The temples that we saw this day were smaller than that of Angkor Wat but just as impressive. I could not stop thinking of the work that had gone in to creating these temples (and the egos the kings of the time had to think they had to keep up with the Jones'). The first temple was Preah Khan, built in the late 12th century. This temple originally served as a monastery and school for over 1000 monks.
The next stop was Neak Pean. This area was very interesting as the center "island" is surrounded by water (only in the rainy season) with a wall around the moat. We could walk around the on the moat wall and see the individual points with the different areas of worship. Interesting area inside, but the most memorable part was as we were walking out towards the driver there was a Cambodian man undressing to "shower" in the well on the area near the road. He wrapped his krama around his waist and dropped his drawers. MA and I proceeded quickly once we started to see this as we did not need to see that!
After the show we proceeded to Ta Som. This is another temple in the Bayon design as many of the towers have faces carved. In the rear of the area is a another example of how nature has grown around the walls, there is a huge tree that has grown up (a great photo op!).
The last temple of the day/circuit that we visited was the Banteay Srey. Built in the late 10th century by King Rajendravarman. This temple is loosely translated into "citadel of the women" and is quite different from the others that we had seen. The temple is rather small in comparison and is also made of pink sandstone.
Banteay Srey was discovered in 1914 by the French and a team of archaeologists. It is about 40km from Siem Reap but worth the extra money for the drive. The detailed carvings on the walls are some of the prettiest that we saw during our stay in Siem Reap.
On our way to Banteay Srey we drove through the countryside. We saw farmland, rice fields, and many, many animals. The most interesting one was on his way to the market ~ on the back of a moto bike....
Yes my friends, that is a pig on the back of the moto bike. We saw many things that made us thankful for where we live and how we are able to have things to make life comfortable.
After Banteay Srey we were fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the Cambodian Land Mine Museum. I say fortunate because many people do not visit this museum as it is very far from Siem Reap. It is also a reality check to see what the people of this region went through during the Vietnam War. The museum was very moving for us, to see the destruction and the lives that the war ultimately destroyed. Check out this link for more info on the museum. I remember Princess Diana doing work for this organization and before I would shrug it off and not think anything of it. However after visiting the site and seeing the people I highly recommend reading and researching the cause. We were also interested to see one of the CNN Heros of 2010 plays an important part in the museum and the organization. The museum was very enlightening, the three of us left with a heavy heart.
Our next stop was a boat tour out to a "floating village". Yes, it was a boat (an 8 seater with a man on the bow with a stick and a very old (ancient) motor engine). As we began the "short" trip to the floating village the waves picked up and a light drizzle began. As we arrived on the floating village the light drizzle turned into a full fledged thunderstorm with lighting. Did I mention that we were on the largest lake in South East Asia and were on a floating village... One of our group members has a small phobia of thunderstorms (we did not learn this until we saw the weather change ~ lucky us!!!) She did quite well with all things considered. The storm had not yet stopped when our tour guide instructed us to get on the boat (I think we need a bigger boat) for the long and wet ride back to the dock. It was pitch black dark when we finally arrived back on dry (not really) land about 3 hours later than what we had originally planned. Did I mention this is the dry season in Cambodia?
After all that we had done on the 2nd day it was time for the three of us to head back to the hotel for some much needed rest, food, and beverage. We also needed to prepare for the next day as it was time to check out of the ghetto and into the Taj Mahal!
Stay tuned for part 3 of our excursion through Cambodia!
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