| "Five for one dollahr" | | | | Angkor Wat itself was built for King Suryavarman II as |
| "Five for one dollahr" | | | | his state temple and was dedicated to the Hindu god |
| A plaintive little voice called out to me as we strolled | | | | Vishnu until it was later converted to a Buddhist temple. |
| across the road after visiting a lake near Siem Reap. | | | | This came about in the late 13th century when King |
| She was barely knee-high. Long black hair, tangled and | | | | Jayavarman VIII, who was Hindu, was deposed by his |
| dirty with dust, and big, soft eyes in a miniscule brown | | | | son-in-law, Srindravarman, who had spent the previous |
| face. | | | | 10 years in Sri Lanka becoming ordained as a Buddhist |
| She was selling bracelets made from brightly coloured | | | | monk. Hence, the new King decided to convert the |
| wooden beads. Five for a dollar. | | | | official religion of the empire from Hindu to Buddhist, |
| A few minutes later, I was the owner of five beaded | | | | which continues to the present day. |
| bracelets which I did not need. And the little girl danced | | | | One of the things I found most remarkable was the |
| away, proudly holding a dollar bill, victorious over her | | | | perfection in the bas relief designs carved onto the |
| companions who were selling the same thing. | | | | walls. Even after hundreds of years, the inscriptions |
| As I watched her strut along the road, I was struck | | | | and pictures were so perfect so that you could even |
| – once again – how the children of Cambodia | | | | make out intricate designs on the costumes of the |
| are some of the most precious treasures of this | | | | deities and expressions on the faces of the warriors. |
| country. | | | | And, with the typical contrast between old and new, |
| In this region of the country which is known for its | | | | the Cambodian gas company, Sokimex apparently |
| ancient treasures, it's easy to overlook everything else | | | | pays the Cambodian government $10 million a year for |
| around Siem Reap. | | | | the right to operate and manage Angkor Wat. |
| Our weekend visit revealed to us a town that is not | | | | After a morning exploring the temple, Narin whisked us |
| only steeped in the beauty of the past but also in the | | | | off to Angkor Thom to visit the Bayon, a smaller and |
| vitality of the present. | | | | more intimate temple which is now mostly in a state of |
| As for Angkor Wat, it's hard to find words for | | | | ruin. |
| something that renders you speechless. | | | | It was the last state temple to be built at Angkor and |
| Awe-inspiring. Majestic. Humbling. Breathtaking. | | | | features 216 gigantic serene face sculptures on the |
| All these words and more are in my internal | | | | temple's towers, many of which are now chipped |
| guide-book of descriptions for this incredible place. | | | | away by the elements and time. |
| We crept up on it from behind. Our guide, Narin, who | | | | Clambering across the boulders and gazing down on |
| spoke perfect English and added a rich fabric to the | | | | the lush countryside, Skip and I agreed that we |
| experience, took us through the back gate so the first | | | | preferred the intimacy of Thom (which, ironically, |
| glimpse we got was of the towering walls at the back | | | | means "large" in Khmer) and I found myself wishing for |
| of the temple complex. | | | | better photographic equipment to capture the amazing |
| On the hot, steamy morning, we stood with Narin, | | | | sights all around. |
| gazing up at the temple as he told us about its history. | | | | As with most of our journeys, we found the weekend |
| The sprawling temple complex of Angkor Wat, | | | | to be a multitude of deliciously textured and sumptuous |
| located amid dense jungle, was built in the early 12th | | | | cultural enrichment. |
| century and is one of a series of stunning palaces and | | | | In town, we experienced excellent restaurants (and I |
| temples that were built over a 400-year period by the | | | | indulged in a Black Forest gateau), lively night markets |
| Khmer Kingdom. | | | | and had two massages in two days. |
| It took about 50,000 people and almost 40 years to | | | | On the outskirts, we took a boat trip on the lake to |
| construct – all using hand tools, pulleys, elephants | | | | see the floating villages which made us feel exploitive |
| and bamboo scaffolding. The outer wall encloses a | | | | and privileged. |
| space of 203 acres, which makes it the largest single | | | | In the country, we visited the Silk Farm, which was a |
| religious building in the world and is a UNESCO World | | | | fascinating experience of seeing every aspect of |
| Heritage site. | | | | making silk, right from the feeding and cocooning of the |
| Today, the temples attract about half a million tourists | | | | silkworms. |
| a year, but for many years the remarkable buildings | | | | And on Saturday night, we discovered the incredible |
| were unknown to the West, which only "rediscovered" | | | | Dr. Beat Richner, the Swiss doctor who puts on cello |
| them in the 19th century. During the 1970s and 1980s | | | | concerts every week to raise funds for his life-saving |
| they were off-limits as a result of the presence of the | | | | Katha Bopha childrens' hospitals. |
| Khmer Rouge, and Narin pointed out several places | | | | Everywhere we went we saw treasures. Large and |
| where you could see bullet holes in the thick stone | | | | small; old and new; young and old. |
| walls where soldiers shot their guns during warfare | | | | And most of them cost no more than five for one |
| – or for target practice when they were bored, | | | | dollahr. |
| living under the roof of this majestic domicile. | | | | |