- January 8, 2015
- 10:38 am
- Eman El Bakry
- no comments
Day 4: Diving Into One of the Seven Wonders of the World
It is very hard to bring to life what I have seen today because it is like nothing I have seen before. I cannot believe I have not explored Cambodia’s history more in the past and I am so thankful that it is part of this study abroad class. Today we went to see two of the most famous temples in the world, now one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Those temples were built hundreds of years ago and the entire area was a jungle before the temples were rediscovered and protected by UNESCO and became a landmark for the world to see.
The entire route to the temple and walk through the gate and as we approached the actual temples, I couldn’t help but feel that the past and the present are meeting in a parallel. The difference is just hard to absorb and makes me think what the world will look like another thousand years from now. I stopped thinking about that as we arrived at the Bayon and later the Angkor Wat Temple which was the most famous temple and first one to be selected as a wonder of the world.
Listening to Bunthin, our tour guide, talk about the stories behind this monument and standing in the same spot where history took place happened, was just unbelievable. Whether I believe in Buddhism or not is one thing but the Buddhist philosophy is very beautiful and you can’t help but feel at awe after every story told. I didn’t know what to be amazed more by, the philosophy or the architectural brilliance? Those temples were built hundreds of years ago but the level of sophistication and alignment of every piece, the designs and the synergy was flawless, which means that this country was once very wealthy with resources and education and a luxurious life (Bhuntin later also confirmed that).
Learning more about the history of Cambodia, after the genocide that took place was another heart breaking story that you can’t help but feel very sad about despite the excitement of being here. Another country that went downhill because of war and the younger generations are suffering the consequences of and working hard to rebuild it. Siem Reap where we are staying, is the poorest city in Cambodia but attracts the most tourists. The more Bunthin spoke about how happy they are that there is no more war and how much they love tourists coming into the city, the more I felt a little sad. Here I am thinking I am so privileged to be able to come on this trip and see the world and add value to my life through being exposed to things that not many people have been exposed to, while the people of Cambodia are also excited but for different reasons, that being simply to survive. Surprisingly though, the people are happy, they are smiling and hungry for more work and ready to be better so I didn’t stay sad for long because from what I have seen in Vietnam and the change I see that were a result of its people, I can only hope that one day the same will be for Cambodia.
Cambodia is slowly growing on me and I don’t want to go. I will leave you with the last story that Bhuntin told us from one of the carvings of the Angkor Thum temple, of a fight between the devils and the gods which ended with them working together to create peace and life, because when we fight we never get anywhere. We were at the highest point of the temple which is also according to Buddhist philosophy, the closer you are to heaven…