The rediscovered civilisation

I will never forget the day I laid my eyes on Angkor Wat. Detailing Angkor’s dazzling pools and daunting buttresses of eroding stony walls, the temple itself rests on a sandstone platform- breasting on the surges of land. A horseback rider would not have had too much trouble entering the temple by crossing the walkway across the moat. Its pavilions erected to accommodate the transportation of elephants for Royal gatherings.
Angkor Wat is an extensive temple multiplex in Cambodia harbouring the vestiges of the Khmer Empire. It is a testament to the power of human spirit reflected in its size.
It was swarming with visitors all shoving for space and eager to recreate budding National Geographic photographs- which made the experience mildly entertaining.
Meandering between the pastures of emerald green trees, the vociferous yet gentle sounds of birds penetrating the silence and the delicious aroma of the flowers engenders the use of all of a visitor’s senses. Angkor Wat is on three levels- which you could immerse yourself in for hours.
The splendour and ambiguity of these ancient endeavours are indescribable. The jungle backdrop and its stillness heighten the almost cryptic opulence of the temples. Angkor Wat faces the setting sunset of the West with its monumental walls reflecting a reddened glow across the temple- a faultless moment to capture the beauty of this monument. To see the sun set over this magnificent structure truly was a great experience.
Humorously many of the female visitors with their (believe it or not) debonair sandals suffered at the hands of the several steep and rough steps and pathways. As a result many were unable to reach the upper reaches of Angkor Wat which was blocked by a very steep set of stairs, and missed out on the opportunity to see the view from the highest accessible point of the temple. At this point I was able to observe I was now standing in an area that once could only be inhabited by a King; an enthralling concept to imagine.
Befriending the locals, I was asked to participate in a traditional game of ‘Chol Chhoung’ involving around twenty children standing opposite one another in two rows. The first row is to throw the ‘chhoung’ to a person in the other row and when caught it is thrown back to the first row. If a person is hit by the ‘chhoung,’ the row must dance to retrieve it whilst the other row sings. To experience the diversity of their culture was irreplaceable.