I clambered up the tiers of stonework (something you are no longer able to do) to achieve some height, to look down upon the composition of towers, cruciform terraces, moats and concentric walls. I stepped through the half-galleries, studying the bas-reliefs with their plump figures and triumphal battle scenes, a reflection of the prosperity of the Khmer Empire in the 12th century, when the temple was built. ![]() There was only a trickle of tourists back then and I felt almost alone as I walked around the largest religious monument in the world. I had little expectation of what this place would look like I had seen only grainy photographs of its lotus-bud-shaped silhouette and nobody I knew had actually visited. I still remember the first time I arrived at Angkor Wat one steamy afternoon, after a burst of rain had rinsed the skies blue.
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