What I Reaped from Siem Reap: The Limits of Aesthetics
Having been to many spots with great monuments in the world, Egypt and India come to mind, one can't help but feel that the quite elite distinction between Travel and Tourism has quite long ago been completely and irrevocably effaced. When I was young I wanted to aspire to a sort of Berenson-esque idea of Travel, which meant bringing a lot of knowledge and appreciation at a deep level with me. Well, having traveled quite a lot, that all seems so naive and funny to me at this point. I say this not even being the type that constitutionally is capable of being a very easygoing traveler in the first place. A lot of things have to go go well, and I need to feel pretty comfortable, to raise the possibility of enjoying myself away from my usual comfortable surrounding and friendly activities and work. I suppose what I am getting at is that visiting foreign places has gotten simultaneously better and worse generally, and that this fact speaks to how sensitive types can even enjoy themselves in the first place. The better part having mostly to do with infrastructure (hotels, etc.) And that our visit to Angkor Wat, and a number of other places in Asia, which I will relate to it, makes this exact point.
The bottom line is that a site must now be so overwhelmingly spectacular
to raise it above the general hum of tourist baloney. It is impossible to avoid this baloney entirely. I find it incredible that guidebooks never 'fess up to this fact and help you navigate the varying extents of it. Case on point would be our visit to Suzhou, a short trip from Shanghai. I have wanted to visit Suzhou forever, for all the reasons having to with a love of smaller, more homey yet elegant sites around the world. I love Bruges, for instance. And this sort of love guided our choice of where to buy a house even. So it is a consistent life- aesthetic for me. Well, Suzhou is definitely worth it, especially because it is easy to get to from another city. But wow is it hard to enjoy once you are there. The reason is simple. The place is charming, but its elegance is at a pretty middling level, and thus the torrent of hawkers and scammers and bizarrely rude Chinese people leaves you struggling a bit for an aesthetic moment. The Humble Administrator's Garden is quite incredibly beautiful, but the crush of people, 90% Chinese and again incredibly rude, made it a challenge. I think honesty is important in travel reports. Nonetheless I enjoyed it very much, and recommend it. The Scholars' Rocks in the Garden are the most beautiful I have ever seen and improbably large for such elegance. The I.M. Pei Museum in Suzhou is definitely worth a look for the building mostly, which as usual, is inspired. The collection ranges from ho-hum to unbelievably bad though. I am not kidding when I say that silk embroideries of cute kittens are featured!
Starting with Suzhou as a comparison is needed to make the central point about Angkor Wat. The cumulative effect of it all is so spectacular and moving that it is so much easier to ignore a lot of the same tourist problems there. We had sort of braced ourselves for the hordes in advance given magazine articles we had read. But when we were there there were precious few Americans, a few Europeans, and mostly Cambodians as tourists. Still, there a lot of people and the non-stop salesman frenzy everywhere.
In this regard Angkor Wat itself is the worst but the best. It has an astounding number of hawkers present. Angkor Wat, which is actually a separate area from the other Temples, is amazingly well- preserved down to many architecturally enlivening details. The superb balance between divinely repetitive details of Hindu iconography, balanced with more soaring vertical elements like towers or quasi-steeples is so massively involving I could hardly believe it. It is without a doubt the most beautiful evocation of human religiosity I have ever seen. Just how this is so is instructive too, I think. Let is be said that historically Hinduism's problems were adn still are very close to the surface. Still, the contrast with Christendom's monuments, considered artistically, is telling. The details in Western Cathedrals though exquisite, are often lost by disorienting heights. They impress, but lose the human dimension, and thus don't inspire sometimes, or worse produce ennui. As if they were in some way conceived to obliterate a sense of humanness. Of course there are exceptions, and great moments in Western Cathedrals that would compete with Angkor Wat. But cumulatively not, not even close.
The other main Temple sites are less impressive, though certainly worth it. The famous Bayonne in Angkor Thom, with the mysterious faces, is in such a state of decay that it is a striking contrast to Angkor Wat. I found it harder to enjoy because the element of detailed definition and repetition had been effaced or destroyed. The faces are striking still. The famous Ta Prohm temples complex is easier to enjoy because it is the one that has all the trees growing charmingly in it. Though also very decayed, the trees add an element of beauty by their sinuous marriage with the stone that is something to see. Amusingly, all the locals call this place simply "Tomb-Raiders" , after the very stupid and aesthetically crushing movie.
Speaking of the terrible movie, apparently the cast hung out a the local restaurant called The Red Piano, which is delicious. We went twice, the Khmer Steak and the Pork Cordon Bleu was very delicious, accompanied by great fries. It was great to have a little less exotic food for a change.
Which brings me to my last observation. I have to say, as a great lover of Asian cuisines, that on the whole Asia is disappointing for Asian food. It is not like going to Italy where one encounters lots of Italian restaurants better than at home. We did a fair amount of research in advance, and still my impression was lukewarm. Whether from lack of top-notch ingredients, which we take for granted here, or just sloppiness, it was often just OK, not more. Exceptions included Dong Bei Ren in Shanghai, which had a type of Chinese cuisine (mostly stews) I had not had before. It was very well done, quite special. In addition, the House Special Duck at Crystal Jade in Shanghai, I mentioned previously. The Cambodia food we had was all pretty good, but not really special. The best, ironically was probably the buffet just up the street from our Hotel, the Meridien, which had Goi Con, unfried spring rolls, which were incredibly better than we get here. Since it was a buffet, I made repeated attempts to solidify that impression.
In fact, the mediocrity of Asian food was counterbalanced by the total surprise of how good the food on our cruise ship was. It was the Costa Romantica, which is an older ship. And thank God because by comparison with today's behemoths it was very understated and elegant. Just fine marble and attractive wood. Being an Italian ship we naturally gravitated to their Italian dishes, and wow! A phenomenal pumpkin Risotto one night, An absolutely exquisite Osso Bucco. A stellar handkerchief pasta with Pesto. What a paradox, great italian food again and again on our Asian sojourn. Still, there were Asian surprises. When we finished with the great National Palace Museum in Taipei we had our driver take us to the new tower phallus, which every Asian city seems to be building, called Taipei 101. We went into the thing and into their mall, and had a great meal in the foodcourt (!) at a restaurant with its own little seating area, and it was called something like "Shanghai Dumplings." The food was excellent, especially the dumplings, which were better than those we had in Shanghai. Go figure. Anyways, Asians love their malls and are very proud of them. Because that is where everyone wants to be, it made a weird sense that very good food would be found there as well. But I remember thinking how strange it was that we came across the world to eat in a foodcourt! But the fact that it is in fact not weird says a lot about Asia right now. Similarly, we poked around in various art shops in different places all along during the trip. I am not jesting that many, in diverse spots, featured sculptures of Michael Jackson. You cannot help but shake your head. Finally when we were is Siem Reap our excellent driver and guide Sophal took us to an antique shop. (Sophal is very reliable and punctual and clean-cut, I would recommend him: locally - 855974839567.) There amongst the many Buddhas we found a lovely antique sculpture of a large lotus leaf and flower, with maybe a slightly Deco-ish vibe. From an earlier time last century it seems to me, with a fabulous bronze patina. I appreciate Buddhism, and Buddhas, but this bronze beauty was how I wanted to remember Asia. The piece is pretty big and thus makes for a forceful memory. I reminds me that the trip was so very worth it, because of what I reaped in Siem Reap. Proof that a lot of inspiration, even from long ago destroyed cultures can perdure strongly across the passage of time. That is a very striking experience to have, and one I will never forget.
Having been to many spots with great monuments in the world, Egypt and India come to mind, one can't help but feel that the quite elite distinction between Travel and Tourism has quite long ago been completely and irrevocably effaced. When I was young I wanted to aspire to a sort of Berenson-esque idea of Travel, which meant bringing a lot of knowledge and appreciation at a deep level with me. Well, having traveled quite a lot, that all seems so naive and funny to me at this point. I say this not even being the type that constitutionally is capable of being a very easygoing traveler in the first place. A lot of things have to go go well, and I need to feel pretty comfortable, to raise the possibility of enjoying myself away from my usual comfortable surrounding and friendly activities and work. I suppose what I am getting at is that visiting foreign places has gotten simultaneously better and worse generally, and that this fact speaks to how sensitive types can even enjoy themselves in the first place. The better part having mostly to do with infrastructure (hotels, etc.) And that our visit to Angkor Wat, and a number of other places in Asia, which I will relate to it, makes this exact point.
The bottom line is that a site must now be so overwhelmingly spectacular
to raise it above the general hum of tourist baloney. It is impossible to avoid this baloney entirely. I find it incredible that guidebooks never 'fess up to this fact and help you navigate the varying extents of it. Case on point would be our visit to Suzhou, a short trip from Shanghai. I have wanted to visit Suzhou forever, for all the reasons having to with a love of smaller, more homey yet elegant sites around the world. I love Bruges, for instance. And this sort of love guided our choice of where to buy a house even. So it is a consistent life- aesthetic for me. Well, Suzhou is definitely worth it, especially because it is easy to get to from another city. But wow is it hard to enjoy once you are there. The reason is simple. The place is charming, but its elegance is at a pretty middling level, and thus the torrent of hawkers and scammers and bizarrely rude Chinese people leaves you struggling a bit for an aesthetic moment. The Humble Administrator's Garden is quite incredibly beautiful, but the crush of people, 90% Chinese and again incredibly rude, made it a challenge. I think honesty is important in travel reports. Nonetheless I enjoyed it very much, and recommend it. The Scholars' Rocks in the Garden are the most beautiful I have ever seen and improbably large for such elegance. The I.M. Pei Museum in Suzhou is definitely worth a look for the building mostly, which as usual, is inspired. The collection ranges from ho-hum to unbelievably bad though. I am not kidding when I say that silk embroideries of cute kittens are featured!
Starting with Suzhou as a comparison is needed to make the central point about Angkor Wat. The cumulative effect of it all is so spectacular and moving that it is so much easier to ignore a lot of the same tourist problems there. We had sort of braced ourselves for the hordes in advance given magazine articles we had read. But when we were there there were precious few Americans, a few Europeans, and mostly Cambodians as tourists. Still, there a lot of people and the non-stop salesman frenzy everywhere.
In this regard Angkor Wat itself is the worst but the best. It has an astounding number of hawkers present. Angkor Wat, which is actually a separate area from the other Temples, is amazingly well- preserved down to many architecturally enlivening details. The superb balance between divinely repetitive details of Hindu iconography, balanced with more soaring vertical elements like towers or quasi-steeples is so massively involving I could hardly believe it. It is without a doubt the most beautiful evocation of human religiosity I have ever seen. Just how this is so is instructive too, I think. Let is be said that historically Hinduism's problems were adn still are very close to the surface. Still, the contrast with Christendom's monuments, considered artistically, is telling. The details in Western Cathedrals though exquisite, are often lost by disorienting heights. They impress, but lose the human dimension, and thus don't inspire sometimes, or worse produce ennui. As if they were in some way conceived to obliterate a sense of humanness. Of course there are exceptions, and great moments in Western Cathedrals that would compete with Angkor Wat. But cumulatively not, not even close.
The other main Temple sites are less impressive, though certainly worth it. The famous Bayonne in Angkor Thom, with the mysterious faces, is in such a state of decay that it is a striking contrast to Angkor Wat. I found it harder to enjoy because the element of detailed definition and repetition had been effaced or destroyed. The faces are striking still. The famous Ta Prohm temples complex is easier to enjoy because it is the one that has all the trees growing charmingly in it. Though also very decayed, the trees add an element of beauty by their sinuous marriage with the stone that is something to see. Amusingly, all the locals call this place simply "Tomb-Raiders" , after the very stupid and aesthetically crushing movie.
Speaking of the terrible movie, apparently the cast hung out a the local restaurant called The Red Piano, which is delicious. We went twice, the Khmer Steak and the Pork Cordon Bleu was very delicious, accompanied by great fries. It was great to have a little less exotic food for a change.
Which brings me to my last observation. I have to say, as a great lover of Asian cuisines, that on the whole Asia is disappointing for Asian food. It is not like going to Italy where one encounters lots of Italian restaurants better than at home. We did a fair amount of research in advance, and still my impression was lukewarm. Whether from lack of top-notch ingredients, which we take for granted here, or just sloppiness, it was often just OK, not more. Exceptions included Dong Bei Ren in Shanghai, which had a type of Chinese cuisine (mostly stews) I had not had before. It was very well done, quite special. In addition, the House Special Duck at Crystal Jade in Shanghai, I mentioned previously. The Cambodia food we had was all pretty good, but not really special. The best, ironically was probably the buffet just up the street from our Hotel, the Meridien, which had Goi Con, unfried spring rolls, which were incredibly better than we get here. Since it was a buffet, I made repeated attempts to solidify that impression.
In fact, the mediocrity of Asian food was counterbalanced by the total surprise of how good the food on our cruise ship was. It was the Costa Romantica, which is an older ship. And thank God because by comparison with today's behemoths it was very understated and elegant. Just fine marble and attractive wood. Being an Italian ship we naturally gravitated to their Italian dishes, and wow! A phenomenal pumpkin Risotto one night, An absolutely exquisite Osso Bucco. A stellar handkerchief pasta with Pesto. What a paradox, great italian food again and again on our Asian sojourn. Still, there were Asian surprises. When we finished with the great National Palace Museum in Taipei we had our driver take us to the new tower phallus, which every Asian city seems to be building, called Taipei 101. We went into the thing and into their mall, and had a great meal in the foodcourt (!) at a restaurant with its own little seating area, and it was called something like "Shanghai Dumplings." The food was excellent, especially the dumplings, which were better than those we had in Shanghai. Go figure. Anyways, Asians love their malls and are very proud of them. Because that is where everyone wants to be, it made a weird sense that very good food would be found there as well. But I remember thinking how strange it was that we came across the world to eat in a foodcourt! But the fact that it is in fact not weird says a lot about Asia right now. Similarly, we poked around in various art shops in different places all along during the trip. I am not jesting that many, in diverse spots, featured sculptures of Michael Jackson. You cannot help but shake your head. Finally when we were is Siem Reap our excellent driver and guide Sophal took us to an antique shop. (Sophal is very reliable and punctual and clean-cut, I would recommend him: locally - 855974839567.) There amongst the many Buddhas we found a lovely antique sculpture of a large lotus leaf and flower, with maybe a slightly Deco-ish vibe. From an earlier time last century it seems to me, with a fabulous bronze patina. I appreciate Buddhism, and Buddhas, but this bronze beauty was how I wanted to remember Asia. The piece is pretty big and thus makes for a forceful memory. I reminds me that the trip was so very worth it, because of what I reaped in Siem Reap. Proof that a lot of inspiration, even from long ago destroyed cultures can perdure strongly across the passage of time. That is a very striking experience to have, and one I will never forget.
Recent Comments