Small Circuit: Angkor Wat

My accommodation arranged a tuk tuk - which in reality was an autorickshaw powered by a motorcycle - to take me to the temples. I declined to hire a guide because even though I would learn more with a guide, I prefer to explore on my own terms. Besides, having a guide tell you things sometimes dampens my sense of awe. I decided that I would simply follow the greatest hits itinerary and cover the Small Circuit in one day, and the Grand Circuit the next. The going rate was USD15 for the former and USD18 for the latter. As this was the tail end of the rainy season, I didn't even bother with a sunrise or sunset trip given the amount of cloud cover.

Phoan, my driver, met me after breakfast and we set off for the ticket office. We bounced along the wet, badly potholed backroads of Siem Reap and then joined the well maintained highway to the ticket office. It seemed as if Phoan's motorbike was underpowered. En route, the first signs of trouble emerged: I heard the engine backfire. At the ticket office, I bought a one day ticket for USD37 (the government is allowing one day tickets to be used for two days while tourism recovers) and returned to see Phoan toying with his bike. As we set off towards our first stop, his bike spewed white smoke... at least it wasn't black smoke. Everyone who passed us turned and looked. I wondered about asking Phoan to find someone else to take over the remainder of the day's itinerary. But, I have worked hard over the years to not micromanage, and I trusted that he would know what is best for the situation.

Our first stop was the crown jewel of Cambodia, Angkor Wat. As soon as Phoan dropped me off, he said he would go to the mechanic, and he took off.

I was surprised to see that Angkor Wat faced west, the cardinal point associated with death. Modeled on the mythical Mount Meru, Angkor Wat has a central tower to represent Mount Meru itself, a number of shorter towers to represent other peaks, several courtyards to represent the continents, and a moat to represent the oceans. Angkor Wat's famous naga bridge was closed for maintenance. To cross the moat, I had to use a pontoon bridge. As I approached the temple, a Chinese speaking guide approached me. I groaned inwardly when I realized I committed an amateur mistake by involuntarily reacting to him; in situations such as these, I usually pretend to not speak Mandarin, but it is hard for me to tune it out. I managed to shake him off eventually. As soon as I shook him off, an English speaking guide came to me. I managed to shake him off too.

Angkor Wat did not disappoint. I spent almost two hours transfixed by the sheer scale and majesty of the monument. I also climbed a steep flight of stairs (built for people with really small feet) to access the central tower, where I had a bird's eye view of the rest of the temple. I don't think I have been this awed by a single monument since Borobudur.

After exploring the temple, I called Phoan, and he reported that he was back from the mechanic. He rolled by a new minutes later. For the remainder of the day, his motorbike seemed to struggle, but at least it wasn't belching smoke.

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