Siem Reap II

After getting convinced by the vendors from Pre Rup, we set off to backtrack our way back to Banteay Samre. We passed by very remote areas where people lived very simple lives. They sold fruit and drinks on the streets to passing cars, time moved a bit slowly here while our bikes were going at full speed. The roads were of a rusty orange hue and so was the soil around this part of town. We somehow got side tracked again by some random sign on the road that I had thought was pointing to Banteay Samre but it just led us to the wrong direction according to the map so we got back to the main street and asked a vendor for directions. Thankfully, we managed to get there without too much of a hassle like the morning's Prei Monti fiasco. Banteay Samre had the orange tones around its walls and the deeper portion was of a mahogany brown. It was quite unfortunate that we missed the monkey statues here. It was probably my fault for being lazy to explore and just calling it to go to the next one. I was able to take one of my favorite photos though so it wasn't all that bad. We freshened up in the bathroom and got ready for the next one. Along the way, we also visited the Eastern Mebon which was the sister temple to Pre Rup. Both similar in size and structure except Pre Rup was definitely much larger.

Preah Khan was the definition of infinity. The temple's main hall extended so far it was impossible to see where it ended. It was a super trippy temple with it's rectangular framed doors that seemed to lead into more doors just like two mirrors facing each other. Each room had these doors that extended in all four directions and exploring this temple was akin to going around a labyrinth. We tried to go from one end to the other, using the central stupa as a landmark because it would have been very easy to get lost around here. Crossing through a dozen doors, we got to the very end which led to another path going deeper into the jungle, all the way to the temple's other entrance so we decided to just head back. I tried to take a peek at the other sides but seemed like they were of no interest any longer to Jasper.

On the way to the water temple of Neak Pean, we passed by two small temples. Banteay Prei and Krol Ko, both were small and in ruins but they were on the way so we decided to stop by and take a peek. Neak Pean itself was very unique as it was situated in the middle of the lake. We had to use a makeshift crickety bridge but not before being asked if we wanted to go on a sunrise tour tomorrow morning by one of the ticket guards. It was a pretty good tip that would pivot me to try going for the sunrise the following day. The views of the lake on the way to the temple was a huge highlight as there were a lot of tree trunks poking out and right beside the bridge were lily pads and lotus flowers in fullbloom. Once we got to the island, we had to go deeper into the woods to see this amazing temple. It stood in the middle of a perfect square pool, casting its reflection in the still green waters. We made a lap around the temple to see it from all angles before heading back out and crossing the bridge.

Our next stop was Ta Som Temple. I would describe it as the child of Ta Prohm and Bayon if they ever made a baby. Having much of the tree and root covered jungle vibes similar to Ta Prohm, the real jewel of the temple was located at the end. The final part of the temple was a dark tunnel which led outside which doesn't seem to special at first but when looking back behind, we were greeted by a similar face from Bayon and in front of it were these two trees that seemed to hug each other, their tops forming a heart as their roots entangled each other going inside the tunnel we emerged from.

On the way back, we passed by numerous smaller temple heads that were dotted all around the grounds with the lake on the right side. I think this area was one of the coolest sights so far as we cruised by with our bikes. They were so many temples sticking out from the ground, some grouped together, others stood alone. When we got back to our hotel, I was so happy to be swimming in our pool again. That's also when it started to rain a bit so we were lucky to have been able to escape another potential rainy day.

We decided to go find some greens in Pub Street while searching for dinner. It was quite the infamous place for it. It definitely was easy to find one as soon as we walked a couple of steps, we were approached by someone offering a massage with "boom boom." I jokingly asked what's boom boom to which he laughed. I told him that we're looking for ganja to which his face perked up and said "I have!" My mistake here was not negotiating and just going with him to pick up as prices in Japan were so expensive, $25 for 5g of weed seemed to be no problem for me. I had also asked for some magic mushrooms which were a bit more expensive but I wanted to try out what the guy from Ta Prohm did and what better place than Angkor Wat the next day. After the deal, he brought us back to where we started and gave us some tips on where to try some traditional Cambodian food. We ate a pretty good meal that night with me once again over-ordering cuz I was always so hungry after a long day. Jasper quoted the term takaw-gutom which was pretty interesting as I didn't know there was a word for it in Tagalog. Back at our hotel, I quickly got to work in making our joints and we smoked up at the gardens. It was an amazing high to which I enjoyed a lot, but Jasper didn't get high at all. The guy probably has cannabis immunity.Read more