We visited four temples in total, and there were many more. We slipped away from Angkor Wat just at the tour buses started to pile up, and also went to see Bayon with the serene smiling faces. We went to a temple where there ‘were no other tourists’ and played at Indiana Jones, and then to Ta Prohm, where the trees just took over. The last one is being kept like it is with the trees as people protested when they wanted to cut them down. Restoring these temple treasures must be the biggest 3D puzzle challenge ever – never mind the pile of stones that had crumbled to the ground, I suspect a few things might have found their way to other parts of the world.
Bayon face from the side.Four faces from the front. At the temple where there are no other tourists!Close up.Cutie PieKids in the tree.Right, let’s hope the ceiling doesn’t cave in!
Partly restored.Champignon du Jour.This reminds me of Julia Donaldson’s book The Snail and the Whale, where sharks with hideous toothy grins circle the coral. In this case, a snake, partly restored.Nothing is new on this planet. There is a stegosaurus here.They think the temples used to be painted, therefore the red stains.Things have shifted over time.Here you can see the old buddha superimposed by Hindu images.This tree is not growing on any soil but has drilled its roots into this temple.And here we are.
TASTY TRAVEL TITBITS 