Alan's Spiritually Enlightening Experience at Angkor Wat

Alan always amuses me at the most unexpected moments. On our first day in Siem Reap we biked over to Anchor Wat to see the sunset. We promised ourselves that we would stay on its outskirts and save our real exploration until our last day, after all it is one of the greatest structures ever erected and by far one of the most impressive of all the temples in Siem Reap.

Adjacent to the main entrance there is a smaller building that was used for a library. The sun was just setting and a warm orange glow radiated off the tired stones. It was a perfect picture opportunity! So I scrambled up the steps and tried to make a serene face and position my body just right. As I am gazing off into the distance and trying to appear as if I am contemplating something of importance, my attention is quickly turned to Alan who has begun to flap his arms frantically while pointing behind me toward the doorway at the top of the stairs. As I turn to look I see part of an orange robe slide by in the darkness. I look back at Alan. He seems to be getting more and more excited about this discovery. "A Buddha!" he cries out. Confused and on the verge of hysterical laughter I look at him and say, "A Buddha?", thinking to myself Buddha as in the most holy person in all of Buddhism. He replied, "Yes!" His excitement must have blurred his vocabulary and what he meant to say was a monk. After coming to the realization of this ridiculous comment he quieted and walked up the stairs to meet me. The monk was still inside the small building and we were the only people around. Alan began to peer inside. Moments later a 26 year old man in a bright orange robe appeared in the doorway, putting him right next to Alan, I was still sitting on the step. Immediately Alan looked down at his feet, he seemed almost afraid to make eye contact. He managed to murmur, "Sues Dey" (hello in Cambodian), to which the monk replied and then continued to talk to him in Cambodian. Alan's reply? A nervous giggle and then the monk smiled and repeated himself in English. Timid and meek, unlike I have ever seen him he responded to the monk, the words only whispered across his lips. It was as if he was coming into contact with the most holy of holy, the most holy person he had ever met. I just sat there, thouroghly amused and after a few minutes of watching his struggle I joined the conversation. The monk was just finishing 9 years of service and his English was quite impressive. One of his past times is practicing it with tourists. His life aspiration? To become a tuk-tuk driver because he loves talking to people. Simplicity.

Alan never really came around or seemed comfortable but he in some way was very affected by this entire experience. As we talked, loads of tourists were snapping photos of the monk from afar. What could be a more perfect photo? A bright beautiful orange robe against the backdrop of ancient ruins. Alan never got the courage to take a photo of him, but he did nervously snap photos of everything around the monk, except for the monk himself. What could be more endearing?

-Mika