Ancient Ruins of Angkor

We flew into Siem Reap with one mission in mind:  To thoroughly immerse ourselves in the ancient ruins of Angkor!  We planned our itinerary to build up to the climax of Angkor Wat, the largest and most magnificent of the Angkor ruins.  Our exploits took us no less than three days of pedaling and plodding in the dire heat of the Cambodian sun.  Fortunately we found ourselves accommodation with a pool, which gave us a refreshing retreat after a day of ruin romping. 

THE FIRST DAY OF ANGKOR!

Welcome to Prasat Kravan! One of the smallest ruins, but not to be overlooked. Its not that small though, see Kaitlin on a bike in the left corner for scale.  

Many of the Angkor ruins, such as Bat Chum, are undergoing restoration.  Its good to know the admission fees are being put to use!

Kaitlin cruising by Sra Srang, the royal bathing pond

Lion and naga statues standing gaurd at the entrance of Banteay Kdei

The weather was extremely hot and dry! It was simply astonishing how much water we had to consume to stay hydrated during this bike excursion.  

Welcome to Ta Som
You can do anything at all

At the far entrance, an ancient tree grows from the doorway

As we started to mount onto our bike to go to the next location, we heard a curious sound: POP......sssssssssssssss.....yep thats the bike tire going flat as a pancake. Who knows how far it is to the nearest repair shop?  At least 12 kilometers separated us from Siem Reap.    Fortunately a group of tourists offered us a ride in their pickup to the nearest police hut.  After struggling with a language barrier we managed to explain our situation to a local.  He fixed up our tire and we were on our way!  Crisis avoided!

After tipping our savior and buying a couple of sodas, we crossed the street to visit Preah Neak Poan.  Not much more to see here other than this little pond...

Our last stop of the day: Preah Khan

Apsara dancers are nearly ubiquitous in the Angkor ruins

THE SECOND DAY OF ANGKOR!!

Determined to visit some more remote sites and take a break from the heat, we hired a tuk-tuk for the day

Kbal Spean (aka River of 1,000 lingas)

Here hundreds of linga figures can be found carved into the bed of a river.  Curious? We think so.

Them are some goooood lingas!

Hey betcha like them lingas, liz!

Why are some of the leaves red? Kind of...morbid...

Not sure this would fly with US safety standards, but in Cambodia, no problemo!  The whole thing was being pulled by a freaking motorbike.

Banteay Srei

Eastern Mebon

Pre Rup

 Ta Prohm

"Hey Kaitlin, I found a tree!"

Posing at the famous Crocodile Tree

Ta Keo

THE FINAL DAY OF ANGKOR!!!

Bayon

Oh dear oh dear is it crowded here!

Bayon Bas Reliefs

Everywhere you go, big brother is watching...

Terrace of the Lepper King - Ah Shade!

Terrace of the Elephants

Don't remember the name of this one...

Baphuon 

Why did you wear those shorty-shorts Kaitlin!?

Angkor Thom South Gate

Angkor Wat (finally!)

The outer walls

 ....still approaching...

Finally inside!

Here we see he central structure, which features 5 prangs.  You are allowed to scale to the upper floor, given that you are dressed appropriately.  Kaitlin, wearing her shorty-shorts,  tried no less than three times to get up, once after having borrowed a sarong from complete strangers to cover up, to no avail.  Her third attempt proved fruitful, leaving Nick hiding is his underwear in a dark corner of the Wat.  Buddha would not smile upon such actions, it would seem.  

Phew...that was exhausting! Time to hit Pub Street for a cold mug of Chang!