When I visited Beijing and Seoul a couple of years/months ago I said to myself that I have enough of temples for a lifetime. That's why when Olive and Rose invited me to Siem Reap I was thinking "it must be the same temples din!".
Well, of course I was very wrong. Hahaha. Siem Reap just totally blew me away with it's awesomeness man made structures!
Hail to the Khmer Kingdom
Together with my travel buddies Olive, Rose and Gilbert we head to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh after a grueling 6 hour road trip (note:not-advisable-to-take). And after our relaxing rest at our hotel the next day we we're ready to traverse the wide area of Siem Reap temples. First stop: Banteay Srei.
The entrance fee for this part of Siem Reap is $40.00 per person, quite expensive for a normal traveller but once you get inside the complex sulit narin ang bayad =).
Main entrance of Banteay Srei (w/ Olive)
Siem Reap (or most probably the whole Cambodia) are mostly swamp areas, hence the abundance of crocodiles and rice fields and what not, that's why Bantay Srei is surrounded by waters. This area was also covered by the foliage and turned into a jungle after the Khmer left Angkor Wat.
Thank God for the French and local archeologist they have discovered the lost kingdom of the Khmers and gave the world the most treasured structure dedicated to Hindu and Buddhist religions. And it provides the best cultural history for the people of Cambodia as well.
One thing that strikes me the most about Banteay Srei was the intricate sculpture the've made on their temple facade. Simply amazing!
Traditional Khmer writings
Trees and foliage still are abundant in this area
As expected there we're a lot of tourist in BS, mostly Chinese and Koreans. It's a little bit crowded when all those tourist are inside BS.
Framed Turistas
Elephants and Buddha together =)
While the rest of the gang are busy having photo-shoots and taking pictures I've noticed that the windows of traditional Khmer contains a square window with baluster inside. Nice idea i thought for my future house =) LoL!
At the center of the BS the main temple is located, which is off-limits to tourist. It's nice to take picture also of what inside the temple but the four monkey like statue guard in front looks very intimidating.
Front View
Side View =)
Though the place are like wetlands, i haven't experienced any mosquito bite while we are in Siem Reap. Though tourist must be extra careful in walking in order to avoid muds and shallow waters hahaha
Binibining Kampuchea (a.k.a. Rose)
Next on our itinerary is the mountain-like temple of Pre Rup. It's just a simple temple yet the lion statue at every corner is so awesome! The steps on the stairs are high also, same as the stairs in some part of Great Wall of China. Kakapagod umakyat!!
And I have to admit this is one of my favorite photo of all time! LoL!
RAWR!
Stairway to heaven
Again, the windows are just the same as those in BS. Olive taking the shots.
View from the top. Marvelous view!
Most of the faces of the lion statues are already gone. Most probably taken by thief or destroyed by weather. Still the statue reminds us how grandeur the temple was during its heyday.
Inside the temple. Sun directly shine on the buddha below
P.S. may bayad na $1.00 pagpasok sa loob!!!!
Overlooking the kingdom
"Kingdom come and go, but the guardians of the temple remains"
Last leg of the trip was the visit to the Khmer king's swimming pool daw.It's like a mini lake inside the complex. In fairness it does have the official signage of the king's ownership (the lion statues) and the stones at the banks have intricate design also. Good thing they re-arrange this area, such a good place to relax after the tiring day =)
Funny scene happened here in the pool area between Olive, Rose and the little girl bottled water vendor. It's so funny i think I will remind it to the girls everytime we see each other (ikaw ba naman bantaan ng bagets na "you will die if you don't buy my water!"), but i have to admit the street hawkers are really persuasive! Talk about ending our day with a hearty laugh. =).
More about Siem Reap soon!
