Mornings come early in the tropics. Because of the uniformity of day and night, the earth-bound creatures follow a sunlight-oriented body clock. Farmers and artisans begin their day before the sun is out. Yoga says the ideal time to get up from bed is an hour before the sunrise. Dr. Darith showed up in my room at 6:30 in the morning, He was bright and sunny. We had five years' of story to catch up. I did not get to the details but wanted to know how he was organizing himself locally. He said that he was negotiating to procure a farm to create a base and develop an income. There is always a local inertia for any change. Any person has to gain the trust of the people by setting up residence and working in the local community. Human beings do not accept a leader easily. Dr. Darith was making efforts to demonstrate his sincerity in the developmental work. We went out to look for some vegetarian breakfast. Dr. Darith's knowledge about the local cuisine was not of much help. I suggested to buy some fruits and have a fruit breakfast with coffee. We met our old fruit vendor who helped us select good ripe fruits. He also dressed the fruits for us by peeling, cutting and removing seeds etc. It became a feast of tropical fruits. Two old friends were observing yogic diet as was advised to them by their teachers! We recalled our other yoga friends and our deceased teacherr. We agreed to meet at noon to have lunch with Ms Kunthea, the curator of the Cambodian National Museum.
Mr Kushal had arrived. It would be my last day at Seam Reap. We proceeded to the monuments of Angkor Wat through our usual road. Later on I saw in the map that no other roads existed. Access needs be restricted for possible security considerations. Demolition of the past heritage is a hobby for some of the fanatic miscreants!
We reached Angkor Wat. There were about a hundred or so people milling around at the gate. The gate led to a walkway of several hundred feet that covered a dried up moat. I was approached by a man with a camera asking me if I would like a picture taken as a souvenir. I agreed. He guided me to an area near a pool of water. He clicked a couple of pictures and then went away to create prints. He passed on a print to me, the whole cost was two dollars. I asked him to take a picture with my camera and I rewarded him with another two dollars.
Unlike traditional Hindu or Buddhist temples, the Angkor Wat temple faces west. The structure looks like a massive silhouette framed in the sky. The sheer expanse of the space and structure produces a tranquil effect of belonging. There is a peculiar humility that permeates the space giving tribute to the designers and the builders. The project of this magnitude would not be carried on the earth ever!
I decided to go around the Temple structure such that I pay respect to the artisans who built the structure. Each side was easily a thousand feet or more with two corner entrances and one middle entrance. The corner entrances were designed with pyramidal shape that was robust and graceful. Unlike the other Temples in the area, the stones were held with some mortar glue and most structures were in place.
After perambulation around the Temple, which could be easily a mile, I entered the interiors through the west facing entrance. The other three sides were hot, it was cool this side. There was a corridor going around the temple. The walls were carved, but I did not have time to decipher all pictures. I was enjoying the beauty and the ambience.
Suddenly I come to the inner shrine where I find massive stone tanks, thirty foot square with about ten foot depth. The two tanks were on both sides of a central shrine with the walls being carved with many pictures. I was told that the pictures depict the stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, but I did not find it convenient to go near. I found some tourists camping inside possibly to gain an opportunity to capture the images in proper lighting. Angkor Wat should take a week itself to be fully visited.
I proceeded further and went up one more elevation. It was a terraced surface with a massive towering shrine in the middle. There was a steep wooden stairs to the shrine and the place was heavily guarded. The guards were restricting the number of people who could be in the shrine and thus there was a backup line. Eventually I succeeded in going to the top and pay respects to the Buddha's image which apparently had replaced the Vishnu's image for whom the Temple was built.
I had to wrap up and come to my lunch appointment. Long walks and the climbing of stairs were tiring. I had a glass of palm sap sold by a man on the return walkway. There were more people walking in than leaving. I wished I was younger to handle the fatigue. The inheritors of the monuments had become photographers and operated on one dollar tip! I hoped Dr. Darith would help generate the the traditional craftsmanship latent in all the photographers walking on that walkway.
Outside I sat under a tree with an intent to meet people. A family had come to visit the Buddha at Angkor Wat since the Buddha fulfilled wishes. Another family had come to help out their young student in his school work. There were two New-Zealanders who had been there for a month. I located Mr Kushal and we returned back to the city.
