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Angkor - Day 6
Oh, another temple...... 2/3/2006 |
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I've been here for 6 days now and I'm still finding some amazing places. Today, before we headed out, I looked at a big map on the wall of the lobby here at the guesthouse. I spotted a place I hadn't heard of before, so I asked my driver. He said it was a really nice temple and not too many people know about it. So I said let's go, and off we went. Well, I'll tell ya - what a ride! Just as spectacular as the temple. Rode about 10 miles out of town, the turned off on to a little dirt road for about another 5 or 6. No tour buses here! You could barely drive a motorbike on this road, which went out through the jungle, past rice paddies, through little tiny villages full of little straw houses. All the people you see smile and wave. It's all genuine here - not the phony smiles you see in town where they just want your money. Life here is as simple as it gets. After a while we arrived at the temple, which is out in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by a wall, there are a few crumbling gatehoues and buildings spread around inside. This place is pretty much the way they found it - overgrown by the jungle. The wall has fallen down in a lot of places. There are piles of rubble that used to be buildings. Then - you climb the hill to the temple that sits on top. I met 2 people from France who were very nice and we sat and chatted for about 10 minutes. We were the only people in the whole place. In fact, we were the only ones who had been there at all today. Yesterday, there was nobody there. It was absolutely beautiful. Very quiet and peaceful, totally surrounded by the jungle. I started to go into this little building when I saw what I though was a bird flying around inside. Turned out to be the biggest bat I have ever seen! Wingspan hand to be 2 feet wide! After trying to get some pictures of it flying around , I decided not to go in there and ventured off somewhere else. After wandering around these ruins, to be able to find places like this one are a real delight. You feel like an explorer finding a place for the first time. Nobody else around, things laying on the ground right where they fell hundreds of years ago. Incredible! Today is my last day here. Tomorrow I move on......... |