny houses, beggar children, but this contrast is in fact a feature of much of Asia.
Comentarios