Finally, Angkor Wat

*Published on **2018-10-16** by **Kelley @ traverse this earth** | Categories: angkor wat, solo travel, Travel*

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Angkor Wat was a little bit of a letdown. There. I said it. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying don’t go visit. I’m not even saying it wasn’t worth the time. I just think being spoiled by the intricacies of so many other Wats before seeing this one might have set me up for failure. Sheer size alone doesn’t do it for me. (Insert joke here, yeah yeah.) But it’s true. It doesn’t. I felt this place was remarkable in a way but it also left me wanting more.

Anyone who visits Angkor Wat knows that you need to show up super, super early. Check.

What they don’t often know is that everyone else will join you.

So many people are looking for that experience, that shot. They’re fighting for the good spots and showing up, honestly, when I was probably still sleeping. They were setting up tripods and putting down blankets. Impressive.

All of this hard work for what? A picture that might turn out nice? Now, as a photographer that may sound crazy. But this is how I felt on that day. And while all those people waited, unable to budge from their space, I went exploring. The sights were few, but I did come upon maybe the most brilliantly colored lotus I’ve ever seen. It seemed unreal. (I have only cropped and rotated this photo.)

But my favorite moment of comic relief came along with this guy. He ran his fat lil self around the pool on his way to wherever breakfast hung out. Hundreds of bored people waiting for the sun surely appreciated this pudgy dude giving them something to look at other than the horizon while shooting photos.

This is the best I got.

With the sun coming up behind the building it gave it a bit of two dimensional feel. But when I walked up to the front it did start to represent itself a little better.

Crossing over the moat that measures over 15 feet all around seemed like I crossed into a quieter world. Being inside gave me a much better idea of the magnitude of the situation.

Imagine hundreds of years ago having the luxury of the pool in front of me being full of water. I think in the Cambodian heat that it would really be a nice dip. As I walked around I heard that the tops of the Angkor Wat temple were built to represent Mount Meru. According to Hindu legend Mt. Meru is bigger than earth itself. And the sun and planets revolve around it.

A lot of the things I heard inside were fairly interesting. There were a lot of tour guides around to listen to. Angkor Wat, meaning Temple City, is one of the biggest religious monuments in the world. It started out as a Hindu temple when it was created. That’s where Mount Meru came from. It’s a sacred five peaked mountain in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religions. It’s considered to be the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes. (Thanks Wiki!!) Angkor Wat is also the best preserved building in the complex and is the only one that has kept its religious context the whole time.

All of this aside I did like Angkor. The part that I liked the most I found sitting nonchalantly on the steps next to the pool.

This very chill looking dude sat around the entire time I explored. And he adorned and blessed anyone who came up to him.

Mostly he sat quietly by himself. It seemed as if he were off in his own little world.

However, as soon as someone came up to chat, he would tie a bracelet on their wrist and say a prayer.

Just steps away from my exit I looked over and saw this. I stopped just long enough to grab the shot, hoping one day I could find some people to find people to run around this big world with me. One day.

As I wrapped up my visit to this gigantic place I wondered if I would ever be back. I had one more place to go. Luckily for me, it turns out this one would be the jaw dropping spot that I had been looking for.

(For more info on Angkor Wat itself: Check [here](http://www.canbypublications.com/angkor-cambodia/angkor-history.htm). And for more on the Angkor complex: Check [here](http://www.canbypublications.com/angkor-cambodia/angkor-temple-guide.htm).)

Thanks for coming (and climbing) with me Pat!

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