Temples Visit 1 | Temples Visit 2 | Temples Visit 3 | Temples Visit 4 | Temples Visit 5 | Temples Visit 6 | Temples Visit 7
On the second day, we started our journey a bit later, at only 9am. The sky was no longer dark, and we had enough sleep for the day!
Mr Bean was our driver that day. He was no longer drunk and assigned his friend to drive us.
Day 2 (1st Destination) - Srah Srang
Our first destination of the day was Srah Srang (皇家浴池), a quick one to start with. We were pestered by a little girl upon our arrival, kept asking us to buy something and visit her shop.
Srah Srang (Royal Bath) is a picturesque baray opposite the east entrance of Banteay Kdei.
A multi-tiered landing platform on the west edge of the baray is adorned with naga balustrades and guardian lions. According to travel guide, the very sparse remains of an island temple can be seen poking out of the middle of the lake during the dry season, when the water is low. However, it was not observed during our visit.
I was more tempted with the colour of sky and water. The view from the terrace over the water is beautiful. You might feel it conveys a scary message.
Quick information -
Constructed: Mid 10th and Late 12th century C.E
King/Patron: Jayavarman VII
Religion: Buddhist
Style: Bayon
Srah Srang offers a pleasant, much less touristy sunrise alternative to Angkor Wat.
Day 2 (2nd Destination) - Banteay Kdei
Just opposite Srah Srang, there is Banteay Kdei.
Quick information -
Constructed: Late 12th and Early 13th century C.E
King/Patron: Jayavarman VII
Religion: Buddhist
Style: Angkor Wat / Bayon
It was originally constructed over the site of an earlier temple, and functioned as a Buddhist monastery. It's a tightly packed architectural muddle, which suffered from several changes in the plans at the time of construction.
It was also built using an inferior grade of sandstone and using poor construction techniques, leading to much of the deterioration visible today. A restoration project is underway on many of the towers and corridors, and some areas are blocked off.
The foundation stele of the temple has not been found so there is no record of to whom it is dedicated. The 13th century vandalism of Buddha images that is seen on many Jayavarman VII temples is quite apparent on Banteay Kdei.
Later on, we proceeded to take a brunch, in order to have energy to walk longer and further.
On the second day, we started our journey a bit later, at only 9am. The sky was no longer dark, and we had enough sleep for the day!
Mr Bean was our driver that day. He was no longer drunk and assigned his friend to drive us.
On the way, someone attached himself to our Tuk Tuk, to save his energy.
He still posed for a photo.
Ticket checking at the entrance.
Day 2 (1st Destination) - Srah Srang
Our first destination of the day was Srah Srang (皇家浴池), a quick one to start with. We were pestered by a little girl upon our arrival, kept asking us to buy something and visit her shop.
Srah Srang (Royal Bath) is a picturesque baray opposite the east entrance of Banteay Kdei.
A multi-tiered landing platform on the west edge of the baray is adorned with naga balustrades and guardian lions. According to travel guide, the very sparse remains of an island temple can be seen poking out of the middle of the lake during the dry season, when the water is low. However, it was not observed during our visit.
I was more tempted with the colour of sky and water. The view from the terrace over the water is beautiful. You might feel it conveys a scary message.
Quick information -
Constructed: Mid 10th and Late 12th century C.E
King/Patron: Jayavarman VII
Religion: Buddhist
Style: Bayon
Srah Srang offers a pleasant, much less touristy sunrise alternative to Angkor Wat.
Day 2 (2nd Destination) - Banteay Kdei
Just opposite Srah Srang, there is Banteay Kdei.
There were still children around selling things to visitors.
If you are really kind, you've gotta prepare a lot of money before coming to Siem Reap :)
Quick information -
Constructed: Late 12th and Early 13th century C.E
King/Patron: Jayavarman VII
Religion: Buddhist
Style: Angkor Wat / Bayon
It was originally constructed over the site of an earlier temple, and functioned as a Buddhist monastery. It's a tightly packed architectural muddle, which suffered from several changes in the plans at the time of construction.
It was also built using an inferior grade of sandstone and using poor construction techniques, leading to much of the deterioration visible today. A restoration project is underway on many of the towers and corridors, and some areas are blocked off.
Huh, what happened at Banteay Kdei? Don't worry, they are just students cum visitors.
They really took off shoes, knelt down and prayed.
The foundation stele of the temple has not been found so there is no record of to whom it is dedicated. The 13th century vandalism of Buddha images that is seen on many Jayavarman VII temples is quite apparent on Banteay Kdei.
Later on, we proceeded to take a brunch, in order to have energy to walk longer and further.
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