mrsjono

Returning from a less developed country can be an emotionally rewarding experience. Some return home feeling more appreciative of what they have. For me, I was envious of what the Cambodians have. We were once like them before we became prosperous, competitive, nonchalant and selfish. I saw life as it really is and experienced the sense of community that we have lost in the face of modernity.

Camaraderie in the village or kampong spirit means lending your helping hands when accidents happen. If this were to occur in my country, I'm sure most people would just walk or drive away, pretending nothing had happened.


This is all you need to set up a petrol kiosk. Low cost and profitable business!


They don't have to fret over availability of and eligibility for flats.

Temples built in the jungle are subject to weather conditions and the invisible forces of Mother Nature. People come to see how the jungle has ruined the temples but at the same time, works are ongoing to protect the temple from being destroyed by nature. Paradoxical tussle. 

8 am. No one in sight. Walking through door after door, I found myself in front of a shrine. How rare. Other than Angkor Wat, I haven't seen any shrine in the rest of the temples. It was even properly decorated with ornaments and colourful streamers. More importantly, the statue was the only statue I have seen that is complete. No missing head, limbs or nose. Someone had wrapped a piece of golden sash around its body and I figured it must have been well-respected and highly regarded by the people here. I have no idea which diety but I just put my hands together and closed my eyes, like how I normally would when I'm in places of worship. Banteay Kdei was completely silent. I felt an inexplicable sense of calmness and...nothingness. 

East Mebon, Siem Reap

Angkor is a fragmented mess. I see both overlaps and remnants of Hindu myths, Buddha faces and Thai dancers. In the process of figuring out its long and complicated history, I was intrigued by how the turn of events have influenced and shaped the country. Don't bother to read the books, they're just too overwhelming and confusing. Watch Jewels in the Jungle or Digging for the Truth instead. They helped to untangle the mess with answers or clues to the questions I had in my mind when I was walking through the sites.

Preah Ko


Bakong


Banteay Srei and many other temples were dedicated to Indian deities. Indian traders had to wait 6 months for the wind to reverse direction before it blew their ships back home again. Meanwhile, they passed on their religion, art, dance and culture to the local population.


Angkor Wat was designed to represent Mt Meru. My first response was "Mt Meru? In Siem Reap? I wanna go climb it!" Shame on me, Mt Meru doesn't exist in real life lah!


Epic events and Hindu stories/myths are depicted as bas-reliefs. The most famous one being


gods and demons, now headless, competing in a tug of war using a serpent as a rope to generate the elixir of life. In the process of churning the sea of milk,


beautiful dancing goddesses were born.


 No one knows Cambodian classical dance originated from the Angkor period or the Siamese, after Cambodia fell to the Thais.


The intricacies of her headdress are stunning. Sorry male guardians, the women of Angkor have stolen the limelight with their varied clothings, elaborate accessories and big boobs.


Stopping to marvel at


King Jayavarman or Buddha? Kings subscribed to different religion during their reign, converting or reverting to Buddhism/Hinduism. Temples such as


Ta Prohm used to be a Buddhist monastery. It's now home to a gigantic grasshopper.


After going up and down Bakheng, I was struck by the sheer scale of construction in the absence of cranes or lifting equipment. How did they build several tiers in ancient times?


The Khmers knocked holes in every block to hold temporary pegs to help lift and manoeuvre blocks into place. Part 2 of Digging for the Truth explains the construction technique.


Anyway Bakheng was so crowded I don't quite know what I was supposed to see. Everyone was just idling around, fiddling with their electronic gadgets and waiting for...nothing!


No one really knows why the Khmers abandoned the city they painstakingly built and carved. The deities they once believed in could still be lingering around. No sunset at Bakheng but Shiva sent us a rainbow as consolation prize.

I know I have stopped believing sunrise exists in this world when I didn't feel disappointed after dragging myself out of bed at 3.30am to see this. First it was Meili then it was Kinabalu. Cairns too. Those photos you see in books and on the internet, they are not real. I had enough of getting up early to nothing. That's it. My last attempt at Angkor Wat.

Jasmine was established by Kunn, who gave himself the designation of Director. He must be filthy rich bcos he carries an iPhone 4. Mind you, iPhone 4 in Cambodia costs something like US$1,500. He's busy with his second branch just opposite the road and leaves it to his staff to manage the place. We could tell the boys and tuktuk drivers are quite scared of him.

Pick up from airport is free - it's actually a job opportunity for drivers to link up with passengers for trips to Angkor. Our driver agreed to send us to airport for US$1 but went against his word the next day. He explained that he's new and thought transport to airport was free as well. (In other words he's charging when he's not supposed.) "My boss said $3 (it's true we verified with another driver at Jasmine) but I tell you $1 yesterday so now $2 ok?" We thought about this small episode on his tuktuk and conclude that Jasmine is not just a lodge but a money sucking job agent in disguise. A portion of the tuktuk fare goes into Kunn's pocket. No wonder he can buy iPhone.

If you plan to stay here, don't arrange your transport here, ask around in town. Problems with drivers aside, I had a comfortable stay here. Not the best location (Taphul Village is a little far from town) but it's ok cos you can cycle to town for dinner. Free breakfast, free internet and there's cable tv too. Watching the last episode of Amazing Race 18 on AXN was shiok. We stayed 5 nights for just US$3.60 pp per night. Good deal. Thanks Footprint!

Everyone has heard of Cambodia and nobody asked me geography-related questions this time (though I suspect some people think that Cambodia = Vietnam = Laos). Instead, they asked me why I go to Cambodia and what's interesting there. I thought the answer was obvious. No I am not going there to build schools or toilets. It's sad that people know Cambodia as a poor country and nothing more. No one remembers its glorious past and the great empire who built Angkor in just 30 over years when cathedrals in Europe took a few hundred years.