The next temple we went to was Ta Keo (still within Angkor grounds). This was also built by the Khmers, but this was built entirely out of sandstone. I am not at all a big movie buff but for those of you who are: this temple is where part of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (released in 2001) was filmed. There are 45 faces in the towers on this site. We easily could have spent a day here exploring, people watching and pondering. Easily. But we were only in Siem Reap for less than 24 hours total therefore we stopped wishing for the impossible.
Ta Keo was build around 1000 and has five sanctuary towers. It used to be surrounded by a moat and is a temple dedicated to Shiva (one of the three main Hindu gods). I know this description is weak. A reminder that from this day forward I will pay money for local guides. Oh well, here are some pictures:
The third temple, Ta Prohm, was built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. It was also featured in Lara Croft. This temple was fascinating because it was essentially left in the exact same condition as when it was originally found. Restoration on it has only begun semi-recently. This was built as a Buddhist temple but many of the bas-relief work (carvings in the stone) were destroyed by Hindus after the death of the Buddhist leader. This temple is an example of man vs nature and it seems as though the balance is swinging in nature's favour.
A centipede like we saw in the DR last year:
Restoration:
The trees growing out of the ruins are fascinating and a distinctive feature of Ta Prohm. For the information junkies/tree lovers: "Two species predominate, but sources disagree on their identification: the larger is either the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) or thitpok Tetrameles nudiflora,[8] and the smaller is either the strangler fig (Ficus gibbosa) or Gold Apple (Diospyros decandra)" (Wikipiedia Ta Prohm page). The pictures do not do the scene justice but this whole environment captivated me. I explored silently and alone for a good length of time. Man vs. nature. Everywhere. The massive trees just keep growing and growing regardless of the beautiful architecture man placed in their way. Their roots seemed alive and more like moving snakes than roots of trees. What got me most, what mesmerized, stunned, silenced and held me still was the perpetual sound:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrSY8Th5Q2k
That evening after dinner we checked out the night market: the market that opens at 4pm. It reminded me of the Dominican market we go to each year: vendors vying for your attention. Not an environment I like to be in at all. What was new for me was the massage station at the back: a half hour leg and foot massage for $5USD. It was packed with tourists! I resisted all invitations to buy something but a booth at the back caught my attention: a man and his wife were sitting quietly and didn't address me once as I browsed: that's my idea of customer service! They had authentic Cambodian license plates and I bought one for $13. This has become my new 'thing': to try to get a license plate from each country (as I wrote about in india).
We also decided to go to an ice cream shop: "The Blue Pumpkin" (apparently a Cambodian novelty). It was novel. The ice cream was lovely and the atmosphere even lovlier. You could opt to enjoy the silky ice cream at a table and chairs or you could opt for a lovely bench with a tray and a newspaper. Clearly we went "Asian".
After the market and ice cream everything in me wanted to walk around the town an explore life. But I just couldn't do it. I was exhausted. I could own that I was done and needed to sleep. For me, this is quite the revelation. I felt bad for Teresa but back to the hotel we went. After watching some more world Badminton championships tv, my evening was over. Let's be honest, I was so tired I may have stayed awake for 17 seconds of tv.
I woke up early so I could take advantage of the pool. Then we packed up, ate breakfast and headed to the airport for our domestic flight to Phnom Penh (departing a mere 21 hours after we arrived). I mentioned earlier, and I speak the truth when I say, both China and Cambodia are whirlwind adventures!
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