Cambodia travel- Angkor Wat again, Ta Keo and a few more

On my third day in Siem Reap, I went to Angkor Wat again. I’d almost wanted to take a break and stay in the city, but then I figured I’d be wasting my time so I went back up to Angkor. I hired a driver on the street, negotiated a price and then set off, this time a little later than the previous two days, which almost proved to be bad.

I’ve also listed a few other sites I went to that are not in the other posts. On the third day, besides going to Angkor Wat again, I went to Ta Keo and made a repeat visit to Angkor Thom.
On my first day, the first temple we went to after Angkor Wat was Prasat Kavan, followed by Banteay Kdei. On the second day, my final stop was Phnom Bakheng, a temple located on a small hill right outside of Angkor Thom to the south.

My second visit to Angkor Wat started off well. The day was sunny and there weren’t many visitors. I went back to the highest point of Angkor Wat and I took more photos of Angkor from beyond the pools. While I was there, a couple asked me to take a photo of them, then complimented me on my shirt, which was a New Zealand t-shirt that my mother had bought me when she went there for a holiday. The couple turned out to be Kiwis and they took my photo for me in return, before we parted ways; the second time on my Southeast Asia trip that New Zealanders had seen my shirt and remarked about it to me.
Somehow while I was inside, clouds appeared on the horizon, followed by a little rain. By the time, I walked towards the entrance the rain got heavier and eventually began pouring. I decided to wait but after 20 minutes or so, I took out my umbrella and walked back to the entrance where my driver was. I made sure to look back at Angkor Wat and take one last pic, the one at the top of this post.



The very wide moat that runs along Angkor Wat’s outer walls.

Ta Keo is an imposing temple that stands several stories above a massive stone base.  You can climb to the top, where three large domes are, and enjoy the views of the surrounding forest.

Prasat Kavan was quite simple, basically a shell of a temple with only the pillars and center dome intact, whilst missing the roof and outer walls (if there had been). It did have some cool engravings of deities on walls inside a few rooms.

Banteay Kdei is a long, one-story, grayish temple ruin, but with a distinctive front entrance that was topped by a massive smiling four-face statue. There are at least two separate buildings, along with piles of columns that somehow reminded me of ancient Greece (not that I’ve ever been there).

Phnom Bakheng is a Hindu temple ruin located on top of a hill that is just south of Angkor Thom. The hike to the top only takes about 20 minutes but there are elephants at the bottom that can take you up for a fee. At the top, the temple has a flat top that gives you good views of the surrounding forest, baray (reservoir) and glimpses of Angkor Wat. Interestingly, Phnom Bakheng is over 1000 years old, predating Angkor Wat by more than 200 years.