Article online since February 4th 2008,
Picture: World traveler Stanley Baker's talk on Angkor Wat attracted a full house last Wednesday. Photo: Martin C.
Picture: World traveler Stanley Baker's talk on Angkor Wat attracted a full house last Wednesday. Photo: Martin C.
By Martin C. Barry
Stanley Baker has visited some of the most famous spots in the world, including Stonehenge in England, the Pyramids of Egypt, Machu Picchu in Peru, and Tikal in Guatemala.
However, none proved more inspiring than the long-forgotten medieval Cambodian city of Angkor Wat. Baker, who is semi-retired from a career as an international trader, had ample opportunity over the years to travel the globe extensively.Based on a trip he took to Indochina nine years ago, he recounted the experience during a talk he delivered in the Westmount Room of the public library last Wednesday, attracting a room full of residents with a shared interest in travel. His presentation also included a video of footage he recorded on his voyage, showing the architecture, fine carvings, markets and way of life.Angkor Wat, which covers one square mile, is considered the most impressive religious edifice in the world. It was the largest city by size and population of the Khmer empire during its heyday between the years 800 and 1410. Angkor Wat was built by thousands of slaves, with Khmer kings trying to outdo each other.The planning was elaborate, with canals for peasants' rice fields and scores of schools and hospitals. Although it withstood a Thai attack in 1431, over-population, deforestation and sediment from canals contributed to the city's collapse. It was abandoned completely in the 1500s when the Cambodian capital moved to Pnom Penh.At that point, the jungle took over, with tigers, panthers, monkeys and snakes. In the following centuries, reports of this lost city were treated with skepticism. In the late 19th century, an adventurous American named Frank Vincent rediscovered Angkor Wat and it was back on the world map.The enormous impact the Buddhist faith has had on Cambodian society is made clear through the country's present-day motto: 'Nation, Religion, King.' While Cambodia went through a notoriously brutal period in the 1970s and 1980s under the regime of the communist Khmer Rouge, Angkor Wat has gone on to be designated a World Heritage Centre and is undergoing restoration.Today, however, Baker added, the countries of Indochina remain nominally communist, while adapting to the reality of capitalism. At the same time, religion is not being suppressed as it was under the communist system of the former Soviet Union, but is treated as an important part in people's lives. Thailand, another nearby country Baker visited, has recently been having its own problems.There was a military coup there in 2006 and it also has economically-booming Asia's slowest growing economy. In recent elections, the deposed Thai premier's party received the most votes, "but if he returns from exile he faces arrest for corruption," said Baker. "His wife, who is also being charged, has said he will return to dispute the charges."
Stanley Baker has visited some of the most famous spots in the world, including Stonehenge in England, the Pyramids of Egypt, Machu Picchu in Peru, and Tikal in Guatemala.
However, none proved more inspiring than the long-forgotten medieval Cambodian city of Angkor Wat. Baker, who is semi-retired from a career as an international trader, had ample opportunity over the years to travel the globe extensively.Based on a trip he took to Indochina nine years ago, he recounted the experience during a talk he delivered in the Westmount Room of the public library last Wednesday, attracting a room full of residents with a shared interest in travel. His presentation also included a video of footage he recorded on his voyage, showing the architecture, fine carvings, markets and way of life.Angkor Wat, which covers one square mile, is considered the most impressive religious edifice in the world. It was the largest city by size and population of the Khmer empire during its heyday between the years 800 and 1410. Angkor Wat was built by thousands of slaves, with Khmer kings trying to outdo each other.The planning was elaborate, with canals for peasants' rice fields and scores of schools and hospitals. Although it withstood a Thai attack in 1431, over-population, deforestation and sediment from canals contributed to the city's collapse. It was abandoned completely in the 1500s when the Cambodian capital moved to Pnom Penh.At that point, the jungle took over, with tigers, panthers, monkeys and snakes. In the following centuries, reports of this lost city were treated with skepticism. In the late 19th century, an adventurous American named Frank Vincent rediscovered Angkor Wat and it was back on the world map.The enormous impact the Buddhist faith has had on Cambodian society is made clear through the country's present-day motto: 'Nation, Religion, King.' While Cambodia went through a notoriously brutal period in the 1970s and 1980s under the regime of the communist Khmer Rouge, Angkor Wat has gone on to be designated a World Heritage Centre and is undergoing restoration.Today, however, Baker added, the countries of Indochina remain nominally communist, while adapting to the reality of capitalism. At the same time, religion is not being suppressed as it was under the communist system of the former Soviet Union, but is treated as an important part in people's lives. Thailand, another nearby country Baker visited, has recently been having its own problems.There was a military coup there in 2006 and it also has economically-booming Asia's slowest growing economy. In recent elections, the deposed Thai premier's party received the most votes, "but if he returns from exile he faces arrest for corruption," said Baker. "His wife, who is also being charged, has said he will return to dispute the charges."
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