Second day of the trip was fully dedicated to Angkor Wat, the destination of wonder or what some other like to call it as, "The destination that made our Kingdom, 'Kingdom of Wonder'".
Second day of the trip was dedicated to Angkor Wat, the destination of wonder or what some other like to call it as, "The destination that made our Kingdom, 'Kingdom of Wonder'". A place where structures tell stories, a place where the exciting present Khmer meets the glorious Khmer of the past.
Angkor Wat, to me, is a very kool site. And it’s as simple as that.
Let me introduce Angkor Wat. This is my second time visiting it. It had not been awarded No. 1 when I visited last time. I was 10 then.
I am 14 now and so, it definitely had to be refurbished. The increasing love and care from both the locals and expats have made Angkor Wat great again, that has taken Angkor Wat to the position of the best world heritage site.
It was built as the home of Gods. Most of it was made of sandstones. It's surrounded by a lake full of crocodiles. If you can see it like I see it, it looks like a picture frame and the temple is right in the middle surrounded by another layer of bush of tall trees. The Gods who used to live there moved to the Guimet Museum in France. They are still there now. I wonder if they miss this place, if they miss us.
One of the best moments in Angkor Wat was to sit down in the middle of what used to be a pond inside the temple. I think I like real and simple things, that’s how I judge things whether they are kool and amazeball or not. The sun was shining at me just like the spotlight you see on those magic shows, the pillars and walls around me were all molded, and it was just me daring to sit there with my fishing hat on, the crowd was staring and eyebrowing me while my fellow comrade took my photos, but there were no time to waste, I had to enjoy what was there, and I did it. The crowd were tempted too as some of them came down in the pond, as well. What a whistleblower I was!
We had more Gods in there but most of them had moved to France. One had stayed back; as it looks like and so, I went to him. He stood in there mighty tall. People were lining up to offer their prayers and many were receiving the Kalava (a red blessed string) as blessings. I got an awkward story there. According to Hinduism which inspired the idea of Angkor in some angles, and Prof. Wikipedia, it is said that only married women would get it tied on their left wrist and the rest of us were to use our right wrist and I got mine tied on my left wrist. I am switching it to my right wrist as I am writing about it. Being blessed by a God in the biggest religious site in the world was a big honour, I guess I’m very blessed right now.
There were kids running around the temples, jumping of the small cliffs, it looked like they were playing hide-and-seek, as if the Angkor Wat was their house; there is nothing special about the kids, I felt so good seeing them enjoying the temple even if they might not actually know what it is, young, wild, and free. The reason why I think people like Angkor Wat is that the moment you get in, some might assumed that it’s a holy place and is restricting them from touching, but here in Angkor Wat, you simply can feel the place as if it’s yours, not just standing in front of a line which says “DO NOT TOUCH OR CROSS”. When you go to a historical site, everyone wants to feel it, look at the foto below or above, I was literally laying down on one of the blocks of stones, and sunbathed as well. I layed down on the stairways, and I was even pretending as one of the knights of the round table, with my fishing hat and the selfie stick.
I see these moments through my own eyes, make it as a foto, and convey it with words. If the words did not impress, the following fotos should get the job done.
Hongyy’s Business/Imagination Mode: ON
I’m feeling so excited as I reach this part, because my imaginations are pretty well structured, not just a fantasy that won’t be possible but something that can be achieved if want or need to. Imagine a ticket that will allow everyone to get access to at night, a tent would be niiice, the tourists can have traditional Khmer foods serve right in Angkor Wat, and there will be Apsaras dancing with Angkor Wat as their stage and the lights that will keep Angkor Wat alive and kicking like never before. A sleepless night that is very priceless and very worth it, traditional Khmer games will keep the ‘historical’ atmosphere and even make it better. Of course there will be guards nearly everywhere, surveillance system and all will be expected, since it’s one of the most visited world heritage in the world, it has to be protected, but I personally think that the annoyance that will obvious trigger our anger iOS actually beyond acceptable, we get to stay in Angkor Wat (please sarcastically say it.), who cares about the annoyance?
The simple-looking restaurants right in front of Angkor Wat might just be the koolest spot ever to just sit and eat and enjoy the view; the view of what? the view of the Angkor Wat, it is indeed out of the universe. I had my curry.
I had to confirm with my mom if ‘Ta Prohm’ was actually ‘Ta Prohm’, I did not remember the name of the place, but my memory described the site as a very bushy, slimy, rocky, and moss-occupied.
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