Monday 13th Feb.

East entrance to Banteay Kdei

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Our flight to Luang Prabang wasn't until 5:00pm, so we had a good part of the day to explore the temples. Hiring a car and driver was by far the best bet. Our driver "Lida" was on time, friendly and knowledgeable about what we could best achieve in the time we had available. First stop; the Angkor Ticket centre to buy a day pass - all tickets are sold from here, so it was a bit congested, but surprisingly it didn't take much time at all to get our passes (U$37 each). First on the list was Banteay Kdei (Citadel of Monks), built in the 12th-13th centuries - it was intriguing, each archway leading to an inner enclosure, but it wasn't in good shape at all, apparently due to faulty construction and poor quality sandstone, it is currently undergoing restoration.

The central sanctuary of Banteay Kdei

The second enclosure of Ta Prohm

Ceiba tree roots

Next up was Ta Prohm, of similar age. It had amazing root systems of Ceiba and Fig trees growing through and around the temple masonry. This temple was used as a film location for the movie 'Lara Croft:Tomb Raider'.

Southern façade of Ta Keo

Climbing the central tower

 Then onto Ta Keo, from the 9th-10th centuries, possibly one of the first temples to be built entirely of sandstone by the Khmer and has statues confirming that it was a Shivaite temple. It construction style was noticeably different than those we had visited so far and we were able to climb to the top of the high central tower.

  

Galleried enclosure of Bayon

One of the many towers of Bayon

We finished the morning with a stop at Bayon, and the highlight of the morning. It's size and style, with a multitude of carved smiling faces and impressive bas-reliefs. It was the last state temple to be built at Angkor.

Western approach across causeway

The redented towers of Angkor Wat

Inner gallery

Over 2 million visitors a year

After lunch we visited Angkor Wat. It is absolutely impressive - I had waited many years for this opportunity to visit and just like the pyramids at Giza, it did not disappoint!

Angkor Wat is best appreciated from a distance as it is its grand scale (the largest religious monument in the world), that takes your breath away. Unlike most Khmer temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west, evidence that it was built as a funerary temple for King Suryavarman II .

Our flight to Luang Prabang

The mountains of Northerm Lao

The afternoon slipped by quickly and Lida reminded us that it was time to be heading to the airport and to say goodbye to Cambodia. It had been a spectacular last day in this country with its friendly and open people and fascinating history.

Dinner and  a dark Beer Lao