I’d picked up a mountain bike the day before so that I could set off early for the Grand Circuit. I covered a fair amount of kilometers over the course of the day and visited ten temples in total. The highlight of the day was an early morning visit to the Buddhist temple of Banteay Kdei. I was the only person at the temple and spent a wonderful hour exploring the galleries and ruins of this late 12^th century temple.

Quick stop for a coconut and to plan my route around the Grand Circuit.

Early morning at Banteay Kdei before the rush of morning visitors.

Corridors at Banteay Kdei.

Inside Banteay Kdei.

I continued on the circuit stopping next at the mighty Pre Rup a mountain of a temple popular for watching Angkor sunsets. Next was Ta Som where nature has provided a pretty special photo opportunity and apparently one of the most photographed sites on the Grand Circuit.

The most photographed tree in Angkor at Ta Som.

Bike selfie on the Grand Circuit.

I also took a couple of side tracks down to two of the lesser visited temples. Although these temples aren’t really mentioned in any of the guidebooks or have any major significance within the Angkorian Empire it was a really tranquil and special experience to explore the ruins without any other people about.

Quiet times at one of the smaller remote temples on the Grand Circuit.

After stopping for a quick visit to Preah Neak Pean I rode onto Preah Khan a behemoth of a site built, once again, by Jayavarman VII. It was just after midday now and even having kept up my fluid intake – 6 liters of water at this point! – I was feeling a little weary and it didn’t help matters that I managed to get lost within the temple site and ended up exiting at a different entrance to the one that I arrived at. At first I thought that someone had pinched my bike and was confused at where all the food stalls had sprung up from before the penny dropped! I managed however to find the correct exit and hopped on my bike again and headed back towards Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat.

One of the entrances to Preah Khan.

Lichen covered asparas at Preah Khan.

Preah Khan.

I decided that I wanted to stop off at Angkor Wat again and I have to say that my opinion was different and more positive this time round. Whether this was due to the fact that I’d seen many of the other temples and sites within the city that provided me with a different perspective and comparison but for whatever reason it felt different viewing this majestic building the second time round.

Last stop – Angkor Wat again.