Soul in Stone - The Mystique and Majesty of Angkor by Jeremy Head

As they piled more and more bags on the roof and people continued to pour on to the small craft, the rear was literally underwater. Even at 5am, my brain was awake enough to register that we were sinking. I decided to vacate my carefully procured seat inside and stand on the open platform at the back in case things got really dire. It took the engine man (for some reason wearing a crash helmet - perhaps because renegade khmer rouge gunmen apparently like to take pot-shots at the boats) several minutes of struggle to get the three huge outboards to fire. When they did the little craft almost shot out of the water. The acceleration was unbelieveable. The engine man bailed the water sloshing around our feet. We were on our way.

At the end of the causeway, massive steps flanked by statues of lions and the nine snakeheads of the serpent-god naga, lead you to the first courtyard - another protective wall with towers on each corner and galleries leading off left and right. A succession of similar walls and towers leads deeper into the main complex. Cloistered walkways surround what might have been bathing pools, the sun criss-crosses through the many angles and your steps ring loudly on the massive stones. In some, your voice booms out, echoed and re-echoed by the unusual acoustics. Stand in the right place and thump your chest. Listen carefully for the pulse of the temple's heartbeat. From every niche, every plinth, beautiful Apsaras, female nymphs and goddesses, smile down at you.

© Jeremy Head 2003

(These are sample paragraphs)

Total words: 1500
Available for syndication to non-Hong Kong territories
Good quality prints available (email:syndication@jeremyhead.com)


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