Wat Amazing Sites! Part II

Guard Statues on Bridge to Entrance of Angkor Thom, Temples of Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia
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The next day Erik, Frank and Lou picked me up at 9am. Our first stop was to one of the gates of Angkor Thom which was pretty impressive. As we headed up to the gate, we had to cross a bridge that was on top of a moat. The bridge was flanked on either side by a long line of guard statues, each with a different head. The top of the gate had four faces carved into it, one of each side.  Angkor Thom (late 12 Century to early 13th Century) was the last capital of the Angkorian empire and was a 3km (approx 1.86 miles) squared walled and moated royal city.

Carved Head, Bayon, Temples of Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia
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Within Angkor Thom we stopped at the Bayon (late 12 Century) that had 37 standing towers most of which had carved faces. On one of the levels there were seven Thai in traditional dress with whom we each got a few pictures taken.

Next it was onto Baphuon (mid 11th Century). Most of this temple was closed off due to renovation. As we left we walked past many of the pieces being restored and were carefully numbered because without which it would have been much more of a jigsaw puzzle than it probably already was going to be.

Bayon, Temples of Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia
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Leaving Angkor Thom, we headed onto Chau Say Tevoda (early 12th Century) which was a smaller temple and of similar design to Thommanon (late 11th Century to early 12th Century) which we was across the street and what we saw next. This temple was built at the same time that Angkor Wat was built.

Close by we went to Ta Keo (late 10th Century to early 11th Century) which was dedicated to Shiva and the first temple to be wholly constructed out of sandstone. As we started up the levels, it started to rain. With extremely steep and narrow steps ahead, Frank and Lou decided to head back down. Erik and I ventured up. After making it to the top, I totally forgot to take a picture of the view - I guess my mind was on the precarious trip down. As we started down, a French guy (in French) told us that there were other steps that were bigger and easier to navigate - what a blessing!

Baphuon, Temples of Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia
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Back to Ta Phrom (for me) (mid 12th Century to early 13th Century) this time going through it at a more reasonable pace. It was very cool seeing the jungle encroaching on the temple. There was one tree that amazingly had grown on top of the temple . I have definitely decided that I am a big fan of the temples where nature has taken over.

Finally, onto the main attraction, Angkor Wat which is a huge temple that has a few different levels. Unfortunately the top level was closed for renovation which was really a bummer because I am sure the views would have been great. We got to an outer level only to come across a monkey and Lou and Frank definitely didn't want to hang out with him! We headed back to a lower level to look at the impressive amount of carvings on the bas-reliefs that seemed to go on and on. I was definitely snap happy, but I just couldn't help it! The carvings were so ornate and beautifully done. Angkor Wat is truly a magnificent piece of work, but with that said, I am sure I shall disappoint some when I say that Angkor Wat was not my most favorite temple - although I could definitely appreciate it. Like I had said before, I prefer those temples where nature has taken over.

Chau Say Tevoda, Temples of Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia
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Once done seeing Angkor Wat, we headed back and decided to meet up for dinner and to watch aspara dancing (traditional Cambodian dance). I met up with everyone, this time Steve included, although unfortunately, he now had laryrangytis :( We ended up at a restaurant that had a show, but unfortunately we showed up a little late and so the buffet was pretty lacking. However, it was interesting to see the dancing which was so elegant and slow and the extension of the feet and hands was quite amazing, let alone the balance required. I just wish that we had been given a leaflet that explained what each dance was because it was hard to hear the woman making the announcements.

Chau Say Tevoda, Temples of Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia
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After the show, we tried going to the Funky Monkey again which was still closed, which was surprising on a Friday. We stopped off at a bar across from the Red Piano instead. Lou had stopped off to get some money from an ATM only to have the ATM eat it. By some miracle, he was actually able to track down a Bank worker (at almost 10pm) and she was able to finally get back his card. We had a few drinks at the bar before calling it a night.

To view all my photos, you can go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishjen/collections/72157602876154994/