Today is my last day here in Siem Reap. I just made my travel arrangements for tomorrow's trip from Siem Reap to Battambang by speedboat. I was a little apprehensive about these travel arrangements as I've heard that the boats are prone to breakdowns and that during the dry season (which were just now coming out of), the trip can take up to twice as long because of low water levels. I've also learned on this trip not to believe everything you hear or read, and that it's always best to find out for yourself, so I booked it anyway. Besides, the trip to Battambang is "arguably the most scenic in all of Cambodia". We'll see. I'll let you know in a couple of days. Back to the temples...
Day 3 - Banteay Kdei, Banteay Srei, Kbal Spean, and Pre Rup (click for pictures)
For my third and finally day of visiting the temples, I decided not to torture myself again by mountain biking out to the temples and opted for my original mode of transportation - the Tuk Tuk. This also provided me with the opportunity to visit a couple of the more remote temples, Banteay Srei and Kbal Spean, located about 40 and 50 km respectively outside of Siem Reap. My tuk-tuk driver picked me up around 11am, and we head out. Along the way we passed by Banteay Kdei so I decided to stop for a quick look. The temple, being Buddhist, is similar in appearance to the Bayon, with face-towers at its entrances. Its ruined state appears much as discovered, giving it the same mystical feeling as that of Ta Prohm. Although being much smaller in size, making it for an easy visit.
After leaving Banteay Kdei we continued the ride on to Banteay Srei, still about another 25 km away. This gave me the opportunity to take some good photos of the countryside while wizzing by on a tuk-tuk. Banteay Srei wasn't even discovered until 1914 and while not a royal temple, is still a temple of remarkable beauty. It was built by one of Rajendravarmans's counsellors, who had been granted this land by the king. I was surprised at how small this temple is compared with the other I'd seen so far, but what it lacks in size is more than made up for in its beauty. Nearly every surface of this temple is completely decorated in intricate carvings.
Next, we continued on for another 12 km or so until we reached Kbal Spean. Kbal Spean actually isn't a temple, but a series of rock-cut sculptures in which all three gods of the Hindu trinity are represented. Some washed by rapids, others submerged in natural pools along the river, and still others cut into the rock faces above the water line, covering a stretch of about 150 meters between a natural stone bridge and a waterfall. Reaching this place requires hiking/climbing about 1.5 km up a steep hillside and makes the waterfall a nice refreshing reward for your efforts.
Along the way back to Siem Reap I took more photos of the country side and stopped at one last temple, Pre Rup, to catch the sunset. This was a quick visit though, as I arrived just in time to climb to the upper terrace of this temple-mountain to catch the sun dipping below the horizon. This marked the closing of the temple, and the end of my whirlwind three-day visit to the Cities and Temples of Ancient Angkor.
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