I had that place locked away in my head for as long as I could remember. Was it some magazine I had read as a kid? Some TV documentary I had seen? I could not precisely pinpoint what sparked my obsession with visiting that place. Angkor Wat for me was like a page from a book I was reading. As the years passed, the pages appeared to become thicker, and my chances of seeing them seemed to slip away.
Turning the Pages of Angkor Wat | Cambodia
Since the start of my fascination about that place, I had matured into a man and faced the challenges of the corporate world. While I developed traits such as responsibilities and functioned in a hierarchy within the business world, my passion for travel remained unwavering. As I immersed myself in the book of travels, the pages depicting Angkor Wat, which I could run my fingers over, held a sense of mystery, awaiting a solution and ultimately, an experience. There was a persistent itch on my back that I needed to address, whether it was for good or for ill.
An Obsession Realized
Like any obsessed individual, I made plans of visiting that place. I initially planned to visit Angkor Wat in the latter part of 2012, envisioning myself striding along its expansive walkways and lengthy corridors. However, just as all plans had the potential to go awry, mine went the complete opposite, as I unexpectedly achieved that goal nearly a year ahead of schedule. One day, I woke up, stumbled upon an airline promo, and booked a cheap flight to finally fulfill my long-standing obsession with that place.
Fast forward to the third of November at exactly 5:30 AM. I found myself standing at the entrance of the vast Angkor Wat complex, along with my brother and many other tourists who came from Australia, the UK, and the rest of the world. I eagerly awaited the sun rising on the horizon, as well as the realization of what was once only a mere dream. At last! I was just a few twists away from finally turning the pages of Angkor Wat.
Walking Through a Reconstructed World
As the sun began to rise and the final traces of darkness dissipated, we began our walk towards the entrance. As we neared the far-off quincunx towers of Angkor Wat, their diminutive silhouettes grew increasingly impressive. Climbing the stairs had me imagining being transported back in the early twelfth century as one of the builders of that temple or even the man himself—the one responsible for its construction, King Suryavarman II. Originally built as an offering to the Hindu god Vishnu, it had since transformed into a Buddhist religious structure, making it the world's largest religious building.
There were many of us who climbed the steps going in, and at first, I was worried that once inside, the scene would look like a concert hall bustling with an overwhelming crowd. Magically, once I stepped my feet inside, I found myself wandering through long corridors by my lonesome and alighting out into open spaces with almost no one in sight aside from my brother. It was like I entered another world and purposely got myself lost.
The intricate bas-relief galleries and the devatas adorning the walls inside were very hard to explain. The entire history of ancient Khmer appeared to be on display before me, with all hints of the past staring back as I directed my wide-awed gaze toward it.
Upon reaching one end of the temple, I separated myself from my brother and wandered alone toward another section. The wind blew in from all directions, and the wide windows overlooked an open field dotted with lush trees and a lake. As perplexing and mystifying as its architectural design and geographical positioning, which had scholars forever debating its meaning, Angkor Wat managed to solve a personal puzzle that had haunted me for as long as I could remember—my curiosity about that place.
A Legacy That Transcends Time
The civilization that flourished around the time of its construction mysteriously disappeared two hundred years after its construction. It could have been the death of King Suryavarman or the sacking of Khmer by the Champa, an Indianized kingdom that controlled most of south and central Vietnam from the seventh to the eighteenth century. Subsequent kingdoms in ancient Khmer quickly advanced farther inland, leading to the establishment of numerous temples surrounding Angkor Wat.
Afterward, the whole temple complex—that had Antonio da Madalena, a Portuguese monk who first stumbled into Angkor Wat in 1586, wondering about "(what) human genius can conceive of"—was mostly eaten by the dense jungles and was momentarily hidden from the view of the outside world.
Upon the rediscovery of Angkor Wat by Western explorers in the early nineteenth century, renovations immediately began. Over time, archaeologists, conservationists, and researchers arrived, conducting endless studies on the rich and colorful history of Angkor Wat and its surrounding temples.
As I crossed out Angkor Wat from my life's list of places to see, I would be putting it in a very special place in my memory vault. A return trip was not impossible and did not lay far in the future. As the day drew to a close and the sun began its descent, I gazed up at the sky, noting its striking resemblance to the skies that King Suryavarman II and his people would have admired daily. The only difference then from theirs was the state of the world we were in. The walls and the strong foundations of Angkor Wat remained the same and still mesmerized people from all over the world.
