Wisdom at the waterfall

 

I’m on top of Phnom Kulen, a sacred mountain, in my cossie in the pouring rain. I’m teetering at the edge of the River of a Thousand Lingas beside a wide waterfall, being splashed by a group of pilgrims who sit in the holy water wearing their saris and laughing. Soriya, my fully dressed guide, has grabbed my hand and pulled me along behind, picking his way among the boulders until we are up against the heavy rush of the waterfall.

“One, two, three … ” and into the pounding downflow we go. We stand for a moment in the gap on the other side of the waterfall catching our breath before emerging to applause, clicking cameras and more laughter from the pilgrims.

There are so many aspects to this moment I would never have expected: it’s an example of the Buddhist belief in letting go of expectations and living in the moment. I had come to Cambodia, where 85 per cent of the population is Buddhist, to join a group of Western pilgrims on an “exploration path” amid the temples and jungles. It’s a group holiday involving life therapy led by humanist psychologist and leadership coach Michael Eales and author Crysse Morrison – a trip that for me, in turn, provides several opportunities for letting go of expectations.

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in south-east Asia after decades of war and so undeveloped that the great temples built during the Angkorian era (9th century to 15th century) are surrounded by jungle. I feel sure a spot of inner exploration amid this magical setting is on its way, courtesy of the alternative holiday company Skyros – for whom “life-changing” and “transforming” are common testimonials from its clients.

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware,” Eales says, quoting the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber and stoking my excitement for what is ahead. A six-hour bus ride the next morning turns out to be the prosaic answer. And, when we arrive in Battambang, a dip in the lovely rooftop pool of the Stung Sangke hotel (stungsangkehotel.com).

Our days begin with the Skyros practice of demos (democracy), during which one of us provides a thought for the day and everyone is invited to express appreciation to someone, or for something, and to make suggestions for improvements. It keeps the focus on what we are enjoying while providing a constructive way of dealing with niggles and demonstrating that we – at least in our minds – create our own experiences.

The first excursion was to Phnom Sampeau, a hill with a dozen temples about 12 kilometres outside Battambang in an area that has seen much Khmer Rouge-induced bloodshed. About 300 Cambodians died by being pushed off various parts of this steep outcrop, sometimes after having their throats slit.

A posse of children gather around us as we climb and then sit peering at our notebooks when we stop to do a writing exercise, led by Morrison. Later, we descend steps, the children sliding down the banister alongside us, to the “Killing Cave”, where a golden Buddha reclines alongside a glass memorial of skulls.

The activities come thick and fast so I am glad when, after climbing 357 steps to Banon Temple, Eales introduces active listening, an exercise we perform in groups of four, with each person talking uninterrupted about their thoughts and feelings while the others listen. I sip the juice from a coconut as we reveal a bit of ourselves.

The next day we head to Siem Reap. The palatial Sokha Angkor (sokhahotels.com

/siemreap) is our home for the next four nights. Such magnificent quarters contrast jarringly with the shacks most Cambodians call home but the hotels we stay in are at least locally owned.

Meals are mostly an array of shared stir-fried dishes, washed down with Angkor beer or French wine. Cheese and pastries are another legacy of France’s colonial rule but the food has a greater kinship with Thailand and Vietnam, with servings of mixed vegetables, beef and amok (fish).

Our first excursion from Siem Reap is the one everybody has been waiting for – to Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world and a mind-blowing feat of engineering and devotion. Inside Angkor, humming with tourists, the trail takes us around 800 metres of stunning bas-reliefs and past amazingly intact apsaras, or heavenly goddesses, carved into the stone. The sheer scale of the symmetry and framed views of the jungle are breathtaking.

That evening the haunting Ta Prohm, one of the temples just outside Siem Reap where bizarre, monster-like spung trees and their roots have grown up around and over the ruins, is blissfully tourist-free.

Another moment of inner transportation comes at Banteay Srei, the intricately carved women’s temple, 30 kilometres from Siem Reap. As the day’s light fades we sit under a banyan tree in the grounds, where Eales begins chanting with a powerful and haunting sound that the rest of us join. Afterwards, as we walk away, I feel deeply peaceful and the jungle appears suddenly vivid.

There is a visit to a well project, an apsara dance performance and a rushed visit to Tuol Sleng, the prison where 17,000 were detained and tortured by the Khmer Rouge. It is a busy itinerary involving many hours on the bus, which takes in three of Cambodia’s four main cities, temples galore and a good many sights beside.

The journey, which begins and ends in Phnom Penh, circumnavigates Tonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater source in south-east Asia. It’s a fascinating tour but lacks the stillness and reflection for the parallel internal journey I had hoped for.

Eales feeds us thought-provoking quotes but the meditation, writing exercises and active listening come in snatched moments, providing an aside rather than underpinning an experience towards spiritual awakening.

“The mundane details of our life eat us up,” Eales says, quoting Buddhist nun Ani Pema Chodron. “Therefore it is important to keep asking ourselves again and again: what is the most important thing?”

As it transpires, the most important thing is the outward journey, around a country of fascinating contrasts amid the remnants of one of the greatest empires ever seen.

And as Cambodia emerges from centuries of invasion and poverty, it is, perhaps, the perfect moment to visit.

For that I feel grateful, which, as Buddhism teaches, is a very important step.

FAST FACTS

Getting there

Singapore Airlines has a fare to Phnom Penh from Sydney and Melbourne for about $1125 low-season return, including tax. Fly to Singapore (8hr), then with Silkair to Phnom Penh (2hr); see singaporeairlines.com. Australians can obtain a 30-day tourist visa on arrival for $US20 ($18) plus two recent photographs, or before departure for $45.

Touring there

Skyros hosts its next Cambodia Adventure Tour from February 4-13 next year. It is an overland tour priced from about $1760 a person, twin share. The price includes two main courses: Michael Eales’s On the Exploration Path course and Kel Portman’s Photography and Art course; as well as accommodation, local transport, transfers, and breakfast and lunch daily.

Source - khmerpress.info