Cambodia: Ta Prohm, Banteay Samre, & Banteay Srei

Our second day in Cambodia started early before the sun comes up. We enjoyed watching the sun come up as we headed towards our first temple of the day, also starting so early allowed us to beat the heat, at least for a little bit. Our first temple of the day was Ta Prohm. It was built for the father of the King at the time, but the temple is most well known for being featured in the movie Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie. 

Ta Prohm was built in the late 12th and early 13th century. It is built in a Bayon style (a temple we will visit on our third day). Ta Prohm was founded as a Buddhist monastery and university where monks can go to learn and study. Unlike most of the temples in Angkor, Ta Prohm has largely been left in the same condition in which it was found. It is also a very popular attraction for tourists to visit as much of the ruins has trees growing out of it. 

Next we headed to Banteay Samre which was built in the middle of the 12th century by the same king who build Angkor Wat. This temple is unique in that over-quarrying on sandstone lead to the use of laterite for the roofed corridors at Banteay Samre. The carvings here are said to be some of the most accomplished carvings of its’ period. The architecture at Banteay Samre is a mixture of both Angkor Wat style as well as Bayon style.

We traveled further North, through the Cambodian countryside, up to Banteay Srei. On the drive, we got to see lots of the countryside and how people live. I snapped quite a few photos from my phone while we drove. It is really quite humbling. As we drove along, I was constantly finding myself counting my blessings about our little home. At the very least we’ve got electricity and running water which the majority of Cambodians cannot say they do as well. Nearly 65 percent of Cambodians live without electricity. They use charcoal or wood to cook with in their homes. I cannot even imagine having to make a fire every single time I wanted to cook. 

Banteay Srei is a very unique temple in that it is made of pink sandstone and contains carvings that are considered the most elaborate carvings found in Cambodia. These carvings are so intricate and elaborate that they are considered to be too fine for the hands of a man to make, therefore this temple is said to be built by women. The name Banteay Srei literally translates to Fortress of Women. The temple was consecrated in 967 and is the only temple in Angkor not to be built by a monarch. Instead this temple was constructed by a courtier who served as a counsellor to the king at the time. 

We got back early and was able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon by the pool, drinking some Angkor beers and enjoying the sunshine. It’s hard to believe such an oasis can exist among such a third world country. But it does and tourism reigns supreme in Cambodia.

That night we ventured down to Pub Street again and ate a fantastic little French restaurant, Le Malraux. Cambodia was inhabited by the French for many years so French food is something that is fairly common in Cambodia. Who would have thought? I enjoyed some more traditional Khmer food, some Chicken Amok. It was delicious! I have already several Asian cookbooks on order for when we get back so I can re-create some of the dishes we’ve been eating. 

Below is just a small snippet I took while driving around some of back roads in Cambodia. It’s definitely a different way of living. I can try my best to explain it, but the video speaks for itself.  

Would you ever travel to Cambodia?