Angkor Wat

Tuesday I got to explore Angkor Wat--or at least as much as one can explore in a day. It's an amazing complex of ancient temples built by a succession on Hindu and Buddhist Kings from the 8th through the 13th centuries. It's the largest complex of religious buildings in the world.

It's a bit overwhelming, but then I guess it's meant to be. It would be easier to show you the place in photos because it is more a visual than verbal kind of experience. Other than clambering over ruins of ancient temples in incredibly hot, humid weather with thousands of other tourists, the high points of my day centered around the people I met.

First of all, everywhere you go in this country you are best by very persistent hawkers. This morning as I got out of my tuk-tuk I was accosted by a very young one of the female persuasion. "Buy my postcards, Mam? Where you from?" "Ämerica." "The United States is between Canada and Mexico. The capitol of the United States is Washington. The capitol of Mexico is Mexico City. The capitol of Canada is Ottawa. By some postcards, only two dollars for ten." "Nö." "The capitol of
California is Sacramento, the Capitol of Alaska is Juneau, the capitol of...buy some postcards!"
"You are very good, but I don't want to buy any postcards right now, maybe later." "But I won''t be here later. I have to go to school!" What a character!

I went to the big temple that is actually called Angkor Wat. It's beautiful. The architecture is amazing: the symmetry and proportions are magnificent. They have Buddhas in several places and they've set up incense and other offerings in front of them. Hawkers try to get you to buy some incense to offer. If you offer incense you also get to dip into a pot of water with an upside down lotus bud and sprinkle the water on yourself to refresh you. The whole process takes less than a minute. This is really hit and run worship! It occurred to me that if you are not worshipping a personal God there's no relationship involved to cultivate so worship can be quite perfunctory.

After I had sufficiently explored the temple I went out and was walking along the long walkway leading between the temple and the entrance and the surrounding moat. I sat down in the shade next to a Korean man and we got into a conversation. He said he had spent 5 years in the States and studied in Boston. I was wondering if he went to MIT or Harvard or Boston University or...and he said what I least expected: "Gordon Conwell Seminary". "Then you are a Christian! So am I and you are a brother in the Lord!" It seems that he is a pastor in a suburb of Seoul who had brought 18 of his young people to Cambodia to do evangelism for a couple of weeks. I told him I was coming to Seoul and he gave me his telephone numbers and said to call him when I arrived. After the intensity of the pagan temple, this was an amazing blessing!

On to the next temple. This one is called Bayon, and the best part is that it is in a park of the most amazing trees--Banyan trees, I'd guess with the most amazingly complex root systems that wrap themselves around the trunk or twist themselves together and make phenomenal patterns. I told my tuk-tuk driver to stop so I could explore (and photograph) these amazing trees. The feeling was the same as visiting the giant Sequoia trees in California. These trees are so awe inspiring that they got me out of my tuk-tuk!

Anyway, at Bayon Temple, which is also an awe-inspiring experience, I heard some people speaking Italian. In a country where I am linguistically challenged hearing a language I actually understand is a real treat, so I engaged them in conversation. They seemed to feel the same about speaking their language and we had a wonderful time together. Their famiy runs a hotel in Montecatini Terme, a spa town outside of Florence and I now have an invitation to stop by and have a glass of wine at their place next time I'm in the neighborhood!