M-whY

At the center of the kingdom rises a golden tower flanked by more than twently lesser towers and several hundred stone chambers. On the eastern side is a golden bridge guarded by two lions of gold, one on each side, with eight golden Buddhas spaced along the stone chambers. North of the Golden Tower rises the tower of bronze, higher even than the golden tower, a truly astonishing spectacle, with more than ten chambers at its base. A quarter of a mile further north is the residence of the King. Rising above his private apartments is another tower of gold. These are the monuments which have caused merchats from overseas to speak so often of 'Cambodia the rich and noble.

The first stop of the day would be at Bayon temple, located at the geographical center of the Angkor Thom complex. We entered via the south gate, lined by 54 gods on the left and 54 demons on the right. Khorn dropped me off, encouraging me to spend as much time as I wanted exploring, and indicating the restaurant where he'd wait for me until I finished. I was immediately awestruck by the impressive structure, and wasted no time in taking photos. Hordes of package tourists kept getting in the way though, forcing me to take pictures at more unconventional angles. One of the most popular temples in the area, everyone was glued to their cameras.

Signs requested visitors to refrain from climbing the towers and sitting on the balustrades, while 200 smiling faces overlooking the ruins kept a watchful eye. Often referred to as the 'Smile of Angkor', many theories have been raised as to who they're supposed to resemble. The most commonly accepted is the Deva Raja theory, presuming that the visages are those of King Jayavarman VII, the reigning king at the time of Bayon's construction. This theory however is not without holes. Comparisons with Jayavarman VII images from the same period show that statues of the king do not wear a crown, and have both eyes closed, while the the massive faces of Bayon wear victory crowns, and have both eyes open.

Some people had hired guides to accompany their visit. Being on a backpacker budget, I had decided to go without, and was soon regretting the decision. The one paragraph blurbs my Lonely Planet provided just didn't cut it. I, too, wanted to know the stories told by the bas-reliefs and the history behind it all. Before moving on, I purchased a more in-depth guide to further enrich my experience. It would turn out to be a great investment.

A short walk from the Bayon brought me to Baphuon, also known as the world's largest jigsaw puzzle. Back in the 1960's. archaelogists had painstakingly taken apart the temple with the intention of reconstructing it, only to have their careful records destroyed during the civil war. All that was left was a bunch of numbered stones, with no clue as to where they belonged. Rather than give up, the team began one of the most ambitious restoration projects ever. Only recently has the temple began to reacquire it's original shape.

Through a crumbling gate, and I was on the grounds of the Royal Palace. In the center stood Phimeanakas, with two ponds that probably served as royal baths to the north. Though small compared to other temples, it was still an impressive monument. According to legend, a serpent-spirit with nine heads that assumed the figure of a woman lived inside. Every night, the king had to sleep with her in the tower before joining his wives and concubines. If he missed even one night, it was believed he would die. Poor guy... he must've been one tired man.

Immediately east of the Royal Palace compound was the Elephant Terrace, easily recognizable by the facade of pachyderms. Five platforms, three main and two subsidiary, were built into the 300m long wall. My map indicated that the Leper King Terrace was located nearby, but I had difficulty in finding it. The blazing sun was begin to take its toll, so I returned to the restaurant where Khorn had waiting at.

"Do you know where the Leper King Terrace is? Can you show me?"

"Yeah," he replied, and drove me back to where I had been wandering around earlier.

"This is it?"

I climbed to the top, where a mysterious small statue sat. It was a copy, the original being held in the national museum at Phnom Penh. Like the Bayon faces, just who this is supposed to represent remains an unanswered question. Was it again Jayavarman VII, rumored to have been a leper (though there is no historical evidence of this whatsoever)? Or perhaps Yasovarman I, another Khmer king who was believed to be afflicted with the genetic disease? I'm with the theory that suggests the Leper King is a misnomer, and that the 'leprosy' is nothing more than natural wear and tear over the years. After all, only the the right hand featured stubby fingers.

Next up was Ta Keo, unique in that in lacked any ornamental designs so prevalent in Khmer architecture. The temple made up for its plainness with sheer size, and it wasn't even completed. Why work was halted is another one of Angkor's enigmas. Most believe the death of Jayavarman V, the king who initiated its construction, had something to do with it. I scaled the steps to enjoy the cool breeze at the summit, before carefully descending back to ground level.

"Where is my key," wondered Khorn when I had rejoined him.

He was kidding, right?

Apparently not. He went back to the restaurant he had been relaxing in and began searching around. I couldn't help but laugh at the situation. At last, I've met someone who is worse than I am when it comes to misplacing things.

A few minutes later, the key turned up, and we were off to Ta Prohm. Unlike most temples which have undergone restoration projects, Ta Prohm has been left in its natural state. The only work done was the installment of wooden supports to prevent futher collapse. Exploring Ta Prohm allowed visitors to experience some of the wonder the original explorers must've felt when they came upon these monuments. Huge trees tangled with stone in a conflict that began centuries ago. Roaming the grounds, I came across the famous Tomb Raider tree, where Angelina Jolie, as Lara Croft, picked up something off the ground and set in motion an action packed adventure that earned millions on the bigscreens. An old man sitting in the central courtyard also seemed to be garnering a lot of attention. Curious, I went to see what the fuss was all about. Apparently, this was the man who's photo had graced the cover of an earlier edition of the Lonely Planet's Cambodia guide. I wonder if his new found fame helped his souvenir business any.

Finally, it was time to see Angkor Wat. Constructed during the reign of Suryavarman II sometime in the early 12th century, it is the largest religious edifice on the face of this planet. I walked across the 200m wide moat, on a causeway built from sandstone. Two libraries flanked the approach. The presence of palm trees puzzled me for a bit. I mean, I know this site has undergone restoration to make it the tourist attraction that it is today, but planting palm trees? That didn't really make sense.

It was here that my Angkor guide really earned its US$5 price tag. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to make sense of the 1200 square meters of intricate bas-reliefs. Each section depicted a specific scene from either famous stories or Angkor history. I must've spent at least an hour studying them. Ascending a couple sets of stairs, and I arrived at the second level. Here, hundreds of apsaras (celestial nymphs) carvings adorned the walls. I took a break for a moment, guzzling water to rehydrate myself (I drank over three liters this day, and not once did I have to pee. I think it all came out in the form of sweat) before climbing up to the highest tier.

It's impossible to describe the feeling of standing on top of such a colossal monument. Knowing that this was built nearly a thousand years ago only added to the grandeur of it all. If I had a time machine, I would definately travel back to the to see how the Khmer civilization managed to create all these buildings.

"I wonder how I'm going to get down," a woman said to me as we cautiously peered over the steep steps.

"I was thinking the exact same thing. There's a set of stairs that most people seem to be using, and it has a handrail to hold on to. I'm guessing that's the easiest way."

I led her to to the other side, where tourists were waiting to take the least distressing path down. The queue moved slowly, and I began to get impatient. I circled back, contemplating going down the same way I came up, but had an eerie feeling that things would come to a bad end if I chose that route. Instead I got back in line and waited my turn. There were plenty more temples to visit. No point in taking unnecessary risks!

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