24.2.08
Today is for exploring the Temples of Angkor – first stop
Angkor Wat. This palace is mind-blowing! This is not only because of its sheer
size but the building quality and amazing detail of the carvings in its
galleries. You can imagine what it was like to live in a place like this!
Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious monument and was built under the
reign by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. It’s almost
unbelievable in the way that the builders did not have cranes or trucks to
carry supplies!
Next it was onto the Roluos Group of temples – Preah Ko, Bakong
and Lolei. These temples were the first that were built to last. The brick
infrastructure and carvings are still majorly intact. They may not have been as
spectacular as Angkor Wat, however on the upside, there were far less crowds
blocking photographs. Still well worth a visit!
The middle of the day was
approaching and so was the ever-increasing UV factor so we made a decision to
head back to Siem Reap. I had the afternoon to myself so I explored the Old
Market. This place was bustling with tourists and locals. It was a great place
to pick up a few Krama and other odds and ends.
After dinner I opted for some
traditional Khmer massage to work out the knots in my muscles from days of
being on-the-go. The young masseuse was chatty and loved to try and communicate the
English she had learnt. It definitely made the pain of the massage take a back
seat as my brain was concentrating on trying to understand what she was saying!
Not as relaxing as what I envisioned but it was nice to have a chat to someone
since I was travelling alone.
