Day three and not yet ‘templed out’! I decided that I wanted to spend my last day visiting the more remote temples and the easiest and cheapest way to do this was on the back of a motorbike. I’d found a guide the day before when visiting Pre Rup, a young Cambodian lad called Kim. Kim picked me up at 7:30am, I jumped on the back of his bike and we headed out to Banteay Samre and then on to Banteay Srei, considered to be the jewel in the crown of Angorian art.

Early morning at Banteay Samre.

Banteay Samre.

Weathered stone carving at Banteay Samre.

Banteay Srei is a Hindu temple and dedicated to Shiva, one of the main deities of Hinduism. Banteay Srei means ‘Citadel of the Women’ and it is said that this temple must have been built by a woman as the magnificent stone carvings are too fine to have been constructed by a man. Built from a stone with a pinkish hue the delicate carvings seemed to glow in the morning sunlight.

Banteay Srei, The Citadel of the Women at Angkor.

Detail from a stone pediment at Banteay Srei.

Beautiful carved colonette at Banteay Srei.

Onwards to Beng Mealea, about 35km from Banteay Srei. We stopped off for a drink of water on route and Kim and I got chatting about his life and family. He is the youngest of two sons, his brother works in IT in India and sends money home for the family each month. His father is an English teacher at a local school in Siem Reap and soon to be retired and his mother stays at home. His father earns $100 per month and so the money that Kim’s brother sends is vital in helping support the whole family. Having completed a university degree in IT, Kim wants to do his masters but he needs to save $10k to cover the costs. He works 6 days a week at the temples checking the tickets of the visitors that come to visit the temples. He told me it’s a long day, especially when working at Angkor Wat as they have to start at 4am (for the tourists who come to see the sunset) and work through until 5pm. It’s hard work due to the heat and the fact that they have to be on their feet all day. At the end of each day Kim heads to school to study and practise his English. Kim gets one day off and likes to spend it with his friends drinking a few beers in the beer gardens near Siem Reap.

Selfies! Kim and I.

Beng Mealea is considered to be one of the most mysterious temples of the Angkor kingdom and the ultimate ‘Indian Jones’ experience. Like Ta Prohm, the jungle has taken over this impressive site and trees and vines intertwine with the temples and ruins. Unfortunately the timing of our arrival coincided with two large tour groups and I spent the first 20 minutes trying to fight my way through other visitors along the wooden walkway that leads you through the initial part of the temple. It was quite an experience and probably not the best introduction to this special place. I managed however to work my way through the tour groups and found solace exploring the quieter parts of the temple.

Badly timed visit to Beng Mealea, right in the middle of a tour group.

Jungle and temple intertwined at Beng Mealea.

Beng Mealea.

Lots of good photo opportunities at Beng Mealea!

Beautiful tree roots spanning the temple walls at Beng Mealea.

The walkway through the centre of the temple buildings, without the tour group this time!

After a quick lunch break with Kim he suggested that we visited the Roluos Group of temples, which are amongst the earliest temples built by the Khmers and mark the beginning of the age of Khmer classical art. The largest and most interesting of these temples was Bakong, a representation of Mount Meru that still has an active Buddhist temple on its grounds. This was the highlight of the day, it’s a beautiful tiered temple with an impressive approach via a bridge that crosses the temple moat. After an hour so exploring we got back on the bike and headed back to Siem Reap.

Bakong temple, the largest and most interesting of the Roluos Group of temples at Angkor

Stone carving at Bakong.

The tower at the top of the five layers of Bakong temple.

The view from the top of Bakong, looking out to the bridge over the moat.

It was a full on day and a great way to end my three days exploring the ancient city of Angkor. It was also great to meet Kim and spend time with him, getting to know more about Cambodian daily life. I gave him a bit of extra cash for his ‘college and beer fund’!

Bike selfie….quite difficult to shoot when riding along bumpy dirt roads!

We got a puncture on the way home which was quickly and efficiently fixed by this guy….

That night I headed out to explore Siem Reap’s nightlife with a couple of my dorm mates a Scottish guys from Linlithgow called Stephen and a well-travelled American guy called Nick. We explored Pub Street, grabbed a Khmer curry and ended up the night bar hopping to a few different places exchanging travel stories and tips.

Pub Street – no prizes for guessing what it’s famous for!

Cambodian beer overlooking Pub Street.

Late night bar hopping on pub street.

Written from: My beach bungalow ‘Shanti Shanti’ on Otres 2 beach in Cambodia.

View from my beach bungalow on Otres 2 beach….that’s the sea right there!

Blogger selfie!