I am really excited to blog about Angkor Wat. But I don’t know where to start. I’m still under anesthesia while I’m writing this, a perfect time to reminisce the moment I first set foot in the land of the Angkor. What I’m feeling right now (or not feeling) is the same numbness I felt when I’m flying across the land lock plains of Cambodia. I was so excited I can’t feel the tips of my fingers and toes. Buergers Disease? Diabetes? or simply bliss?

I live in an archipelago, ocean view is always (the most) an hour drive away from any point in the country. That’s why it felt unreal flying over a vast of land where you cant see a sign of body of water in the horizon. I can’t remember hearing the plane engine or the flight attendant asking us to fasten our seat belt. It was a moment of trans, I honestly remember hearing a solitary string instrument playing that moment. This is another time in my life that I will remember every single second of its realization.

Touching the walls and pillars of Angkor Wat is more than a dream come true. 3 miles above sea level, I started seeing all shades of green and brown fields. Like a huge mosaic of rice paddies and lush forest. Monette is on a different isle, so while the aircraft is descending I was talking to myself “Where are the Temples?… Where are the Temples?”

You cannot see the temples from the plane, however, there’s one Angkorian structure you cannot possibly miss from overhead, The West Baray. from the ground it looks like any other huge lake, but from above it’s a ginormous rectangular swimming pool the size of Sampaloc Manila.

Fact: the magnitude of the Angkor complex was discovered using satellite images, scholars thought Angkor is just as big as Manhattan, apparently it’s just the main temple compound. but the lost civilization’s temples and ancient archeological site is spanning a land the size of Los Angeles, and it’s still growing.

The moment the aircraft hit the runway, you can see everyone’s stretching their necks waiting for the announcement that we have arrived. you can feel the anxiety inside the plane. The flight attendant even called the attention of an Korean passenger, “SIR PLEASE REMAIN SEATED!” he’s too anxious to get his bags that he stood up even before the aircraft came to a full stop. And I can’t blame him.

As I walked down the tarmac, It felt like I’m floating, gliding down as the tip of my toe touches the soil.

“Finally, I am really here!”

I’m sorry I’m not really a sentimental blogger, but this amazing trip deserves proper prologue and rolling of drums.

here’s a teaser