Pandoraspace

Our guide showed us this carving on one of the walls of Ta Prohm.

At that time, I asked myself whether there were dinosaurs in Cambodia?  After putting up this blog, this is now my reaction to this image:  ”Hey, It’s me!”

On the second day of our stay in Siem Reap, our guide excitedly told us that he was taking us to the jungle temple where the movie Lara Croft was shot. Although I enjoyed that movie, using it to promote Ta Prohm did such an injustice to this alluring and mystical temple.  Ta Prohm is a sight to behold and no words are needed to promote it.  Fortunately, our guide later redeemed himself by taking us around Ta Prohm and sharing with us a wealth of information he had about this jungle temple.

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Do you remember this segment in a Sunday paper called Slice of Life by Larry Alcala?  The segment contains funny illustrations of the Filipino way of life.  The carvings on the walls of Bayon remind me of Slice of Life.  Those carvings depict everyday Khmer life such as men slaughtering a cow, a dog fight, a man wrestling a crocodile (unusual for us but a way of life for the ancient Khmer) and a woman being assisted in birthing. Interlaced in those images are funny scenes of Khmer life. The funniest of them all is the image of a woman holding a turtle that is biting a man’s butt while some on-lookers are smirking. Naturally, the man being bitten by the turtle looked peeved.

While Padma’s friend suggested we experience sunrise at Bayon, she did not tell us what to expect. Being the Pandoras we are, Padma and I headed for Bayon on the first morning of our stay in Siem Reap.

As we passed Angkor Wat, our driver, Tony, asked us if we wanted to go there instead. We said no. It was then that I noticed that the headlight of our Tuk-Tuk provided the only flicker in the darkness. After a few minutes of cruising in the dark, Tony stopped the engine and told us “Here is Bayon. I will see you there later.” The word “where” was just on the tip of my tongue when Tony quickly drove away.

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Padma and I laughed when her mom referred to her Siem Reap, Cambodia experience as the Magical Mystical Tour.  Our journey had just begun then which is why I did not understand what Padma’s mom meant. On hindsight, I realize that that description of the Siem Reap experience is apt.

If Cambodia is a jar, what would it contain? This was the question that my friend, Padma, and I asked ourselves before embarking on our journey to Cambodia.

Padma, of course, is also a Pandora and even more inquisitive than me.

Padma and I grew up in Baguio and were friends since we were six. We went to the same grade school, joined the same clubs and shared our secrets and angst. As adolescents, we survived our parents’ wrath and an earthquake together. Until our journey to Cambodia, we never traveled together. For years, Padma and I discussed traveling together but that was all talk. It was not until a dear friend of ours died that we realized we should stop talking and just go.

Other than deciding where to go and booking our flights and accommodations, I was unprepared for the trip. I started packing on the day we were leaving and it never occurred to me to bring a camera. Thus, unless otherwise stated, all the pictures of Cambodia on this blog were taken by Padma who allowed me to post them. Click on this, if you want to know more about Padma.

In the cyber world, I am a dinosaur.

Only recently have I learned how to attach a picture to an e-mail. Worse, I excitedly told my friend, Star, that my new laptop was so unique because all I had to do was to close the top and it would go to sleep. Star gave me a long stare and advised me never to tell anyone about what I told her since most laptops had this feature. Well Star, I am beyond embarrassment. This dinosaur is just determined to blog.

With the help of friends and my ever critical family, this dinosaur can finally post her articles. Thanks. In return, I will try my best not to pester you about the blog several times a day.