When we were planning our visa run, we had to choose one destination from a plethora of options available to us from Chiang Mai. Travel within SE Asia is very inexpensive either by air, train or bus. Two hours in a plane can take you to Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia or Singapore. We picked Siem Reap, Cambodia so we could visit Angkor Wat, a Unesco world heritage site. Brenda had been here once before, about 16 years ago, but she was gracious enough to return for my benefit as this has been a place I have wanted to see for many years. The pictures we've all seen of the ruins cannot come close to preparing you for the scale and grandeur of the Angkor complex. In two days touring, we've only seen a handful of the 300 or so temples making up the city. The stone carvings that have withstood the passage of time and Mother Nature's best shots are testaments to the quality of the workmanship that went into them. Nonetheless, there's no disputing the power of nature when you see these massive structures crumbling beneath trees that are twice as old as Canada. Construction on the complex began in the mid 9th century and was not completed until the1360's. As new kings were crowned, the religion followed by the kingdom would change to suit their beliefs. This, unfortunately led to many of the carved images and statues of Buddha being modified, defaced or beheaded! With constant invasion and pressure from Siam, the kingdom eventually withdrew from Ankor Wat and re-established itself in Phnom Penh in 1432. The complex was virtually abandoned, except for visits from the odd adventurer and looter, until the 1860's when a French naturalist published a book about the site that sparked worldwide interest.
As one wanders through the ruins, you can't help but wonder how a primitive society could build structures of this magnitude. The stone used in the buildings was transported from a mountain range 60 kilometers away. We're not talking small bricks here, these are massive blocks easily weighing several tons. The temples are all lined up according to astronomy and numerology. I'll tell you how they did it: The aliens helped them! Looking for proof, I scoured the carvings in the stone for drawings of flying chariots or oval headed, long armed creatures, but I couldn't find a one. I believe some ancient Cambodian removed the evidence along with the Buddha faces. All is not lost though. Brenda and I will be returning for another visit to the complex tomorrow, this time to some of the farther flung sites. Maybe I'll have better luck there.
We are not alone!