Being Mindful in Cambodia — Temple Visits
One of the greatest ways to connect with the local culture in Cambodia is by visiting ancient temples and understanding the role of spirituality and religion, in both modern day culture and the country’s rich history.
Angkor Wat
We hired a tuk tuk driver for the day and began exploring. Our first stop was Angkor Wat and before even entering the site we began to realize its true scale and why it is one of the most important archeological sites in South-East Asia. The temples of Angkor are some of the most astounding artistic accomplishments of the ancient world.
Angkor Wat at sunrise is a must, I was lucky enough to watch the sunrise of Angkor Wat twice (its that amazing!) and I returned a third time in the afternoon. Although extremely hot this allowed us to explore the temples hidden from the crowds of tourist that sunrise draws. There is a common mistake among tourist who think of Angkor Wat as a specific temple. Angkor extends over 400 square kilometers and consists of other sites and temples that exemplify cultures and religion.
My first tip if you are interested in exploring more remote structures and sites of Angkor is hiring a driver who will be able to drive you between sites. I bought myself a three-day pass that could be used across a week which will allow you to take your time and also take a break from a day in the heat.
Tourism & Angkor Wat
As estimated by ticket sales, over 2 million tourists visit Angkor Wat annually, some arguing that there may even be up to 5 million unique visits to the site, as Cambodians can visit for free and tourists sometimes enter the site a few times over several days. So far, there has been relatively little damage caused to the site and tourism has provided some additional funds for maintenance, with approximately 28% of ticket revenues to the Angkor site being spent on the temples.
Angkor Wat has been UNESCO heritage listed and protected since 1993, following “an appeal for the international community to save Angkor — a symbol of national unity for the Cambodian people and the heritage of Humanity as a whole.” Like with any large tourist site, the debate is now how to preserve the cultural monument and retain its authenticity while opening its door to millions of tourists worldwide.
Being able to appreciate and learn about the incredible site is important to our understanding of Cambodia’s history and culture. However, it has been argued that the large scale of tourism developments are beginning to threaten the quality of the nearby town’s water, sewage and electricity systems, and locals of Siem Reap have expressed concern that the charm and atmosphere of their town has been compromised to entertain tourism.Local authorities continue to discuss how to successfully incorporate tourism without sacrificing local values and culture.
Ta Prohm
Without doubt the atmosphere at Ta Prohm was a highlight for me and this ruin should be at the top of everyone’s list. After falling in love with Ta Prohm we decided to return the next day for sunrise. This was my favourite time of day to explore Ta Prohm, there was something special about being the only ones wondering through the dappled shadows of Ta Prohm an ancient temple swallowed by the jungle.
Prasat Bayon
With over 2000 faces carved on the towers within this majestic temple we were drawn to explore every nook of the premises. Allow enough time to get lost when visiting and be sure to climb to the third level to witness Prasat Bayons complete beauty. “The faces with slightly curving lips, eyes placed in shadow by the lowered lids utter not a word and yet force you to guess much”, wrote P. Jennerat de Beerski in the 1920s.
