Tomb Raiders part 2 of 2

One of the coolest aspects of a day spent among the temples at Angkor Wat is the unrestricted access visitors are granted. In Europe or North America, everything –justifiably so- would be cordoned off. Sidewalks with traffic flow arrows would not only corral you, but they would script your experience.

But here, with few exceptions, visitors were granted full, unrestricted access. We could -quite literally- climb all over the temples. It was like –and forgive me for the comparison- a giant jungle gym for adults. We had a guide –nice fellow and all- but my favorite moments happened when I broke away from him and ventured out on my own to explore a corridor, walk through an antechamber, or climb up to the top of a temple.

Annika was sick the day we visited Angkor. She was a real trooper, but by midafternoon, she was fading fast. Julie decided to take her back to the “Home Sweet Home” guest house. Laura and Madisson decided to go back as well.

That left four of us including Elise and me back at Angkor Wat. We were able to see and climb to the top of Angkor Wat temple which is the biggest and most famous of the temples and also the one that gives the complex its name.

By the time we were done, it was getting close to sunset and there is only one way to spend sunset at Angkor Wat. We hiked and then climbed up a hill to the highest of the complex’s temples. We joined hundreds of other visitors who had already climbed the steep steps and fanned out over this temple to claim their spots from which they planned to watch the sun set. We hustled up the steps and jostled with the crowd afraid we might not get a good spot. It was a bit precarious, but Elise and I found a pretty good perch. We planted ourselves on the edge of a rampart, let out feet dangle, and waited.

While we waited for the horizon to swallow up the sun, we watched people. We saw a young woman sitting on the wall not too far from us. In front of her was a narrow tower that rose up from the ground below. It was close enough that she could have almost reached out and touched it, but in between her and the tower was a twenty-foot drop. Elise and I saw her stand up and study the column of ancient brick. Oh no, I said as I realized what she was thinking. Sure enough, with one swing of the arms she leapt across the gap and onto the column.

I look around for a staff person who might reprimand her. There was none. I thought she was going to settle in to watch the sunset from her new perch, but a moment later she jumped back.

I was aghast.

But then, I found myself musing, “Hey, that actually looked pretty do-able. I wonder if I could . . . .” Elise interrupted my revelry. The sun was just about to touch the horizon. We soaked in the view and took a few more pictures. But we decide not to stay for the rest of the show so that we could beat the huge swell of people down the hillside.

I’ve seen a lot of sunsets in my day, but few more spectacular than Angkor Wat.

The temple complex at Angkor Wat are impressive. They have lasted a thousand years and withstood the ravages of time and nature.

I just hope they can survive the throngs of tourists that come to explore them every day, 365 days a year.