Previously on my trip to Cambodia, I blogged about us doing the Grand Tour at the Angkor Wat temples. Of course, we had to spare the Mini Tour for the next day because we wanted to do what most people would do when they come to Siem Reap – to view the Angkor Wat (which is part of Mini Tour) at sunrise.
Riding on a Tuk Tuk at five in the morning, we knew instantly that we had made a HUGE mistake by coming to Siem Reap without a single piece of thick cloth and we now had to face the consequences. It was so smiting cold that none of us could even mutter a word without stuttering so everybody chose not to talk at all. Brrrrr! LOL
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People were already piling up when we arrived at the entrance to Angkor Wat. A cycling event was about to take off so there were more people than it would have been if there was no event going on at all.
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Jumping off the Tuk Tuk, the excitement intensified as we walked nearer and neared to the temple that we had watched and heard so much about – in travel magazines, blogs, TV programs and stories of friends who had been luckier then us to go there earlier than we did (blueks!).
The dawn was already breaking from behind the temple so the temple of Angkor Wat was already taking shape in a form of silhouette. It would have been disastrous if we got there earlier when it was still dark because we didn’t even bring any source of light with us. You see, we were so stupidly unprepared!
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So we joined the crowd of people to watch the sun as it made its way up from behind the temple. It really was an amazing experience. The reflection on the pool that was symmetrical to the temple and the sky above it was a view made perfect for a picture postcard.
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When the sun was finally bright enough, the temple finally showed its real self and there I was, gazing up at one of the most famous monumental buildings in the world.
You know when you have heard and watched so much of something, it’ll take quite a moment for you to believe that what you are seeing now is actually the real thing. I was awestruck and stunned and utterly mesmerized. It was so so beautiful. ^_^
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Having seen it from across the distance, it was time to go up-close and personal with the majestic temple of Angkor Wat. I was even more awestruck. It was much bigger than I had expected.
Everything about the Angkor Wat is unbelievable, even its existence.
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Thinking that it was built many centuries ago when all the construction machinery and equipment that we have today were not even known to roam anywhere on earth made it even more unbelievable. Whoever it was that built it or even came up with the idea of building it must be a genius.
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I had come to see how it was not just a temple but a complex or rather a temple complex. It was so huge and big and magnificent I actually felt so small being in its presence.
I tried to visualize how it must have been like during its heyday when it was fully operational and inhabited by whoever inhabited it in the past – the amount of energy, labor and the workmanship involved in bringing the whole thing into existence – and I shivered.
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I couldn’t help but questioning how in the world they hoisted the stone cubes up and it wasn’t just a matter of hoisting the tones-heavy cubes up but also to put them in place.
Then I thought, what is so special about The Stonehenge? 😀
The carvings on the walls are so mind-boggling and mesmerizing. They are so intricate, detailed and they tell stories. We actually spent many many hours trying figure out the stories behind those carvings!
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The existence of Angkor Wat made me think if human civilization had really started in the Mediterranean or Middle East as claimed by most historians.
In fact, when it was first discovered, the people in the West didn’t even believe that a building of such magnificence actually existed in South East Asia.
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They even came up with their ridiculous theory that it was built by the Romans but of course as more and more researches were done, they had to eventually admit that it wasn’t (built by the Romans).
Thanks to Angkor Wat, it really shows that South East Asia is not really that far behind from the rest of the world, say Europe and Middle East when it comes to historical places.
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You know, I wouldn’t do a star jump if the place that I went to didn’t deserve one but when it comes to Angkor Wat, I would be crazy if I didn’t. The sun was so intense and the sky was shimmering and blindingly bright so it wasn’t easy to capture a perfect photo of me jumping with Angkor Wat in the background.
In fact, I had to do it so many times before I could even come up with something like this – after a little bit of photo-shopping of course. 😛
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The other tourists who were there in hordes must be smirking and making faces as they watched me do it over and over again, totally oblivious to their presence. LOL.
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So, I’m gonna say this to conclude my post on Angkor Wat, that it is definitely a place that any traveler should visit and I was so glad that it was finally ticked off the list of 1000 Places I Should Visit before I Die. ^_^
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