Nunca he sido sumamente apasionada por los templos, pero tengo que admitir que Angkor Wat me causo una sensación que ningún otro templo me había causado antes, solo al cruzar el puente y comenzar la caminata hacia este, me hizo sentir como sumergida dentro de una historia de miles de años, lleno de energía de todo tipo acumulada , se me erizaron los brazos y no pude evitar pensar en todos los sucesos que pudieron haber ocurrido aquí durante la historia. Ahora entiendo porque han querido seleccionar este lugar como una de las maravillas del mundo. Ver para entender, visitar para sentirlo!
Walking through the first entrance to the main pathway just before sunset, and then seeing Angkor Wat appear like magic through the short dark passageway sent a shudder through me, as it has done every time. It’s a cliche to say it, but there really is something magical about that place. It was getting dark. We took photos on the grassy bank of the moat. Angkor and the reflection of it in the calm water. Special. And what we had seen before this spectacle had been similarly awe-inspiring.
Ta Prohm temple was the first stop in our half-day self-guided tour with hired tuk-tuk (around $18 but you can get it for as low as $8 if your bargaining skills are up to it) , where Angelina Jolie spent some time filming Tomb Raider. It amazed me the power of the trees – they were busy reclaiming the temple, forcing their roots through most of the walls. It can’t be too long before this temple is lost to the jungle. The gnarly roots running down the front of some of the temple structures, keeping them upright yet slowly suffocating them, looked like alien parasites, and they were winning. Areas of the complex here have crumbled away to nothing. The roots have won.
Bayon was the next stop, a collection of 54 gothic towers decorated with 216 coldly smiling, enormous faces. We were more amazed than ever by the incredible detail of this temple, and the amber light as the day began giving way to night made it seem all the more special.
The final stop was the best. Angkor Wat. Though we have been a few times before for sunrise, this was the first time we had been for sunset. It was magical. A different kind of magical from sunrise. The two experiences are equally magical. Angkor Wat and the temple complex of Angkor Thom are truly special - we highly recommend you go!
