I've had some good days on this trip and some great days too. But today was a transcendent day, and even as I sit at the internet place, check my Facebook, I'm buzzing with energy... the kind of energy that would have me walk down the Night Market street singing, 'In the presence of the Lord', that old Blind Faith song that I really love. That's what I was just doing...You know that one?
I have finally found a way to live
Just like I never did before
And I know that I don't have much to give
But I can open any door
Everybody knows the secret
Everybody knows the score
I have finally found a way to live
In the presence of the Lord
The day started out kinda normal... coffee, check the internet, then back to the guest house at 10am. I had one more day on my 3 day pass to Angkor Wat, and I decided to ride the bike up there in the heat of the day, who cares, let's see what happens. Put on my straw hat to keep the sun off my face, put a liter of water in the bike basket and took off. It's a beautiful flat ride that goes north out of Siem Reap and within a couple of miles, you're heading into the countryside. At 5 miles you arrive at Angkor Wat, but I decided to keep going to Angkor Thom (home of the amazing Bayon Temple and it's 54 large stone faces).
There is a route, probably about 20 miles worth, that takes you to a number of temples and points of interest and I decided to do that loop and maybe end up at Angkor Wat, rather than start there, which is the norm. The ride was fantastic, much of it shady as there are big dramatic trees and jungle atmosphere. So even though it was hot out, most of the ride was quite pleasant. I made some stops, saw some monkeys, took some photos, sat in the shade, felt very at peace, and very happy to be on a bike rather than in a bus or tuktuk.
At one of the temples, an old man offered me an incense stick which I was to place at the small altar. I took my hat off, got on my knees, made the offering and received a string bracelet and a blessing from a woman there. It's a way to solicit donations, so I donated. I also donated to the disabled musicians who play for hours outside of different temples. These guys are usually victims of land mines which is a horrendous problem here, but there is some kind of retraining program that gets them playing traditional music. It's great stuff... on hammer dulcimer, some Chinese looking stringed instruments, a sitar looking stringed instrument, drum and cymbals. Often there is a marimba as part of the ensemble. Very evocative sounds, and they appreciate it when I stop and pay attention, smile, listen, appreciate, donate (and take a picture... after asking, of course)
So now it's about 3pm and I'm heading west on the loop, into the sun, into the wind, getting pretty warm, but I made it just fine. Went to the area outside of Angkor Wat where the locals try to entice the tourists to buy water, beer, fruit, postcards etc. It's a tough hustle for them, they're out there all day long and maybe they earn $40/month. This one woman spotted me parking my bike, asked if I wanted something to drink, which I definitely did at that point, having finished my water, so I went over to her cooler. Grabbed an iced tea and then sat with her and three other young woman and we talked about stuff. I had lots of questions and they were very friendly and open. I asked about the women who spend all day long sweeping leaves into piles and then disposing them. 9 hours a day, 6 days a week, $50/month. It was a pleasant 20 minute conversation, many smiles, then I was ready to visit the temple area.
It was still really hot out, so rather than join the throngs of Japanese and other tourists, I just sat in the shade of some trees, stretched out, a little yoga, enjoyed the view and the solitude. Eventually these 4 German women and their guide came by to chill in the shade, and I got to hear his very well put together talk about Cambodian life, the role of women, role of men, courtship rituals etc. He is a lecturer for University students and his command of English was great, so it was a treat.
Finally I was ready to enter the temple complex, which was still crowded but starting to thin out. Took some pictures, climbed around, taking it all in, because who knows if I'll ever pass this way again, and the place is amazing. And as the sun set further in the west, the light became incredible, the photos became memorable and I was starting to get into an altered state. The light and the architecture, the spirit of the place, I posed for a couple of pictures, and instead of just standing there, I raised my arms and my eyes, getting blissed out, and the photos are great (I think). I had looked at the ones from yesterday when I didn't really know how to pose, so today I figured, Go For It, which I did. The sunset light on the temple, me raising my arms to heaven, so glad I documented that feeling. I got a little bit of the photography bug in that interaction. Learned something.
So the light is now fading and I'm 5 miles from town without a rear light on the bike. Decided to step on it pretty good and I had major energy, going fast and hard and long. I had been tired earlier, but now I was pretty much bursting with energy, passing every bicycle and some slow moving motorcycles as well. Made it back to town in fine form and went to return the bike to the rental place. I had used it for 4 days, but the guy who I rented it from had written down the wrong date on the agreement. (Heck, I didn't know the date, I figured he would, oops). Anyhow, the woman says 5 days so I owe another day's rental. Now I've got the $2 no problem, but I really did only use if for 4 days, and with the help of an English speaking (kinda) neighbor, I was at least able to explain the situation... that he wrote down the wrong date. The vibe was just fine and eventually I offered her a dollar, split the difference, 'OK'?. She was cool with it, smiles all around, and it felt great to resolve things so comfortably. A little cross cultural positive moment. May it always be so.
Now it's night time, I've hardly eaten today and it's time. But first I had to reflect on a magical day in a magical thousand year old place. I feel so blessed that I got to experience it in a profound way. Blessed...
