Phumĭ Srăh Sráng

We had an exciting start to our Siem Reap adventure by renting e-scooters for the entire journey. Most popular is renting a tuk tuk for the day(s) for about 15-20USD but we liked the idea of freedom and being flexible with our route, not following the herd of tourists but swimming against the stream. Our first day started early, getting up just after sunrise but we were excited for a day filled with temple-hopping- hopefully before the crowds hit. Now while the infamous Angkor Wat stood tall as we drove past, we decided begin with the mystical Ta Projm Temple in the morning. Reason being that in the small circuit people usually start at Angkor Wat at sunrise and then make it to Ta Prohm around lunch to afternoon. It was already super hot and humid, but driving through the jungle was quite refreshing the trees providing shade and cooling the air. We had high expectations for the temple after some reasearch and still were struck in awe after we made it there after a short walk. Ta Prohm is colloquially known as “ Tomb Raider Temple “ since some scenes of the 2001 with Angelina Jolie were filmed there. We really felt transported into something akin to Tomb raider or Indiana jones. What is most alluring and fascinating about Ta Prohm is that in contrast to most other temples in Angkor Ta Prohm wasn’t completely reconstructed, you can imagine how the temples looked when the French explorers rediscovered them in the 1860s. Nature has reclaimed what king Jayavarman VII, king of the great Khmer Empire of Angkor, built in the 12tg century conquering nature .It really made our jaws drop to what level of details the reliefs are carved into the stone, carpeted by moss and arches being crushed by root. The morning was perfect to appreciate its mysterious beauty, sunlight shrouding it in green light. One of the most impressive trees still standing is the “ crocodile tree” stretching its muscular roots over the ceiling of the ruins of the Buddhist temple. We continued our explorations throughout the day, visiting several other incredible temples during our first round trip of the grand circuit. We were incredibly lucky being frequently almost alone at temple sections, and able to really immersive ourselves in the grandeur of what remains of the great kingdom of Angkor. Interestingly they are a mix of Buddhist and Hindu temples, many blending both. We also appreciated the grand tour with the lesser known temples because a lot of tourists skip it. Other temples worth a mention were Pre Rup, climbing up the steep platform felt like a good achievement; Neak Pean, walking across the water and Preah khan, where we realised that the scenic route around the temple in wet season involves muddy wet feet. Our e scooter unfortunately was on its last legs so we got stranded before getting back to our hotel, but some locals were nice enough to let us charge against a purchase of a cold drink. Virtually everywhere by the temples you can buy cold drinks and myriads of souvenirs, unfortunately advertised with the persistence of vultures descending on you. We were back at our hotel by lunch after a temple filled day, and really wondered how people try to do it in one day (37 USD) we had made the choice of a three day ticket (60 USD), like in Europe at some point in the day you have seen enough. We also had a dip in the pool and slept early, with our alarms set to an ungodly time for the next morning.Read more