The Heat is On

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A sultry Sunday here in Siem Reap, after a night of debauchery and jokes with some Australian friends, and jaded references to marketing " monk tours incorporated"" for bored middle aged Western woman, not to mention our requests for large banana salads. Our poor hapless young waiter kept cracking up; - his English was much better than I had initially assumed, unfortunately.

Anyway back to temples, forget the monks, Deb, for a moment. A few days ago I discovered Preah Khan, which appears to have been more than a temple, and was once a Buddhist university, as well as a considerable city. References to a "lake of blood" indicate that Preah Khan was built on the site of a major battle in the recapture of Angkor from the Chams, and the Cham king died here.

It is a large temple complex and not as well visited as Ta Prohm and Bayon, but equally visually stunning and charming, yet minus the crowds and nasty tour buses.

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