Gravity and tolerance 

Now I’m not the world’s most spiritual guy, but I get by. I confess that when I stepped through the intricately carved corner gatehouse at Angkor Wat I was …moved. I don’t think what’s left of my hair has lain down yet. As a statement of national pride and honor this is to Modern Cambodia as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, except that the Angkor site is substantially larger than all of modern Paris. One could go on and on but that’s not what you Dear Escapees came for is it? Today’s installment features a short story due to the fact that we’d noticed a path that led off into the forest and after some due diligence and prodigious research on Google Earth M. found several very old but smallish temples scattered in the woods.

We told Mr Man to have his tuktuk warmed up by 8:30 and we were going to the temples in the forest. Why, he asked? No one goes there. Marce showed him her red yarn blessing thingie around her wrist and he showed us his, which happened to also be red. I am Buddhist too, she said. He smiled and stepped down for first gear.


After Mr Man dropped us off in the forest we soon came upon a fairly modern small pagoda with a very large Buddha.

M stopped for a backup blessing but felt the man in orange was just phoning it in. No mention of a long life.


This guy was getting a serious blessing.

The Khmer architects actually didn’t know how to build an arch so they laid each stone with just a little overhang until they met at the middle. Gravity and close tolerances did the rest……..

¡

…until it didn’t. 

Turns out several centuries seems tolerable enough.

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2 Responses to Gravity and tolerance 

  1. Leah

    Love,following your travels off the main path! Thank you!

  2. Absolutely fascinating!

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