Ancient Playgrounds

As a little kid, I could take a bunch of cardboard boxes into my backyard, construct myself a makeshift fort, and be completely content to spend the bulk of a day crawling around the maze of narrow passages I’d created imagining they were elaborate fortresses and majestic palaces. Some twenty-five years removed from cardboard fort construction, not to mention halfway around the world, I found myself an adult substitute to realize those childhood fantasies in the jungles of northern Cambodia.

A dozen centuries or so ago, the Khmer people constructed my adult playground in the form of hundreds of Angkor temples and palaces (I’m not so sure of the distinction between Khmer and Angkor, but it seems akin to being Dutch and from The Netherlands) spread out over a few hundred square miles in the northwestern corner of the country.

But, the myriad of vast complexes were nearly lost to the world after the Khmer civilization was overrun by invading Siamese armies and the area was subsequently abandoned for hundreds of years. In the ensuing centuries, most of the structures all but succumbed to the surrounding jungle which sought to devour the impressive edifices altogether.

Thankfully the ruins were rediscovered about 150 years ago and the treasures that lay beneath the thick layer of overgrowth were unearthed so that millions of visitors like myself could rekindle a piece of their distant youth (I’m sure that’s just what the Khmer civilization and current caretakers had in mind). Many of the structures remain in much the same shape as when they were (re)discovered, which is usually a mix of crumbling disarray amidst enduring examples of former grandeur still tenuously coexisting with the aggressive surrounding foliage.

While some are undergoing restoration efforts, virtually none are restricted from being able to climb on, in, or around them to your heart’s content. It’s the perfect otherworldly playground for a thirtysomething adult, trading cardboard fortresses for elaborately constructed ancient temples and palaces.

I started my ‘youthful’ explorations at the temple best known, at least by name, to the rest of the world - Angkor Wat. It’s by far the best restored structure and provides a glowing example of what the rest of the complexes must’ve looked like at the peak of the Khmer/Angkor dynasty. The sheer scale and elaborate, if not exacting, construction of each complex clearly shows the Khmer were highly intelligent and highly skilled.

Angkor Wat’s sizeable complex is surrounded by an equally sizeable moat that’s about a football field across and a few miles in diameter (it’s actually a rectangular moat, but you get the idea). The only access is a long, wide causeway leading to an imposing perimeter wall that parallels the moat all the way around the temple.

Even the perimeter wall is plenty interesting with the hundreds of columns supporting it, all carved (as are the numerous columns inside the complex) with intricate etchings of lotus flowers and Buddhist or Hindu gods. But, most impressive are the series of intertwined bas-relief carvings etched into the full length of the mile or so of perimeter wall. The elaborate etchings depict everything from the Khmer’s take on how the world began to recording their latest, of many, victories in battle.

From Siem Reap: An...

After passing through the entrance at the perimeter wall, another even longer causeway appeared, leading to the main temple complex. The temple’s telltale quintet of majestic spires, exquisitely carved to resemble budding lotus flowers, beckoned in the slowly shrinking distance.

I finally reached the main entrance which I proceeded through to find a maze of tall, dark hallways leading to a series of stone courtyards that housed ceremonial baths and secondary temples as well as, at one point, over one thousand Buddha statues although only a handful remain. Each turn down one of the hallways revealed a new set of passages that kept me captivated until I finally managed to pull myself away to seek out the central temple.







The central temple stands a good thirty feet nearly straight up from the stone courtyards with a precipitously perched flight of stairs providing the only access and requiring the use of all appendages in order to scale them safely. Harnessing a bit of childlike zeal, I scurried up the stairs only to come back down a similar set on another side just so I could scale up them once again.

Once my legs began to tell me that my burst of energy was coming to an end, I made my way into the small, peaceful central temple where I was rewarded with stunning views of not only the Angkor Wat complex, but far beyond it’s walls into the surrounding jungle and out to the horizon.







Tempted as I was to spend the rest of the day exploring the immense and impressive complex of Angkor Wat, the host of other sites in the area summoned me to move on. I ultimately explored a dozen or so of the various ruins in the area, although that is still a fraction of what’s available (it would take lifetimes to see them all). Each was as varied as they were interesting and any one on it’s own would’ve been well worth a visit to the area. But, the ruins that most captivated my attention was the one in the greatest state of disarray.

While Angkor Wat may be the best known complex by name, the jungle ravaged ruins of Ta Phrom are probably the best known images from the area. They remain pretty much in the same state in which they were discovered, with mammoth trees and their wild tangle of trunk-like roots asserting their dominance over, and on, much of the remaining complex. It provided the perfect environment to stir those memories of backyard fortresses with it’s eerie, but tantalizing, atmosphere and inviting surroundings.





For the better part of two hours I reverted to my eight-year-old self as I crawled in, around and over the compelling ruins which seemed purpose built for such endeavors. I explored the web of narrow, dank passageways that sometimes required me to crawl under or over fallen stone blocks that once served as a walls or part of a roof.

I climbed inside the trunks of the immense trees that could devour five people my size (or just a small Angkor temple) without issue. I scrambled over and under the massive roots that could easily pass for trees themselves and stared in awe at the tangled web of roots that entwined themselves with temple walls and roof lines. I all but donned a fedora and whip to do my best Indiana Jones impression as I explored the wondrous lost world of the Khmer/Angkor empire.








The setting sun finally signaled that my playtime had come to an end and like a kid who treasures recess more than learning multiplication tables (that‘d be me), I left wishing that I could have just one more chance to climb around the mysterious and captivating ruins.

But, I still managed to leave fully content at having enjoyed the many hours I did get to spend amidst the extraordinary constructs of the ancient Khmer dynasty. They were obviously, and thankfully, far beyond the simple cardboard fabrications of my youth, but proved to be equally adept - and more age appropriate - at capturing my imagination.

SIEM REAP: ANGKOR WAT PHOTO ALBUM (click photo):

Siem Reap: Angkor Wat '07