Angkor Wat Sunrise, Tomb Raider, Floating Village - Siem Reap, Cambodia
By Kimbery Sarna
Siem Reap, Cambodia
All the temples surrounding Siem Reap take up 60 square miles. Days upon days could be spent trying to see all of them. This morning we started at 5am to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. The sun came up from behind the temple, reflecting itself in the ponds below. Angkor was built in the 12th century as Cambodia's ancient capital, one of the man-made wonders of the world. Researchers believe it represents Mt. Meru, home of the Hindu gods, but now it is used for Buddhist worship. We walked around the complex for two hours following the sunrise. It has beautifully detailed carved walls surrounding the 669ft high temple. In the past, the upper complex was reserved only for the highest ranking monks to pray and take refuge. The surroundings were the most beautiful I had seen in any of temples..unfortunetly, I had left the camera with mom below. I gave her a difficult time for not trying to make it up, but even I must admit, the way down was a bit scarier than I expected!
The next temple we saw, Ta Prohm, was by far my favorite. It had not been restored, only left in the condition it had been found, deep in the jungle. Vines from the trees had grown inside, on top of and through the temple, creating a beautiful display. Stones and statues were split in two or framed by the foliage. Amazing to see in it's natural surroundings.
That afternoon we boarded a boat to ride through the world's largest floating village. During the Monsoon months, Tonle Sap (Great Lake) is the largest lake in Southeast Asia. In these months the Mekong River, which flows into the Tonle River, is over flowing from the snows melting in Tibet, and backs up into the Mekong Delta. When this happens the Tonle River relieves the pressure by reversing the direction it normally flows and drains the Delta into Tonle Sap Lake. There are approximately 3,000 people that actually live on this lake. It is completely self sufficient, with schools, gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants all floating amongst the homes in the lake. It doesn't seem like a sanitary situation - going to the bathroom, drinking, bathing, and fishing - all from the same source. But nothing I've seen in Cambodia is anything close to home. Children were playing in floating tires and washing dishes along the banks. There was even a floating crocodile farm. It's one of those moments when you question the way we live when others are going through daily life like this. Yet, the children all seem happy. You can't long for things you don't know exist.
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