It’s 2026.
A bunch of data came to my face, coldly showing that Chinese tourists occupy a primary position among the source countries of Angkor, Cambodia, and are the largest source country.
Not short of money? Love going abroad? These labels are so boring.
What they did not see was how many people in the dark crowd at the lotus pond of Angkor Temple at 4:30 in the morning were not actually there to watch the sunrise.
It's waiting.
How did Mrs. Beng’s Mountain become Phnom Penh?
The name thing is very interesting.
Hundreds of years ago, an elderly woman named Ben fished out a big tree from the river. There was a Buddha statue hidden in the tree hole. She then built a mountain and named it "Mrs. Ben's Mountain".
When speaking in Cantonese, "Ben" becomes "Bian".
The mountain was slowly forgotten and turned into a tower on the flat ground.
Look, there is a country's capital city, the name of which is so random, carrying a warm atmosphere of human fireworks. It's not like us, like Chang'an and Luoyang, which are so grand.
Angkor or Angkor?
Even more outrageous is Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat means "the temple of the capital" in Sanskrit. People from foreign countries call it Angkor Wat.
Who would have thought that when the old overseas Chinese in Guangdong heard this, they couldn't help but think to themselves, "Brother An"? In comparison, "Angkor" sounds more smooth. How is this a good wat? Forget it, just transliterate it as "grotto". After all, there is a Mogao Grottoes over there in Dunhuang.
That's it.
A translation that completely deviated from the correct direction gave this forest that seemed to be made of stones the most appropriate and appropriate soul, which was the "cave".
It’s not a cave, it’s a ruin, it’s a relic, it’s a home that was abandoned and found again.
Khmer smile, also Cantonese smile?
I sometimes think blindly.
The 216 faces in Bayon Temple have lowered eyebrows and seem to be smiling but not smiling.
It is surrounded by tourists speaking dozens of languages every day, and it probably doesn’t understand them.
But if you greet it in Cantonese, will it feel a little nervous?
It is undeniable that the word "Cambodia" is originally derived from the transliteration of Cantonese. The Khmer people call themselves Kampuchea, but fellow Guangdong people forcefully call it the name shown on their current household registration books.
How many years has this Buddha listened to prayers with a Cantonese accent?
New tricks for 2026
This year is different.
Starting from June, traveling to Cambodia will be visa-free until October.
The rainy season has been rebranded as the “green season” to trick you into going to the Cardamom Mountains to see the fog.
Siem Reap has just been named the fifth best cultural destination in Asia.
How ridiculous.
A place that has lasted for thousands of years can only prove that it has the value to be appreciated by humans issuing a certificate for it every year.
Bengmelie's night
Someone told me that the Bengmil column is collapsing every day.
At night when no one is around, you can hear the sound of rocks falling.
Those temples were strangled by ancient trees, their roots wrapped around stones like pythons. This was not love, but real strangulation.
But Chinese tourists still flock in.
What exactly are we looking for?
Maybe I'm just looking for a mirror
On the walls of Angkor Wat, there are relief works of the Apsara fairy. It is said that they are all carved according to the appearance of ancient Khmer women.
They laughed for eight hundred years, witnessed the continuous changes of dynasties, saw the bullet holes left by the Khmer Rouge, and saw the bride wearing a gauze skirt taking wedding photos in front of the ruins.
At that moment, time really stopped.
We traveled thousands of miles, spent dozens of dollars on tickets, and waited for the sunset on Mount Bakken.
What we are waiting for is not the sunset.
The heart that was as tired as a dog in reality was my own, and suddenly the light on the Buddha's face revealed its original appearance.
Ending
Where did the name Cambodia come from? It doesn't matter anymore.
Is there gold in Phnom Penh? Not important either.
The key point is that the nation that has such a behavior as placing Buddha statues in tree holes, the nation that dares to name the country based on transliteration, they have actually already had an insight -.
Names are for others, smiles are for yourself.
Just like when Zhou Daguan came here more than 700 years ago, he saw the same smile.
We came and we went.
Stone is still laughing.
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