By Candace Drimmer, Saturday at 12:29 pm
Cambodia is justifiably proud of its crown jewel masterpiece. Built between 800 to 1200 AD by the Khmer Empire, the empire encompassed parts of Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Given the religious use of Angkor, local guides liken it to the Vatican. Usage is the only similarity given the Vatican is a petite 0.2 square miles site as compared to the 96 sprawling miles of Angkor. Guinness World Records calls Angkor the world's largest religious structure, as any panting, exhausted tourist can attest.
To understand Angkor, a visit to Tonle Sap Lake or Great Fresh Water Lake, is in order. As Trip Advisor reviews confirm, Tonle Sap Lake is not a scenic site. With muddy rivulets leading to it, the lake waxes and wanes with the monsoon and dry seasons. During the dry season the water is the color of unappetizing milky tea, containing detritus of the humans who live and work about it.
But bear with me. For according to those who have studied Angkor, it is the water of this great lake that supported Angkor. At least the putt-putt tourist boat I'm aboard has life jackets.
On arrival a face popped up to take photos of us. Why? On return we learn why when she meets our group of 12 with our individual photos glued onto wooden plaques. "A dollar!" she smiles hopefully. Most of us buy, for who doesn't want to encourage her entrepreneurial gumption?
For a discerning (or lucky) tourist, the next stop is the Angkor National Museum in Siem Reap. Within its 7 world-class galleries unfolds the story of Angkor that brings it into focus. While ignoramuses of Isis destroy the past in a Mosul museum, the clever Cambodians have created a stunning museum to celebrate and educate tourists about Angkor.
In the morning as recommended by our local guide, we approach Angkor Wat from the less trafficked east. Where are the other tourists? After all, it has 3.1 million visitors annually. We soon seen them, merging with us and others like ants throughout the enormity, and confusing passageways of Angkor Wat. Four empty ponds are before us, representing earth, wind, fire and water, water that would have come from Tonle Sap Lake.
Magritte-like spindles are everywhere in open windows, always in odd numbers. It's easy to lose others through the winding hallways. Words cannot do the site sufficient justice, but Google can.
With our air-conditioned bus and constant sips at water bottles, we survive the heat of the sun. Devoid of all but a handful of tourists, Banteay Srei is a delight with exquisite sandstone carvings that look like embroidered needlework. The guard on duty is busy selling police IDs as a souvenir.
There is the not excavated, but jungle-encroached-upon Ta Prohm with a crush of polyglot tourists, pushing and shoving to get "The Photo". Felt like Times Square on the first sunny day in spring, making it distinctly one place that is better on the internet.
Briefly we see Bayon and Angkor Thom south gate, driving slowly by Terrace of the Leper King, Elephants Terrace and Baphuon.
Then and now came together when I saw a photo of Angkor Wat being cleared of landmines buried by the Khmer Rouge. Book end civilizations demonstrating the good and bad of humanity.
15 comments:
Begin of Drgunzet's comment.
"Built between 800 to 1200 AD by the Khmer Empire, the empire encompassed parts of Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia."
The Khmer Empire did not encompass Thailand?!?
-Drgunzet-
Hey Vietnamese asshole -Drgunzet-,
Yuon/Vietnamese (Die Viet, Anamese or Tai Sung) and Thai (Tai Chinese from Nanzhao province in China) and Laos (and Hmong) was hill tribes from the Mountains for Forest at the border or China and Khmer (Cambodia). Khmer Empire King was in favor of Laos (Hmong).
Thai stole the language created from Laos and is a thief nation.
Yuon/Vietnamese is also a thief, killer nation that wiped out Cham and took Champa country which is today Central evil Vietnam. Northern Vietnam where Hanoi located was originally a Chinese province. Southern Vietnam is belong Cambodia/Khmer (called Southern Khmer/Cambodian or Khmer Krom where Ho Chi Min/Saigon (was illegally named after Prey Nokor city).
Thieves in the modern history have always bragged too much about their success by killing neighbors to lands and territory.
According to the Khmer History, Mongol Empire military invaded China and kicked out Yuon/Vietnamese (Tai Sung) and Thai (Tai Chinese) and they begged for Khmer King for help and taking refuges into Khmer land bordered with China in 12th century. After four hundreds years later, Tai Chinese refugees got stronger and then betrayed Khmer king by taking rebels against Khmer people, military and king during the dark or night when everyone were sleeping. About your Yuon/Vietnamese (landless folks) tried to find the ways to kill and rob neighbors until French colony arrives in the 1800s.
Begin of Drgunzet's comment.
Khmer history was wrong. Vietnam defeated and repulsed Mongolian Empire's invasions three times.
-Drgunzet-
Yuon/Vietnamese (Die Viet, Anamese or Tai Sung) and Thai (Tai Chinese from Nanzhao province in China) and Laos (and Hmong) was hill tribes from the Mountains for Forest at the border or China and Khmer (Cambodia). Khmer Empire King was in favor of Laos (Hmong).
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Sources pls
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According to the Khmer History, Mongol Empire military invaded China and kicked out Yuon/Vietnamese (Tai Sung) and Thai (Tai Chinese) and they begged for Khmer King for help and taking refuges into Khmer land bordered with China in 12th century.
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Some Cambodian keep mixing Thai and Vietnamese aren't they!?
I have no concern about the Thai, yet in case of Vietnamese, may you provide sources that Vietnamese begged for Cambodian's king!? May you provide sources for the mythology that the Mongol defeated Vietnamese?
For my sources look this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_invasions_of_Vietnam
Greater Viet Empire totally crushed 3 full Mongol invasions. Such feast marked Vietnamese as one of the few in the world able to resist Mongol invasion. Note that Vietnamese beat the Mongol militarily and decisively.
Cambodian claim a lot of things but they have no capacity to prove their points
#comcomWF
Begin of Drgunzet's comment.
I bet most people, including the Vietnamese do not know the secret of the ancient Vietnamese commanders in defeating much larger and superior force. But I am a very smart Asians, I read thousand of books, well versed in military theories and tactics. I studied both Sun Tzu and Von Clausewitz.
The ancient Vietnamese commanders waited for the invaders to get sick from the local virus/pathogens then they mounted the counter attack.
So, the Vietnamese commanders first would withdrew and isolated their army from the invaders to avoid getting sick from the virus/pathogens from the invaders. At the same time, the invaders got the virus/pathogens from the local civilians.
-Drgunzet-
#comcomWF
The source was made up by your evil Yuon/Vietnamese thieves all over the places to make the world believe Vietnam nation was 10,000 years old. Cambodian has been under the Vietnamese thieves living and hiding in CPP government led by secret Yuon controlling Hun Sen.
Hun Sen is very scared and you are one of the evil Yuon/Vietnamese posters trying to cover up the story so that the world confused about your Yuon/Vietnamese still exists. China will be shocked and spank your evil Yuon/Vietnamese folks and killers like you.
#comcomWF and -Drgunzet- are very suspicious. One of these days -Drgunzet-, #comcomWF and the rest of Yuon/Vietnamese posters will be given the ropes to hang themselves and their lies have been found out.
@13 April 2015 3:55 pm
The source was made up by your evil Yuon/Vietnamese thieves all over the places to make the world believe Vietnam nation was 10,000 years old.
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- Vietnamese never declared their nation was 10000 years old (unless you can show your sources)
- You said like every sources was Vietnamese's creation!? And the entire world was fooled by Vietnamese!? LOL
#comcomWF
@13 April 2015 4:00 pm
#comcomWF and -Drgunzet- are very suspicious. One of these days -Drgunzet-, #comcomWF and the rest of Yuon/Vietnamese posters will be given the ropes to hang themselves and their lies have been found out.
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Is this a sign of personal attack!!?? If so is it again the general law of blogger.com?
#comcomWF,
You are a Yuon/Vietnamese dog eater and a baby of Yuon/Vietnamese dog eating thieves. Also, you were coming out of -Drgunzet-.
All sources created by Yuon/Vietnamese thieves to fool the world, looking at Wikipedia, Google map, etc.
The nations of America, Europe and Africa, and Asia will spank and spit at you and Yuon/Vietnamese folks who are pathetic and hypocrite!
Khmer people and leaders of democrcy will get rid of key Yuon/Vietnamese dog eating parasites inside Hun Sen's government so that Hun Sen will feel better. LOL
Again and again, there are very suspicious sources to support your Yuon/Vietnamese dog eating claims in the history.
CUM, CUM, baby, CUM, WF "What the F**l' and your Vietnamese dog eating baby just came out and looks like -Drgunzet-
Can't believe this Yuon/Vietnamese dog eating named #comcomWF who is not shameful when posting the comments to fool others. #comcomWF is very stupid and has no sense of feeling when posting comments for others who know it all.
Khmer folks, don't waste other time when this stupid Yuon dog eater named #comcomWF who keep posting "sources." Those sources on Google map, Wikipedia, etc have been created by Yuon/Vietnamee dog eating thieves who pretend to be Khmer/Cambodian folks or editors. There are many of hypocrite Yuon/Vietnamee dog eaters and thieves who are every where and very aggressive when they are worried about their lies of hypocrite Yuon/Vietnamese.
Sometimes or one day, they will say Vietnamese is 10,000 years old in history and this ugly Yuon/Vietnamese nation will be claimed older than China, Egypt, etc.... LOL
Stupid #comcomWF!!!
Begin of Drgunzet's comment.
Oh man, the Khmer are so bad. I don't feel sorry about Cambodia got bomb by Nixon any more. I can see why he bombed Cambodia. You people must be the most hated race.
If the Khmer admins continue to allow nasty personal attack, profanity, and vulgarity, I say, Khmer admins are still afraid of Khmer Rouges.
-Drgunzet-
If the Khmer Admins continue to allowed shitnamese to post stupid comments: I would say that they are afraid of the shit-cong or ho-shit-ming.
Sincerely,
STUPID youn...
Begin of Drgunzet's comment.
Perhaps they are afraid of both...
-Drgunzet-
Begin of Drgunzet's comment.
Let see....Khmer Rouges are crazy and not afraid of the superior Vietnamese.
Smart and good Khmer realize Vietnamese' superiority. And they are afraid of the superior Vietnamese. Well, the smart and good Khmer are also afraid of Khmer Rouges.
Do I get it right?
-Drgunzet-
-Drgunzet- has a very big mouth, is so hypocrite and manipulative. That is how Yuon/Vietnamese dog eaters like -Drgunzet- got famous as a manipulative dog eating child of the dead dog eating parents who followed the footsteps of evil Ho Chi Minh in the shitty hole.
Vietcong Ho Chi Shit and Hanoi master-minded killers had manipulated the King Sihanouk and made Sihanouk not be with Americans during the devastated war against the evil Communist Vietshit. Nixon has been misled by the Vietcong's rumor that Vietcong hid everywhere in Cambodia as a Ho Chi Shit's trail.
That was why Cambodia was bombed by the mistake.
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