Jan 17th Siem Reap - Angkor Wat and surrounds

Jan 17^th – Seam Reap

The main tower

We got up earlier today as wanted to go back to Angkor Wat so we could climb up to the top level of the 5 central towers that had been closed yesterday.  We dropped off our washing at a local launderette (Mean Leap pronounced Mee-an Lee-ap) which is considerably cheaper than the hotel 1^st and then got on our way.  After 10 minutes or so as the scenery looked unfamiliar, I queried Joe who had forgotten that we wanted to revisit Ankgor and confirmed we were on our way to another completely different temple.

One of the many detailed images. 

Anyway, it wasn’t a problem and soon we found ourselves at the back entrance to Ankgor Wat which was much quieter.  After a short walk through some very high forest trees we arrived at the complex and joined a short queue for the climb up to the top level.  We didn’t have long to wait and were soon up there.  It was certainly worth going back as the views from the top were stunning as were the numerous carvings of bare breasted dancing ladies. 
You’re not supposed to touch the carvings as your hands leave oil on them which makes the parts touched much darker, but of course, people do and you can guess which parts of the carvings have been touched!

After that, we set off to Banteay Srei, or the Citadel of Women about 30 minutes drive north of Seam Reap.  It was built around AD 967 by the Brahmin tutor to the king at that time.  It wasn’t discovered until 1914 and was completely overgrown by jungle.    Jungle clearance started in 1924 and the site was restored in 1936 by the French.  This temple is remarkable for the detail and clarity of its carvings which almost seemed to be 3D.

Beautiful carving at Banteay Srei

The main walls, entry pavilions and libraries are made of laterite and the carvings are in pink sandstone.  Three beautifully carved tower shrines stand side by side on a low terrace in the middle of a quadrangle, with a pair of libraries either side.  Some of the shrines are dedicated to Siva and some to Vishnu, but as a whole, it is dedicated to Brahma.   As it was built by a priest and never intended for use by a king, it is modest in size and has low doorways which you need to duck through to avoid banging your head.

Pre Rup

Next stop was Pre Rup, which was basically a huge mausoleum where the king and his family were cremated and their ashes stored in various different sized towers on different levels according to your rank.  The central pyramid is a three tiered sandstone platform with 5 central towers reached by steep stairways or modern wooden steps at a gentler gradient.

After a very good lunch, we set off for our final stop of the day which was Ta Prohm.  This has only been minimally cleared of jungle so large parts of it have collapsed or are being held together by huge tree roots which embrace the buildings.  This complex has been made famous as part of the film Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie was filmed there.  She is very popular in Cambodia as had donated more than $1Million for good causes, and of course, adopted a Cambodian son.

Lara Croft eat your heart out!

By then end of this, we felt a bit templed out and were glad to come back to the hotel for some down time.  Tonight we have tickets to the Cambodian circus (amazing acrobats etc) which was highly recommended by Alicia who saw them when she visited Cambodia last year.  More on that later.....