By Matthew Smith
I knew that if I traveled to Cambodia eventually I would have to go see Angkor Watt, the seventh wonder of the world. Angkor Watt is a the world's largest religious structure ever built, and it is Cambodia's number one tourist attraction.
The temple itself is beyond giant. The massive walls on the gate reach far into the forest as I walked into the grounds of the temple. From here there is a walkway of stone the width of a thru way road stretching what seemed like a quarter of a mile to the inner sanctuary.
The inner temple is a series of four walls surrounding the five main temple spires. Entering the inner sanctum the amount of inner rooms and nearly hidden passages is dizzying.
As I explored the ancient ruin, the spirit of tradition was a still alive among the wondering tourists and busy chattering. A Buddhist monk sat motionless on an outer ledge in meditation. In contrast to the visitors the monk seemed to meld with the ruin and become one of the many statues himself, totally indifferent of curious eyes.
Angkor Watt had two very distinct atmospheres. The first is the obvious presence of tourism and the foreign world. The second is a near timeless presence. The second is an atmosphere of tradition and spiritualism. This second atmosphere (although subtle) hints that Cambodia's ancient cultural traditions are surviving despite the expansion of modern influence.