Magical Mystery
Dec 8th, 2002 by Jinja
Loss of magical mystery could spell the ruin of Angkor: Amy Kazmin on the battle between conservationists and government in Cambodia
By AMY KAZMIN
From his earliest childhood in rural Cambodia, So Son, a 68-year-old farmer with betel-stained teeth, heard stories of the wondrous temples of Angkor – recounted by the few villagers brave enough to endure the arduous 280km journey to see them. More recently, a village TV tempted him with glimpses of the magnificent complex.
After a lifetime of waiting and five months of saving, So Son traveled recently to Angkor, a bone-jarring 14 hours along deeply furrowed, unpaved roads in the back of a crowded pick-up truck. When he finally saw Angkor Wat’s soaring towers, the elderly widower was overcome.
“I was nearly in tears,” he said, euphoric, a few hours later. “The trip was very hard, very dusty, very rocky. But I am happy. My determination to get here was strong. I have known of Angkor since I was first conscious and I always dreamed I would see it.”
[Article excerpted from the Financial Times the rest is not online, alas...]
November 9, 2002, Saturday London Edition 1 Financial Times (London)
