Cambodian snapshot: Angkor temples

It seems silly that I haven't written about the main reason that I went to Cambodia- the temples of Angkor. I think I've been avoiding it because I don't know where to start. Exploring the temples in person is a bit like escaping to a different time. A time when buildings spoke to the soul. When they were the heart and soul of a community. When nothing could be grander then these temples. And yet at the same time the draw is seeing just how something this old is surviving until the modern time. This is what you can call some solid construction. True there may be areas where the forest is taking over, where the trees have staked their claim as the fingers of their roots creep over walls, through cracks and sandwich walls. And yet with all the crumbling stones to accompany them there is still a magnificence to accompany these ruins.

I have to admit that Angkor Watt was not my favourite of the temples I explored during my three days there. Some of that may be because they were in the process of doing renovations so green tarp restricted my view of the towers and entrance. Perhaps it was the sheer size of the structure which made it difficult to grasp the full scale. Or maybe it was just that I preferred sites where there were fewer people and I could feel like I was actually discovering a new location.

So what did I prefer? The more than a hundred faces carved into the spires of Bayon held a special fascination for me. So much that I ended up wandering through that temple more than once. Of course who can resist the root entangled temple Ta Prohm, of tomb raider glory? Surely not me. My favourites though were those that were a bit farther off the beaten track. Ta Nei which required us to walk up a sand track and clamber over fallen stones provided a real sense of discovery, solitude and fallen glory. Further afield Banteay Srey stood proudly in a field with extraordinary carvings and details along every surface. Preah Khan had a few trees taking over giving a sense of just what nature can envelop given enough time. I could go on and on, but perhaps a slideshow of pictures will give you the best idea of this fascinating region of Cambodia.