The Temples of Angkor: Word's Can't Quite Say It

There are a few events in a man's life when he says to himself, "This changes everything; from now on there will only be the time before this and the time after this."

Sometimes those moments are horrible: mine include my mother's death, my mentor's death, the morning of September 11 (2001 was a bad year for me).

But others are instances of such beauty, intensity or happiness that in their unfolding you're introduced to a new part of yourself. You realize a new chapter of your life has begun. I think about the first time I fell in love, the first time I earned the respect of a professor, the crystal-clear afternoon I parachuted out of an airplane over the Swiss Alps, the night I lost my virginity.

One of those moments was the first time I walked through the temples of Angkor in Cambodia. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe or understand that a place like this existed.

I've actually left my history book back in the hotel room, but here's a basic rundown of what I remember: The temples of Angkor were built by several kings of the Angkor empire between the 9th and 14th centuries. At its height, the empire extended from the southern tip of Vietnam, north to China and West to the Bay of Bengal. According to the Lonely Planet folks, at a time when the city of London had a population of 50,000, Angkor Thom supported 1 million residents.

Though the thoroughly-reconstruted, stunningly-beautiful Angkor Wat is by far the most famous temple (it's the largest religious structure in the world), the complex actually extends out over several square miles. In the farther temples like Preah Khan you can easily find an isolated corner surrounded by beautiful artwork where you can sit, meditate or simply soak in the majesty around you.

And although "majesty" seems to be the best word I can come up with at the moment, it is not really sufficient to describe the white-hot flame of awe that melts the cortex as you walk though the overgrown doorways, climb the deserted pyramids and pause to marvel at the intricate carvings that adorn this remarkable place.

I don't know how else to put it: no work of art, no poem, no museum, no mighty symphony, no sunset, no vicious storm, no majestic mountain has ever left me so dazzled.

In some places around Angkor mighty pyramids dominate the landscape, in others lichen-covered temples silently guard their secrets under the jungle canopy. The sheer volume is breathtaking. You could spend weeks wandering the grounds and not begin to see it all.

Wandering around Preah Khan or Ta Prohm is like starring in a children's adventure book. They're simply so big that you're almost always by yourself. And down every hallway, on every wall, on every collapsed block, on every bit of rubble you step over is priceless art of the highest order.

Antiquities thieves have had a run at many parts, but the temples of Angkor remain very well preserved. The carvings are rich in iconography, and many books have been written about their historical and symbolic contexts. I will leave that research up to you, Dear Reader.

All I can say is that museum-quality, ancient stone work covers nearly every rock, casually strewn about like garbage. It is simply unbelievable.

I have many photos of Angkor, but the computers here are rather basic and it's going to be hard to find one that will let me upload. I'll be in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's Capitol, tomorrow, and I'll try to put some photos up in the next few days.

Also, I still have that cell phone but I need to get a Cambodian SIM card in Phnom Penh to make it work (no international networks). It'll be soon, though, and I still can't wait to talk to all of you. It'll be very soon.

My unending, unconditional love to all my family and friends back home. Keep on rockin' in the Free World.

- HSM