Chapter 17 - Angkor What?

I’m ashamed to admit that I knew very little about Cambodia’s ancient temples before I arrived in the country. The small amount I did know was not from any formal teachings, but rather from films like Indiana Jones which I rated as a kid, and yes, Tomb Raider in my later years. So I was not prepared for the history lesson that would captivate me and the sites that would make me feel like a child again.

The Temples (Wats) of Angkor were made by the Khmer kings in a process that began over a millennium ago and lasted almost 4 centuries. They were then abandoned and left hidden within Cambodia’s forests.

When re-discovered about 150 years ago, not by Indie or Croft but a French explorer, the wats appeared to be fighting a losing battle with the dense jungle. Remember that scene when Croft was running through a temple with massive trees growing on top of it after she successfully stole the half triangle? That’s Ta Prohm Wat, not some big budget Hollywood stage.

The most impressive wat has to be Angkor Wat - believed to be the largest religious structure in the world. It’s not just the scale of it that griped me, but the craft and attention to detail.

Those are just two of the many temples that sent me running around, on top and over in search of hidden treasures guarded by mythical six-armed guardian status, all the while thinking that Indie may crack his whip around the next corner.

I now understand why the people of Cambodia are so proud. Why the wats are at their heart and soul. Proven by the way they proudly display an image of Angkor Wat on their national flag. Even their nation beer is called Angkor.

A beer which we got stuck into with a crazy Irish Couple, Brid & Mike, at ‘Angkor What? Bar’ on Bar Street, Siem Reap, while eating BBQed frogs and discussing why Angkor Wat is one of the 8th wonders of the world and not one of the 7.

So delicious was this precious golden liquid that we thought the keg before us might be the last left in this saloon, so naturally we had to get our fair share...

Check out some pics here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/43679192@N07/

K&M