Cambodia Trip 2009 Day 3 (P.M.)

After lunch, we went to the Banteay Srei which was also built around the 11th century. Most were built of red rocks.

Petroglyph.

'naga' serpents again. We could still see their teeth. The carving was soooo detailed and exquisite. I always wonder why it can still be kept so well? It's really amazing.

The holy statues.

Next...it's the place where the movie 'Tomb raider - Lara Croft' was once filmed. The tall & thick trees could be found easily around this place. Their roots throttled the walls of the temple and extended deep into the land.

haha Guess what things were put into those holes before. It's unbelievable. This time it was built of green rocks.

Answer is gems & jewelry. Of cos all are gone now becoz they were stolen. But I still tried to find if anything looked shiny but no...heehee how stupid i was  :p

yay, i like this pose. It's natural.

Then, it's the Angkor Wat that i longed for. It was built in the 11th century under the reign of King Suryavarman II.

It looked greenish grey. There were lots of palm trees and greenland surrounded by. And the air was sooooo fresh there. It's a beautiful scenary indeed.

The stupa.

One of the entrances.

The guardian lions. Once you step into this gorgeous place, you can feel the splendor of this kingdom. The feelings was so real.

The stairs were so steep & dangerous that people were not allowed to climb up. Coz there was a French who came to Angkor Wat and climbed up successfully. But when he went down, he fell from the stairs and died at once. If i remembered correctly, it happend in 1-Oct-1997. So after this year, 'No Access' signs were put everywhere near the staircases. In fact, many people fell down too but only the French man died at once. What a pity...Sigh, i wanted to climb too.

btw, It's under the maintenance from the Japanese gov. now. Some new staircases are built. Perhaps, tourists may go up with these new staircases a few years later. Thanks to all staff who have put their effort to protect this heritage.

We spent almost 3 hrs to hang around. My fav. building inside Angkor Wat was the library(below). Of coz there were no more books there. If not, i was sure 3 hrs was not enough for me. heehee   :D

We found a secret path, dunno where it lead to.

When the sun set, it looked much more beautiful.

And the Angkor Wat turned into golden color. Cool....

~ The End ~                                                                                                     :D