More Temples

Our driver picked us up at our hotel again, at 8:30, and we drove north about one hour to visit Banteay Srei, “a 10th century temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, renowned for its exceptionally intricate, well preserved red sandstone carvings and miniature, delicate design.  It is often called the Citadel of Women or the jewel of Khmer art.”  The smallest temple complex we visited, the intricate designs were exquisite.

We drove back south to the Angkor Wat Archaeological Park, to visit Banteay Samre, another small temple site, finely carved, from the 12th century. 

Nearby, we explored Pre Rup Temple, built in the late 10th century of brick construction, it was used for funerals.  Its center temple is tall and steep to climb.  

Our driver insisted we take a break from temples and walk across a long bridge to Neak Péan Temple, located on an island in a lake filled with water lilies.  Of course, there was a small temple in the middle of the island, built in the 12th century.  The pools around the temple were built for bathing to cure disease.  Each of the four pools are said to represent wind, fire, water, and earth.  

Our last temple visit was at Preah Khan, a 12th century Buddhist temple built by King Jayavarman VII to honor his father after the victory over invading Cham armies in 1191.  The temple is one of the largest created in the Khmer empire.  It fell into disrepair and the broken and fallen stones are quite a jumble.

We had a late lunch in Amok Restaurant in Siem Reap.  We ate local Khmer dishes that were delicious, and beautifully served.  We took a walk after lunch, through the old downtown area, had a cup of local ice cream, and took a tuk tuk back to our hotel.  We had a great day!