Then we rushed over to Tha Phrom before the crowds hit. Tha Phrom ended up being the highlight of the whole trip. It's a temple filled with amazing trees whose roots have overrun the buildings.
It looks like something out of a movie, something prehistoric and futuristic at the same time. So, so cool.
It's not a huge temple by any means, but there are many trees. You could easily spend a couple hours discovering every awesome root growing into every mound of ruin.
Apparently, some memorable shots from "Tomb Raider" were filmed here. I did see the movie, but have no memory of it except that I very strongly disliked it. I really don't want to watch it again, but after the trip, we might just Netflix it and ingest loads of alcohol before viewing.
Though we tried to avoid the crowds by arriving around 7:30 am, there were still more people than we would've liked. Go early. I would plan to get there at 7:00 am at the latest if you like your photos tourist-free.
After going back to the hotel for breakfast, we were back out to explore more of the region on the tuk-tuk. The first stop we made was at Pre Rup, a beautiful amber against the bright blue sky.
The we drove for half an hour up to Banteay Srei. Along the way, we saw the beautiful countryside. The tall grass, workers in the field, children playing, water buffaloes grazing. It was beautiful and peaceful.
Banteay Srei has pinkish stones etched with intricate carvings.
Every temple in the Angkor Wat area has children standing outside of it that try to sell you guidebooks, postcards, or beaded jewelry. Every single one. They get you on the way in, they get you on the way out. It's very depressing.
Banteay Srei had the heart-breaking story of the trip. These kids that were playing in the pond were some of the sellers. They followed us on the path as we were trying to leave and one little boy would not take no for an answer. When he finally gave up on his post cards, he looked at me and said, "Can I have your water?" A child asking for my half-drunk water. It wasn't hard to give up.
Cambodia was flooded in the fall, along with Thailand. We ate lunch in the tuk-tuk on a large bridge, twenty feet above the stream, which had been completely flooded over a couple months before. Hard to imagine.
Mr. Han took us to a stand on the side of the road where a woman was making palm sugar. The juice is squeezed from the tree fruit (which remains on the trees), then it's cooked and stirred in a wok-type pan until it's solid. Or it can be kept in liquid form. If solid, it's cut into disks. The palm sugar is so delicious and sweet, a more complex version of our refined sugar. We bought 3 packs of 10 for $1.
Then we went to Ta Som. Walk through the entire temple past the very end to see the tree growing over the doorway. It's worth the trip, but it's probably the only thing you need to see at the temple.
After that, we drove to Neak Pean, a cleansing pool where the sick came to be healed. Depending on what ailed you, you were directed to one of the four different spouts to be healed. If you were in dire straights, you were sent to the flying horse because you needed a miracle from heaven.
The last ruins of the day was Preah Khan. There are two beautiful trees in this structure that used to be a university. There's also a unique two-story pillared building that looks very Roman.
We drove back through Angkor Thom and stopped at Angkor Wat hoping for a spectacular sunset. Unfortunately, it was still cloudy, so no great showcase from the sun. Still romantic, though.
Twelve hours is a lot of temple-ing. We saw so many amazing people and places today. And we capped it off with a fabulous dinner at The Sugar Palm Restaurant. Appropriate after our sugar palm purchase. This is perhaps the best restaurant in Siem Reap, even if the side street it's on looks a little scary, it's not. Our hotel was on that street and it was fine.
The restaurant is on the second floor of a traditional Khmer house. Thatched, high roof, everything wooden. It's a beautiful space. And the food is solid. We started out with the crispy spring rolls.
I had the prawn amok, a mild curry, popular throughout Cambodia. The amok at Sugar Plum sets itself apart because it's prepared like a souffle. Curry souffle! Who doesn't want that? It was delectable.
I don't remember the name of the dish that Hubs got but it was a small bowl of minced pork and chili sauce that you dipped raw vegetables in. The cocktails were also stellar.
Appetizer + 2 meals + 3 cocktails + water = $32
A fine meal at a fine price. Highly recommend this restaurant.
