I first became really aware of Angkor Wat when I was much younger and saw the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Remember that movie? While the movie was a passing blip on my radar, Angkor Wat and Cambodia hung around. Angkor Wat is a place that still contains it's own mysteries and inspires dreams. António da Madalena, a Portuguese monk who visited Angkor Wat in 1586 tried to capture his experience of the place and said it "is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of."
The French explorer Henri Mouhot wrote of it:
"One of these temples—a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo—might take an honourable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged."
So much history and beauty in one spot is just about irresistible to me.
To see so much beauty survive so much strife and struggle throughout history is amazing. I'm ready to go. Are you? Do you have a place you'd really like to visit?
I don't know where I learned of Angkor Wat, but I've known it (passingly, not the whole history) for a long time now. Not being a travel person, I'm not sure I would want to go. I love seeing pictures, though. It's really a beautiful place. I wish my house looked so amazing while falling apart from age, lol.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right. We still own a house back in Florida. It's older but I promise you it looks nowhere near as amazing and grand as it ages lol. My intro to Cambodia's history was in school about the Khmer Rouge of the 70's, Pol Pot, and their policy of genocide. None of that really emphasized any of the beauty in the country and that subject matter was enough to shut off any curiosity for me until I started digging into Angkor Wat. To hear scholars and world travelers compare it to so many of the most beautiful buildings of known Western History (Rome, Greece, France etc etc..) was enough to blow my mind and piqued my curiosity. However, with that said, my grandmother always said "Curiosity killed the cat Rachel. You'd best be careful because you're no cat and you don't have 9 lives." :D
ReplyDeleteWow, I need to see that in real life! I might be going to Thailand next summer. My friend is getting married over there. I like the first photo the best.
ReplyDeletePerfect photos! :)
ReplyDeleteAhhhh... Look at me, a small town person from Minas Gerais, living in a concrete jungle called Rio de Janeiro and now wishing so hardly to be in a quiet place like this! I alwats dreamed to be with my husband (for now, my husband is just in my mind) in a cold moutain or in a tropical island from Cuba or a cultural place in Greece! For now on, I'll add this misterious place to my list!
ReplyDeleteKisses.
You're such a lucky girl to be traveling so much. I love the contrast in the first photo. Honestly though there are so many photos of this place my brain has trouble taking it all in. I'd love to see it first hand to better put the pieces together.
ReplyDeletethanks!
ReplyDeleteFrom what I understand there's a lot of tourism there these days. I'd love to have been able to visit it to see more of it's original purpose and how it integrated into peoples lives. Since I obviously can't do that without a time machine, I will happily settle for exploring it and using my imagination.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to go there too! Let's go, Rach!
ReplyDeleteWow! Angkor Wat ! I really want to go there. I think that Angkor Wat of Cambodia is the most beautiful temple in the world.
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