We arrived in Siem Riep last Sunday at around noon. We checked into our hotel, Prince D'Angkor if you happen to be in the area and need a good hotel, and decided to head out and make good use of the sunshine and remaining time in the afternoon.
Our first stop was to the temple of Preah Kahn (which means sacred sword)...
Preah Kahn dates back to 1191 and was a Buddhist University and a small city in addition to being a temple. It is actually in pretty good shape as many of the structures are still standing with four walls and roofs attached.
Unlike in the US, you can pretty much walk where ever you want in the temples. There are a few places where they are restoring or it is simply unsafe but there aren't specific walkways. It makes it fun to be able to go in and out of the corridors inside the buildings because you never know what you will find.
The walls themselves are just as beautiful as the buildings. Most have some sort of carving on them and the level of detail is just amazing. It must have taken ages to carve and then build these temples.
Our next stop was to Preah Neak Poan (which means intertwined serpents). It dates back to the late-12th century and the water in the pools were considered holy.
This temple was one of the smallest that we went to. Again, we could walk anywhere we wanted without getting in trouble and there were actually a couple of guys swimming in the water. There were also some local kids and this is one of my favorite photos from the first day...
The next stop was to the temple of Ta Som which again dates back to the late-12th century.
This temple is also pretty small but at the very end of it had a great reward...
How often do you get to see a tree growing out of the top of the face of a temple? This next picture will give you an idea of how the trees just take root anywhere they please...
Next stop was to the temple of Eastern Mebon which dates back to the middle of the 10th century. This temple is a bit different as it is a Hindu temple instead of a Buddhist temple. This was actually our favorite temple. It was one of the quietest ones and we were there at a great time of day to take pictures.
Our last stop of the day was to the temple of Pre Rup (which means turning the body). It dates back to the middle of the 10th century as well.
As you can see from all the people, you can climb to the very top of this temple. It is supposed to be a great place to watch the sunset so Alan and I decided to climb up...these...
It may not look that difficult from the picture but these are 31 very steep and very narrow steps. Getting up isn't too tough but coming down is not the easiest thing especially if you are not fond of heights.
The sunset wasn't anything spectacular the night we were there but this gives you an idea of what we saw...
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