Angkor temples + the remainder of Cambodia


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Asia » Cambodia » North » Angkor
June 1st 2008
Published: June 1st 2008
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A temple of pinkA temple of pinkA temple of pink

Here's the outside of the infamous "pink temple"
I apologize on our behalf for the strange grammar at parts in the previous post.

We started our second day with first a trip to what is popularly called the "pink temple" (but I don't know what they were really called), as the stone used in the construction of the temples was pinkish in color and 3X stronger than the stone used in all the other Angkor temples. It was really cool to get to see the intricate detailing preserved through all the years in this stronger stone. We spent about 1/2 an hour there, just wandering through the ruins and taking in all the striking architecture from the period they were constructed. It was quite crazy, because when we started the tour of the pink temple, our guide (named bun) told us all about the fatalaties that landmines have caused through the years, and that the area surrounding the pink temple was still an active area for unexploded landmines. I guess they put many landmines around the temple to try and preserve the old structures. Actually, a french guy (whos name escapes me) came over from Paris and looted the temple of its' treasures hundreds of years before the
The detailed carvingsThe detailed carvingsThe detailed carvings

An example of the intricacy of the carvings
landmines were placed, and that's one of the reasons they put so many around now.

We finished the pink temple fairly soon after it had started and made a quick stop at the landmine museum, which had history of the land mine and info regarding how they work and the fatalaties they've caused. Following that, we cruised our way over to these super serene ruins of another temple (which was my personal favourite), and sat in the quiet-ess for quite some time, just hearing the bugs and birds make their little chirpy sounds and relaxing. We were brought there for just that reason, to relax and absorb the serenity. The temple was small, but very beautiful.

We had a short lunch break comprised of pretty middle of the road meals, then went to the final temple of our angkor temple tour. Right when we got off the bus, it started to pour bucketloads of rain, and we had luckily grabbed umbrellas to galavant through the final temple with. We didn't get any pictures of this one, but our good (and english) friend Jamie got some on his fancy SLR, and we expect these photos sent once he gets
The most quiet templeThe most quiet templeThe most quiet temple

A shot of Jamie (England) and I relaxing in the quiet forest temple
to australia in a week. The last temple was a lot like many other temples, but it was a very cool experience going through one in the pouring rain.

On a sidenote, Erin forgot to mention an awesome experience at Angkor Wat, where right when we were about to leave the temple, it started to pour rain harder than I've seen it in a long time. There were also these four pools that used to be used for big religious ceremonies that then began to fill up with the rain. I think if they hadn't installed small drains at the bottom of these pools, they would have gotten pretty high just from the (relatively) short bout of rain.

After the last temple me and my Australian friend, Brad, decided we would go and give blood to the children's local hospital, as they were advertising that they desperately need blood due to widespread dengue fever, and any donations would help. Brad and I were totally gung-ho about the idea of helping out the local kids, and it was a great experience. They used clean, new, and sterilized needles (just for all those who think I've got some crazy disease
Pirate BenPirate BenPirate Ben

Me looking like a pirate
now from using a needle in Cambodia, and I don't).

The following morning we took the infamous "hell bus" ride from the city of Battambang to the border, and then on to Bangkok. To say the least (as I'm short on time), the name explains itself, and there were spots on the road where we were driving into oncoming traffic and then veered off at the last minute into a bunch of giant speed bumps... and thats not even scratching the surface.

But that's all the time (and info) I've got for now... next time, it'll be Bangkok!

Thanks for reading,

Ben


Additional photos below
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Awesome templeAwesome temple
Awesome temple

Another awesome temple at the pink temple site.
StunningStunning
Stunning

Inside one of the temples.
Inner serene templeInner serene temple
Inner serene temple

Another shot of the inner temple (serene).
Sshhhh...Sshhhh...
Sshhhh...

A quiet place.


1st June 2008

great new pictures
I just love the photo of two guys sitting at the quiet temple. The serenity and peacefulness of the area shines through the photo. Tell us more about the 'hell bus' when you have some time. Thanks for telling us about the clean needles - first thing that came to my mind: omg what is he doing, deng fever is NOT a souvenir.
2nd June 2008

AM ENJOYING THE TEXT
Thanks for all the interesting reading. Take those malaria pills! Stay safe.
2nd June 2008

Nice
Well I am glad your still having a great time, and its so nice to see your latest photos!!! I can't wait to see Angkor Wat myself, but what were your thoughts of it, was the place more amazing that you thought, or about the same? I'll be tuned for your next story! Ciao again Jeff
7th June 2008

Angkor Wat
I wasn't really sure what to expect. Angkor Wat was definitely impressive simply because of it's size, but honestly it wasn't my favorite of the Angkor temples. The carvings were amazing but the actual design of the structure was very simple. Each of the Angkor Temples are so different that it's hard to compare and I definitely agree that you have to spend at least a week and go through most of them. Apparently Angkor Wat is best seen at sunrise and sunset, which we unfortunately missed, but our guide said that the sunrise and sunset are only really amazing around the 20th of March and September when the sunrise is right behind the center tower. Thanks for reading!! -Erin

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