Into the Fog – Cambodia blog entry #12

Aswe neared the top of Bokor Mountain, a large sculpture pierced the fog. Ourdriver pulled the car over and we disembarked. My inclination was to climb thestairs in front of me and see what that statue was, but K motioned us to go theother way and cross the road. 

Herewe found the ruin of the Old Royal Residence, also called Damnak Sla Khmao orBlack Palace. It was built of brick and black wood in 1936 as King Sihanouk’ssummer residence, where he and other royals could escape from the summer heat. 

Walkingaround it and inside of it, I thought it was mighty small for a “palace” – onelarge sitting or gathering room with a bedroom off to each side. 

Atiled bathroom was attached to each bedroom.   

Outside,I could imagine the views on a sunny day, but all I got that day was a wetface.

It looked like there was a kitchen of sorts just on the outside as well.In its day, there may have been more to the building, but time and the elementswere not its friend. Also, from research on the internet, I’m sure there weremore buildings nearby, creating a true king’s compound. 

Aswe walked back up the path, a serious rain shower pelted us and the windattacked our umbrellas. Hippo remained strong and faithful. Best six bucks everspent and no one would ever mistake me for someone else. 

Weshuffled across the road and up the steps to the stature. Yeay Mao or Lok YeayMao is an ancient mythical heroine and a divinity in the local popular form ofBuddhism in Cambodia. She is recognized mainly as the guardian of coastalprovinces of the country. 

Theconstruction of the Lok Yeay Mao statue started in February 2010 and wascompleted in May 2012. The statue was built of cement, 95 feet tall and 26 feetwide, and sits on the high ground near a cliff on Bokor Mountain. Because ofthe seasonal rains and winds, she needs to be repaired every two to three yearsto maintain her shape and color. 

Thewind was really picking up by then and the temperature was dropping. Wecouldn’t wait to get back into our waiting car and continue driving further upthe road as the fog enveloped everything. Thicker than pea soup, thicker thanmy lumpy Thanksgiving gravy.

Wecame up to a fork in the road, and K announced that there was a fancy resort onthat corner. We saw nothing but clouds and gave him a hard time, accusing himof making stuff up.

So,he responded by telling us there was an elephant! And we countered with, nothere was a dinosaur. It looked like a scene from Jurassic Park, the continuingrolling fog – anything could be lurking out there. All we needed was dramaticmusic in the background.

Mypictures just didn’t capture the mood. At our next stop, however, I think my camera caught the ambience admirably.