Index
Day 1: Flying
Day 2: Arrival
Day 3: Angkor Wat/Ta Prohm
Day 4: Preah Khan/Preah Palilay
Day 5: Return
Cambodia
With rain forecast for the afternoon, switched things up to a second morning tour based on Thierry's recommendation. Left at 6:00am instead of 4:40am, which was definitely a much more civilized hour to start exploring. A very quick nature walk into Preah Khan, which is a massive, still mostly ruined, Buddhist temple. Wall nagas and layers and layers of arches/doorways are its hallmark, and its current conservators are taking a much more conservation-oriented approach as opposed to restoration, leading to a much more overgrown feel throughout much of the complex than Ta Prohm.
Still, once you get deeper inside, many areas have indeed been cleared up and restored, and the site's original beauty is evident, down to the ancient plumbing that meant pools of water keeping the interior courtyards cool. Today, outside of the cleared areas, massive piles of stone under the canopies of tall trees with root structures climbing all over walls and buildings make for a very differen experience, even compared to Ta Prohm.
Naga (serpent) balustrades on the bridge mark one of the main entrances, and should you look back, a smaller set of spires (compared to Angkor Wat) sticks up between the trees. It may not have been the most magnificient sight of the trip, but it was one of the most memorable of the day's. Breakfast #2 outside Preah Khan gave a quick glimpse into much of the construction and investment going on, then it was off to Angkor Thom.
Tep Pranam is still in use as a Buddhist temple today, and we arrived in time to see a water ceremony underway, silently being witnessed by a small flock of butterflies on a nearby flowering bush. Then a quick walk to the ancient stone spire that is Preah Palilay, where a massive tree on the south side leads to very different feels on each side as you circumnavigate Preah Palilay and the many carved stones that still litter the ground. Additional structures between Tep Pranam and Preah Palilay make this a rather pleasant stop in Angkor Thom, even if it is one of the shorter stops.
One last stop at Khmoch Gate (Gate of the Dead) nearby. Like Victory Gate, it is elaborately carved, with an opening in the center juuuust big enough to fit a car through. Unlike Victory Gate, the road ends and turns into a trail at Khmoch Gate, leading to an area where local teenagers hang out in the (relative) cool of the forest on weekends. With minimal vehicular traffic through it, photography opportunities are much more abundant than at Victory Gate, and this was enhanced not only by some butterflies but a trio of gibbons-- one male, one female, and one baby with the female, high in the trees above our heads.
Ended up being a very cool end to the trip.
Spent the rest of the afternoon inside due to the pouring rain. Ate in at the hotel again, with another seafood salad (phlea trei, raw kalang fish and orange salad), along with a splurge on nom banh chiao (khmer yellow rice crepe with prawn and pork). Dinner was room service, an elegantly presented fried rice that you needed to mix up yourself (guess they really care about presentation here!), eaten in the disco-like lights of the pool at night.