Angkor continued...

We spent the last two days discovering more of Angkor. Three days was just enough in the end, after a while the temples start to look quite the same and its better to remember the initial awe and wonder.

We started day two of Angkor taking a tuk-tuk up to Kbai Spean where there is a small water fall and some lovely pre-angkorian river carvings dedicated to Lord Shiva. An added bonus- about half an hour trek up the hill through the jungle. The scenery was beautiful, the air was surprisingly quiet and we also managed to spot a snake on our way back (less of a shudder every time - yey! :)

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We went onwards to Bantrey Srei (the citadel of a Lady). The stone used for this temple was red sandstone so it looked quite different from the other temples and the carvings were stunning and very intricate.

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For the last day we rented bikes again and went to the temple of Preah Khan.
It was the centre of a substantial organisation, with almost 100,000 officials and servants. The temple is flat in design, with a basic plan of successive rectangular galleries around a Buddhist sanctuary complicated by Hindu satellite temples and numerous later additions. Like the nearby Ta Prohm, Preah Khan has been left largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins. [Wiki]

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And last but not least we saw the Terrace of the Elephants...

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and the Terrace of the Leper King, both with wonderful carvings yet again.

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We are leaving Cambodia tomorrow! It seems really unbelievable. We thought initially to quickly pass through this country and to only visit the highlights and we ended up staying a month. Another piece of our hearts left behind... Yet the heart doesn't get smaller at all, rather our home gets larger :) .

Okon cheran Cambodia! We will come back here muoi dong diet!