Angkor Thom

Finally back at the first temple we encountered, Bayon. It was still as magnificent if not even more grand than when we first saw it. Gaining such a huge appreciation from all the temples we visited, Bayon still stood out immensely as one of the most special temples out there. Turns out we approached the correct side of the temple where we were supposed to start as opposed to last time where who knows what side we went in from. Now, I was still very stoned so when we were approached by a tour guide, I had somehow thought to myself that it would be a great idea to have gain some insights at least once in the trip for such a special temple. Newsflash, it wasn't as it was pretty much the reason why I never liked getting tour guides in the first place but this is what my high ass decided so now I have to live with the consequences. I had really just wanted to take my time to explore the temple on my own but as with the tours, we were herded from place to place. Although the information provided were very interesting, I soon found out that I really just wanted my own space. I bit the bullet and told the tour guide that I wanted to call off the tour much to his surprise and I was trying to explain to him that I just wanted to take my time and not be told where to go and I reached out to my wallet to give him some cash but I only had 20 dollars at that time so I gave that to him much to his surprise as it was a pretty big tip as he did say that the tour was free and we could pay whatever we wanted. I figured that was already pretty good so I bid him goodbye and we were able to enjoy the temple for a bit. Bayon had so many of these faces and it was easily one of the most photogenic temples out there as the prevalent rectangle frames were everywhere and this stable geometric shape provided really powerful photographs when shot at the right angles. The tour guide once again came back as he felt that he wanted to work for it or decided to try his luck and milk us some more because at one point he pulled us to the side for some sob story. To be fair, the tour guide was really good and I learned a lot and he was also able to show us a lot of the angles for the best results though I prefer to take my own photos, the classic shots are also nice to have as a collection. He was also able to show us a lot of the places that we otherwise might have missed and we covered a lot of ground around Bayon, even going to the upper levels so all in all, I would call it a memorable experience.

The plan after Bayon was to go back to the hotel to swim and rest up as the day's temperatures rose to its highest. Jasper wanted to continue but I was able to convince him to go back and chill. We rolled up another joint and smoked it up and went swimming which felt amazing! In our room, I was sifting through my photos and contacted Lucky about the faulty shrooms and my dumbass ended up getting swindled again as I found myself dealing with him again on the streets for he quote "best" mushrooms. From how it looked, it really did look like magic mushrooms but there really was no way to tell. I invited Jasper to get ready to hit the road again but now he was too tired and tapped out since his sunburns were also beyond nasty. I did tell him to bring sunscreen but alas, this how it be. So now, it was finally time for me to ride solo, being the first time I was able to experience Cambodia alone. I happily ate the shrooms, got on my bike and put on the tunes as I made my way back to Angkor Park.

After smoking two joints, swimming and resting at the hotel, my body was definitely in a more relaxed state and the energy levels weren't as high as before so I took it slow. I managed to see the Terrace of the Elephants which was an elavated platform with elephant statues, beyond it was Baphuon. It was a huge temple and it had a long bridge that was apparently closed but I wasn't gonna let a sign stop me from exploring this place so I walked on ahead and made a brief stop near the temple to just lay down and rest. I enjoyed the peace and serenity of the place being the only soul present in the moment. Baphuon's unique trait were these cylindrical objects that were lined up in front of the temple. Near Baphuon was Phimeanakas which was another cool looking temple. I soon realized however that I was also getting a bit tired and there were still a lot of temples dotted around the hill and I wasn't really in the mood to tire myself out as I still had a whole journey ahead of me so I got back on my bike and listened to some tunes while going around Angkor Park. My original plan was to go to Pre Rup to enjoy the sunset but turns out it was going to be closed before the sun set so I went to Srah Srang instead as I couldn't bring myself to do Phnom Bakheng again. I took my time and went as slow as possible, taking detours to try and pass the time but I got quite bored and found myself in Srah Srang again. I saw that the weather was getting quite dark and gave up on the sunset and the shrooms altogether so I just decided to call it quits and go back to the hotel. I returned the bike on the way and had to walk back which was quite hard with my tired legs but I made it alright. Jasper returned his bike afterwards while I hit the pool again. We had dinner right by the hotel but not before smoking up again for a great night ahead.Read more