Preah Khan:
temples
The Suzanne Visit, Twelve: More Temples
There’s actually an excruciating number of shots from all the other temples. Instead of going through all of them post-by-post, here are the best. A handful of shots from each of the additional temples we visited. First, Takeo:
The Suzanne Visit, Eleven: Ta Prohm and Humans
Despite my conceptual gaze, I made it a point to try and take at least a few good shots of Ta Prohm since it was my second time there, shots you would expect, shots with humans in them. Suzanne, of course, was a coercing factor in that decision.
The Suzanne Visit, Ten: Ta Prohm in Macro
The last time I was in Ta Prohm, with Jason, I was blown away by the temples overrun by trees, by nature, a war in motion as we speak. This time, visiting with Suzanne, I decided to skip most of the majestic tree-on-temple action and instead focus on nature only. So in the majority of my shots, I refrained from capturing the temple wall within the pictures at all. I hope you’ll find the images beautiful, some of the similar vandalism alarming, and perhaps the concept somewhat better than the average tourist trek.
The Suzanne Visit, Nine: Banteay Kdai
If I could name this temple, I’d call it “puzzle box.” It seemed like every corner was straight out of a video game: the walls that looked like secret panels. The support beams holding up “traps.” An enjoyable jungle gym of ancient stone and overgrowth.
The Suzanne Visit, Five: A Bend through the Bayon
My return to the Bayon this time evoked a powerful curiosity that I think was directly related to the lack of heat. This trip was substantially cooler and more comfortable than the first time I visited Angkor Wat. With less heat came a greater concentration on the inscriptions and wall carvings. The experience was much more meditative and detail-oriented. You’ll also notice some attention paid to the vandalism here, too.
The Suzanne Visit, Four: Some Other Angkor-age
In addition to my last post on the vandalism within (and on) the walls of Angkor, I ended up taking some pictures of the temple complex itself. One of the most remarkable realizations for visiting the temple is that it’s best to go during lunch: there’s no one around. In all honesty, the place was empty for at least an hour with perhaps one or two other tiny groups of people roaming around silently. This life hacking advice totally made the experience worth it (and a perfect pivot to the horrible, horrible tourism of the sunset later on that day. An additional curiosity for the lunch-goers: all the grounds-workers sleep within the temples (on the temple floors) during that break. You’ll see what I mean, below.
Exploring the Po Nagar Towers in Nha Trang
At around a dollar for entry, there is no reason to skip over this Cham-built temple complex. Though it was so hot outside I could barely think, I was still able to snap a few pictures of Po Nagar after eating an ice cream. I had had the displeasure too of seeing a couple of Eastern Europeans (guy and girl) making suggestive serial gestures on some of the goddess statues, but that negative image was counteracted by an adorable Asian girl curiously following some grey-robed individuals around (see below). Here are the pics I took from my phone:
Visual Tales from Siam Reap and Angkor
Cambodian Life and Times of Greg Bem 