Atlantis in the Jungle

This is the title of a very good documentary about Ankor Wat that I watched before setting out on my travels, and I really think it sums up the idea of what it must have been for the first European explorers (who were Portuguese missionaries) to “rediscover” it. It really is very impressive to see these enourmous and intricately detailed temples towering above you, half reclaimed by the nature around them. It’s even more impressive when you think that these enourmous structures were built around the same time that that the Normans were invading Britain – in Europe it would be a few hundred years before we built anything near as impressive!

The documentary “Atlantis in the Jungle” and the podcast “In the Shadows of Utopia” (where I heard about the documentary in the first place,) were both really good in really helping me to put the temples at Anchor Wat into context. In fact the temples, while very impressive, are merely the skeletal remains of the very centre of what was, at the time, the biggest metropolis in the world. It was based around a network of reservoirs which preserved the water from the rainy season for use all year round and would have comprised miles of residential and commercial buildngs and communties around the temples. However these buildings were made from wood, so they have been lost to time. The temples themselves also would have been guilded and decoratively coloured, so that they shone in glory and colour in the sunlight. As I walked and cycled around the vast temple complex I tried to imagine in my head what it must have been like when the mighty metropolis of Ankor was at its peak – the noise, the smells, and the hustle and bustle.

Another thing that really helped bring this idea to life was visiting the Ankor Panorama museum, which comprises a enormous and incredibly detailed 360 degree almost 3D painting of a representation of Anchor at its peak in a large circular room, with props in the foreground and hidden speakers playing ambient sound effects, while the viewer walks around a raised podium in the centre. It was very effective!

As well as visiting Ankor Watt, the other thing I did while in Siem Reap was to go the visitor centre of a fantastic NGO called Apoppo, which is using specially trained Giant Tanzanian Rats to sniff out landmines and unexploded ordnance in Cambodia to make the land safe for the communities. The tour included being shown round various exhibits by the guide, a live demonstration by two handlers and a rat of how they work, and a video detailing some of the background of the organisation, as well as first hand accounts of people who have been affected by landmines, or who have benefited from Apoppo’s work. The whole tour really was fascinating, and the positive impact that they are having on the communities that they visit is just brilliant! Although it is a relatively short tour (about 45 mins) I would highly recommended going there for anyone going to Siem Reap. Also it is a really worthwhile cause if anyone has any spare cash to donate.

I was pleased that by going to both the Ankor Way based attractions and Apoppo while Siem Reap, I felt that I had got a well rounded picture of Cambodia, with Ankor Way representing the past, and Apoppo part of the present and future. Next stop is Preah Rumkel, an ecotourism village near the Laos border.