angkor at last

We finally made it to Angkor today. Sadly, I was not quite as impressed or awed by Angkor Wat as I'd hoped to be. The loveliest thing about Angkor is the serene, lake-like moat that surrounds it. One might be forgiven for thinking they were in one of the great American parks -- Central, Golden Gate, or Prospect Park. It's like something Frederick Law Olmsted would have designed. I suppose people like Angkor Wat because it's the most complete of the temples, but for me, I much prefer Ta Prom. Having been swallowed by the jungle and only partially salvaged from it, Ta Prom has trees sprouting from its roofs and mossy lichen covering every surface. The greens and greys appeal to every sense -- seemingly soft like cashmere, refreshing like lemon sorbet, and soothingly harmonious like an Enya song. The state of Ta Prom and many of the other temples reminds one of the mortality and transience of all things. Even the most orderly English garden, when left untended by its loving gardener, will be overtaken by weeds, just as the most magnificent stone temples of Angkor have been felled by the jungle.

At Ta Prom, an Apsara Authority guard passed me, leaned in, and said, "Tomb Raider, you know, the movie. Tomb Raider." Ah, yes, Ta Prom is the temple at which Tomb Raider was filmed, as every guidebook, magazine, and temple hawker points out. Do French guards at the Eiffel Tower let tourists know that it was once featured in View to a Kill? Or do Park Service officers mention that the Statue of Liberty played a starring role in Ghost Busters? So, there I was, right in the middle of my own Tomb Raider movie set. Little did I know, I'd later find myself in my own Cocktail movie set. We visited the tourist-designed night market in Siem Reap. Filled with brick-a-brack and souvenirs, at its center is a large, round, tiki hut bar. We sauntered up to the bar, where a flashy bartender with a western punk attitude was tossing bottles up in the air and rolling them over his shoulders -- just like Tom Cruise in Cocktail. I love that everywhere in the city is like some movie set, and since it is my movie, I can play whatever role I like -- tomb raiding adventuress or snapshot-taking tourist.