Reflections at Angkor Wat

March 3, 2010

I left my guesthouse this morning at 5:15am to head to Angkor Wat for sunrise. It was dark and I didn’t have a light on my bike so I considered hiring a tuk-tuk to take me and my bike there. Outside of my guesthouse were several tuk-tuks, but I quickly discovered that they were all waiting on customers. Just as I was asking one more driver two bikes were headed down the street, and they had lights. “Are you going to Angkor?” I called out to them, “Can I join you?” “Sure,” they said in the dark. I felt fine about riding with other people. I quickly found out that my bike buddies were Dutch, of course.

As we approached the complex the sky began to turn pink and purple. Already the humidity clung to me as I rode. It would be a hot day. Evelien and Johan had already ridden by Angkor the previous day, but we were all in awe as the impressive silhouette came into view across the moat. 2 million people visit Angkor Wat each year. Despite being 6am the tour buses were rolling in.

We sat on the massive lawn that stretches in front of the Angkor temple. The sky turned to gold and soon rays of light were piercing the sky from the top of the temple. As the sun began to appear over the peaks of the temple I couldn't help but have one song playing in my mind. Anyone that has known me for more than a year should know which one it is… The Circle of Life from the Lion King of course! Wrong continent perhaps, but the epic feeling of seeing the sun rise over the temple was the same as the feeling which the Lion King inspires in the opening scene. I daresay it may have been better.

The three of us roamed Angkor for over 2 hours, taking in the details and grandeur of the temple. Angkor is incredible. The thousands of intricate carvings, reliefs, and ornamentation are in remarkably good condition. The amount of work and level of skill that was poured into producing Angkor is hard for me to imagine. I learned at the national museum in Siem Riep, yesterday evening, that the stone the builders used had to be floated into the site from 50km away. The entire complex is meant to model the connection between heaven and earth. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. It wasn’t until I started reading about Angkor in my LP several days earlier that I even knew the temple and surrounding ruins were built by a civilization that worshipped Hinduism. Hindu traders and explorers came to Cambodia over 1000 years ago. They brought with them the Sanskrit language as well as the religion. When ships made it to Cambodia they often had to wait 6 months for the trade winds to change direction for them to return to India. This gave them plenty of time to share their beliefs. As a previously animistic culture I think perhaps the Khmers were eager devotees to their new grand gods of Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma.

As the world’s largest religious monument, Angkor Wat represents a surprising truth, the largest Hindu temple was not build in India or by Indians, but in Cambodia by the Khmers. And it has yet to be outdone. About 4 centuries after it was build, around the 15th century (don’t cite me on these dates), Angkor and its surrounding monuments were rededicated to the now predominant religion of Buddhism and Buddha’s image was added to most shrines. Many people claim Angkor Wat represents one of the most powerful energetic centers on the planet.
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Mom would love it here. I can picture her holding dad and I up from exploring further because she would insist on meditating for half-an-hour under one of the ancient trees reaching its roots into the ruins. Surely she would say something along the lines of “Isn’t it incredible, look how these trees grow so big here, tapping into the energy within the temples.” If I pointed out that they were probably just really old because they were protected here, she would give me a patronizing look that would say, “my little scientist has so much still to learn.” Then she would proceed to show off by finding the various deities on the walls and reciting an appropriate Sanskrit verse by heart. And dad and I would make fun behind her back. Then for lunch mom and I would share a plate of French fries and enjoy cold cokes while dad lectured about the dangers of a caffeine addiction. We would make fun behind his back, rolling our eyes and toasting to rebellion.

And now I sit alone with my cold coke, taking a break from the heat, contemplating the evolution of Hinduism. Thinking of the religion’s influence in my mother’s life and here in Cambodia makes me realize how much more international than I ever realized Hinduism is. I had no idea when I began my trip I would encounter so many connections to Hinduism before I reached India. As a result of my continual, unintentional connection to the religion through love and travel I recently decided to make an effort to learn about the religion that played so huge a role in my mother’s, and now my boyfriend’s life.

With my new handy-dandy Kindle I downloaded a book on Hinduism several weeks ago. Having seen depictions of the Ramayan on temple walls in Laos I was curious about the overlap between Hinduism and Buddhism, what history and philosophies they shared. The book was fascinating though basic. I learned about the Vedas and Upanishads, the ancient texts that form the foundation of Hinduism. I became curious to read them, and added them to my mental list of religious texts I’ve always said I wanted to read. Than it occurred to me, what better time to start reading these texts than while I’m travelling. I’ve now just started reading the Qur’an and after that I’ll read the Old Testament.

What has become clear to me so far is that these religions are founded on much simpler and purer philosophies than what they eventually evolve to incorporate through the pressures, needs, and corruption of society. It’s easy to say people misinterpret their religion or are misguided, but it’s fascinating to actually see what the religion was once based on and where exactly people derail.

I now know that what drew my mother to Hinduism were the ancient philosophies of God’s relation to the earth and the universe and the wisdom in the ancient texts on how to find personal enlightenment, though she participated in more modern practices of devotion as well. The book I read describes the new generation of Hindus, particularly those living outside of India, as creating a new wave of Hinduism that returns to the basic tenants of the religion, with more emphasis on personal devotion focusing on the ideas of karma and finding your inner Brahman. The book mentions that Hinduism is a religion that has continued to evolve over the past 3000 years, adapting new practices, stories, and ideas. It is also known for not letting any traditions die, allowing it to grow ever more complex, combining the ancient, the old, and the new. Perhaps the new generation is starting to let some old traditions expire.

If all religions could find a way to return to their roots and let go of some nostalgic ways of thinking, I believe the world would be a more peaceful place. In Hinduism the ancient caste system not only signifies family heritage but continues to support segregation and often discrimination. In Christianity the definition of marriage is far outdated, and the understanding of values in regards to stem-cell research has blocked America from funding and conducting life-saving research. In some Islamic countries the Qu’ran has been badly misinterpreted to permit the abuse of women. In Judaism the ancient text that declares that someone is a Jew if born to a Jewish mother discourages children born to a Jewish father from fully identifying with her Jewish heritage because others don’t acknowledge her heritage.

All religions seem to have found ways to support some form of sexual and racial discrimination still today in 2010. I think many of my friends and I are aware of this and so we identify as “not religious.” When my mother became devoutly “spiritual,” eventually studying mainly Hinduism I wanted nothing to do with it. But now I feel ready to learn from the religions of the world and take what I can from them. I am not looking for a religion to identify with or some personal transformation. I’m curious about what I can learn from the ancients who surely have something to share with us. Already I feel my readings have begun to reshape my understanding of the ways the world does and does not work.
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After contemplating religion in the middle of the day I resumed my solo bike tour around the many ruins that are equally impressive, if not as grand, as Angkor Wat. The temperature climbed to 39 degrees Celsius I was told, and I’m not surprised. Every time I had to get on and off the bike, get something out of my backpack, or decide whether or not to climb another set of stone steps I felt like I was losing every bit of my energy in the form of sweat. But the actual act of biking was very pleasant, the moving air was refreshing. The area is completely flat and at most there is only 3km between each ruin. I would highly recommend renting a bike as your mode of transportation for a tour of Angkor. I felt much more independent, getting to decide where to stop, how long to stay in each place, and knowing that I didn’t have anyone waiting on me. And it’s really nice to ride through the jungle and be able to hear the birds and cicadas.

I had been on and off my bike since 5:30am and by the time I got back to my guesthouse it was 7pm. I hadn’t realized just how exhausted I was from the day until I lay down on my bed and unintentionally fell fast asleep, not waking up until 9:30pm, confused where I was. I dragged myself out to a drowsy dinner and back to bed for the night.

March 4, 2010

At the advice of Evelien and Johan I called a tuk-tuk driver who goes by the name Mr. Kong. They had hired him to take them around the ruins their first day and they said he was wonderful. They said he was very sweet and a bit shy. He tended to park his tuk-tuk in the shade away from the other tuk-tuk drivers when he waited at each temple for them. I like the sound of him. There were so many over-eager tuk-tuk drivers in Siem Riep competing for business, and enough of them were young men who seemed as eager for the business as the company of a young woman traveling solo. I was nervous about finding a tuk-tuk driver who I wouldn’t have to answer awkward questions from and withstand annoying stares and attention.

Mr. Kong agreed on a price of $20 for the day, which was reasonable considering I wanted to go to the furthest away site, Kbal Spean 60km from Siem Riep. But I didn’t bargain, that was the initial price he offered and I thought it was fair for his full day of service. Mr. Kong was exactly as they had described. He was very patient and shared his knowledge of the ruins softly but confidently. He came across to me as a very intelligent man.

I visited the beautiful Kbal Spean, Hindu carvings into a rock riverbed in the forest that you hike 2km to. It really was a refreshing change from the large temples, as suggested by the almighty Lonely Planet. The LP suggested stopping at another temple called Bantei Sray before coming to Kbal Spean, but Mr. Kong took me to Kbal Spean first because he said it was better to hike up before the heat came, and I’m thankful for his recommendation. I think I was actually the first tourist there in the morning because there was no one at the river when I got there, or anyone on the trail, which was extremely refreshing. As I hiked back down I began to pass other tourists, no doubt also tipped off to visit by the LP.

I visited the 3 remaining temples I had yet to see and stopped finally at Angkor Wat to admire her one more time. I asked Mr. Kong if he liked ice cream. His response was more enthusiastic than I expected. “Ok!” I smiled, “When I get back from Angkor Wat we’ll get some ice cream.” He bowed his head shyly to say yes. I enjoyed Angkor Wat this time without taking pictures but just taking in the perfect symmetry and elaborate carvings. I lit a incense inside the temple for mom.

The previous day when Evelien, Johan, and I had finished our tour of Angkor Wat we had treated ourselves to amazingly delicious ice cream from a fancy restaurant / shop across from the temple’s moat. I had, nontraditionally, chosen against chocolate in favor of the cooling yoghurt raspberry flavor they had. But now I felt the need to go back for their “dark chocolate” ice cream. When I returned to Mr. Kong at his tuk-tuk I said, “Ok! Let’s get some ice cream, my treat.”

He led the way to the ice cream van selling packaged ice creams in the parking lot. I explained that I would like to go to the place I went yesterday because the ice cream there is very very good. I realized as I led him into the posh, air-conditioned restaurant that he may feel extremely out of place there (even I felt out of place there). But I opened the door for him and walked confidently inside. I could see the waiters looked confused, why was a tuk-tuk driver with this girl, and why were they coming in here? I ignored them and smiled inwardly as Mr. Kong smoothed his hair nervously. We went up to the ice-cream counter and I ordered my one-scoop of chocolate ice cream on a waffle cone. Oh how mom would have loved that waffle cone, she used to always steal my cones after I ate most of the ice cream.


I asked Mr. Kong which flavor he wanted. He was really hesitant. I think he was uncomfortable letting me treat him here since he had thought we would be getting the cheaper ice cream from the van. “Please, it’s my treat. The ice cream here reminds me of my home. Please pick a flavor.” With that he chose strawberry.

We sat down at a table by the door and enjoyed our ice creams. I savored the rich chocolate flavor, a chocolate that was very hard to come by in this part of the world. And the texture of the ice cream, almost gelato but better. Such luxury!

Mr. Kong had told me earlier that he grew up near Siem Riep. Both of his parents died, his father when he was very young and his mother died when he was a teenager. Now it was just him and his younger brother in the world together (I think he said he was 27 years old). He had told me easily that he had gone to college for 2 years but couldn’t finish because it was too expensive. I think it was important to him that I knew he went to school. He said he would like to finish his degree when he can.

In the restaurant I asked more about him. After his mother died he lived with his aunt. Then, after secondary school, he moved to Phnom Phen to go to college. He studied during the day and worked at night as a waiter to try to support himself in the city. Eventually, it got too expensive for him so he returned to Siem Riep. I asked what he studied. He told me computer programming. I asked him if there are scholarship programs in the colleges, he answered “Java.” I smiled; my “scholarship” must have sounded like “script.” I repeated my question and he told me that the scholarships are reserved for the students with the very top grades, not necessarily those that need the money. That didn’t make sense to me, because the top students would probably be the ones that came from a stronger secondary education and therefore from wealthier families.

Mr. Kong had returned to Siem Riep and found a job as a hotel host. But, he said, being a hotel host only pays $80/month, and Siem Riep is an expensive place to live. He thought about it and decided to save money to buy a tuk-tuk. With only 5-7 clients per month he could be making more money than in the hotel. But this isn’t easy because there are so many tuk-tuk drivers competing for passengers in Siem Riep. And Mr. Kong is definitely not one of the more aggressive ones about finding passengers. I can’t picture him driving around the city and yelling at every Westerner to have him show them around the ruins like the other drivers do. His mobile number is one of 10 drivers that a hotel Evelien and Johan were staying at has listed, and Mr. Kong was lucky that he was the one that the hotel decided to call that day. As was I, otherwise I wouldn’t have been given his number by Evelien and Johan (Mr Kong: 012855968).

Mr. Kong asked what I thought of Angkor Wat. I said it’s beautiful and amazing that people could build something so grand so many years ago. He of course agreed; Angkor Wat is a source of incredible pride for the Khmers, it’s even the image on their national flag.
I asked something I had been wondering. Angkor Wat was built to revere the Hindu religion but then it became a Buddhist monument when the popular religion shifted; why did the Khmers leave Hinduism and embrace Buddhism? He explained that the king was Hindu, so the kingdom was declared Hindu, but when Buddhism was introduced the ideas were more popular. “Good ideas,” he said. But, he explained, many stories from Hinduism still exist in Khmer culture and spirituality, particularly the ever popular Ramayan.

Without me asking he volunteered, “I’m not Buddhist. I don’t think one religion is good, better.” I was intrigued, “You don’t like religion?”

“I think all religion have good idea and bad idea. I like the good idea. I think if I do good action then good for me, and if I do bad action than bad.”

“Karma?” I asked.

“Yes, Karma. That is good idea in Hinduism.” He smiled, “Buddhism have many good ideas too, and Muslim. But I don’t think I am only one religion. I believe all religion.”

“Yes,” I agreed, “Maybe if everyone thinks like you we have more peace in the world.”

“Yes,” Mr. Kong bowed his head in agreement, “Maybe.”

I highly recommend Mr. Kong as your tuk-tuk driver in Siem Riep / Angkor Wat. And I highly recommend visiting Angkor Wat once in your life time; it is, after all, one of the strongest energetic portals in the world…

~ For my mother, who inspired me through her many travel adventures and studies to explore the world and open my mind to different cultures and beliefs.
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You can contact Mr. Kong by his mobile number: 012855968. Call him a day in advance to arrange for him to pick you up early in the morning to begin your tour. Your guesthouse/hotel will be happy to call him for you. This information will be posted on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Travel Forum.