Chamraoen's Home, Siem Reap, Day 5

Back to Angkor we go. Our driver seems much better this time, and speaks much better English which is great as he explains some of the temples as we go past. We were tempted to bike around today, but the way our legs ached after the smaller tour two days ago, we decided it would be best to get driven about again.
9 o clock is the pick up time, so we grab a quick breakfast before nearly jumping into the wrong tuk tuk and going with someone else. We find Nun ten minutes before the arranged time though, and are soon setting off.
We decide to take the tour the opposite way to the usual route, hoping the temples will be slightly less busy then they were two delays ago.
Our first temple is Pre Rup, which Nun tells us means something like rejuvenation of a body. It is a very cool temple, with steps leading to the top, and best of all it is empty. After having a quick walk round it is great to find a spot in the shade to sit and take it all in. The carvings are again amazing, and the five or six towers on top are fascinating. The next temple, East Mebon, is very similar as it was built by the same King for the same religion (Buddhism?) at roughly the same time. It is again really quiet and really nice to sit and look at everything around us.
Next up is Ta Som, which is similar to Ta Prohm in the way trees have overtaken the temple in a way. It is a long structure that you walk through almost in a straight line. The final stop before turning back is a giant tree that has spread his roots around a doorway rather possessively. It is another wonderful temple on this seemingly endless list of them.
After Ta Son we head to the next temple, which is very different to all the others. Neak Pean is in the middle of the beautiful lake in Angkor park. After crossing a small foot bridge you find this temple, which is in a small lake, surrounded by four even smaller lakes in a cross shape. You can only walk half way round, but it is very interesting to see something so different, and the horse statues that are mostly underwater, with mostly just heads peering out over the top are great.
Next up is Bantay Prea. A small step on our trip, as it is what looks like a tiny abandoned church. We are the only people here as most people miss It, but it is probably the most spooky of all the places we have been, with cobwebs coating most of the surrounding rocks. From the very small Bantay Prea we head to the huge Preah Khan. A huge gate with another giant tree interwoven into it, leads onto many different hallways heading off in all directions. The gates at either end are one of the main attractions, as are the walkways towards them that are lined with mostly beheaded statues. Nun told us to make sure we knew the way, and thank God he did as it would be very easy to get lost in the maze.
So, with the majority of the grand tour done, we now only have two temples left, and they are Bayon and Angkor Wat which I described two days ago. We visit these for the second time hoping they would be less busy, and the difference is massive. There is hardly anyone at Bayon, giving us a free walk around the huge faces. Angkor Wat is predictably more busy, but we manage to work our way to the top of the tower and take in the great view of the temple from above. And that is our tour of Angkor over, apart from a trip to see the sunrise above Angkor Wat tomorrow morning. What a place. Worth every penny of the 62 dollar three day ticket.
Again, we are knackered from all the temple climbing and walking, so we grab some food and end up buying a few beers and heading back to the room. A 5 o clock alarm means a rather early night!
PS 100 days travelling and counting!!Baca lagi