A Quick Stop in Siem Reap

Friday, June 30, saw us traveling from KL to Siem Reap, Cambodia.  This city was one of my picks, as it is the gateway to the Angkor Archeological Complex.

We arrived and checked into our hotel, and then headed out to find a bite to eat and to get our bearings.  We found a pizza place nearby and had a slice, then walked to a nearby temple (Wat Preah Prohm Roth).  It was a serene spot, with a large central shrine with a statue of Buddha.  In an effort to be respectful to the man praying inside, I did not take any photographs inside the temple, but did grab a video (or two) of the area outside the shrine.

After wandering around the temple grounds, we were hot and our feet were tired, so we treated ourselves to a foot massage at the spa conveniently located cattycorner from our hotel.  Much to our surprise, a $6 foot massage entailed changing into special garments and went way beyond just rubbing our feet.   Get your mind out of the gutter - I only mean that they also massaged our arms, shoulders and backs.

Later that evening, we took a stroll to the night market, where we did a little shopping (have I mentioned that I hate shopping?) and found Pub Street - a very popular area for tourists.

Saturday morning arrived, and with it, our tour guide Joe.  We headed out to see the first of the four temple sites on our itinerary.  

Banteay Srei is the only temple in the complex made of pink sandstone.  It is intricately carved and quite lovely.

The next temple we visited was Ta Prohm.  It is known as the jungle temple or Tomb Raider temple, as it was used as a location in the film.  This temple has many trees growing into and around the temple buildings, giving it an eerie vibe.

The third temple was Bayon.  This temple has 37 standing towers, most sporting four carved faces.  In addition to the towers, the exterior walls contain real-life scenes from the war between the Khmer and the Cham.  The detail of the carvings is incredible.

Last but definitely not least, we visited Angkor Wat, the jewel in the crown of the temple complex.  The temple is huge and amazingly well-preserved.  The temple was originally dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu.  

I could say a lot more about the visit, but there are better resources if anyone is interested in learning more about the site.  I would recommend that you NOT visit during the summer, as the temperature was over 100 and quite humid.  

We could have spent several more days touring the many temples, but this vacation is planned down to the last minute, so we will say goodbye to Cambodia and pick up on Sunday in Hanoi.  Good bye, Cambodia!