Facing Bayon

Javayarman VII was the King of all Kings - with an ego and aesthetic sense to match. It is a hybrid of him and the Buddha that graces the 50 some towers bearing the multi-faced chimeras. Bayon stands at the center of Angkor Thom, Javayarman's creation. It's been said that the the King was the groom and the City - his bride....and Bayon is, to me, the most intimate expression of this mythic union.

I had the privilege to chant sacred mantras in the central chamber, where a gentle nun of the chamber kept the candles aglow and the incents burning...unlike many other temple ruins, these temples are still very much "in action." It was a surreal experience to make sacred sounds there, where the Great Kings sang to their gods for over 10 centuries....

It is at Bayon that I would love to spend a night once....but have not yet. I can only imagine the otherworldly chirmera towers in the pale cast of the moon....

I was clearly not the only admirer there. Besides the obligatory swarm of tourists crowding towards the top of the Mount, I came across a no-nonsense camera crew. It was my first experience watching a film shoot. It turned out, they were filming the set for the animation of "Transformers 3." The giant towers were to be later animated and turn into latent transformers coming out of long sleep.