Ta Prohm, East Mebon and Preah Khan
The highlight of today's visit is Ta Prohm - the fabulous temple embraced by the roots of enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers. The temple has been left as it was many
centuries ago except for necessary maintenance and access to allow people to see how it was when it was discovered. It appears to have been built around the mid to 12th century and has survived the
ravages of time.
It is among the largest of the monuments in the Angkor complex and is reputed to have had some 260 statues of gods located in and around
the long, low one level buildings. The tree roots seem to have a grip on lots of the stone bricks and give an eerie appearance to the temple itself. Some roots have grown around things and
one of note is the face in the tree which looks like a woman is hiding in the tree itself. Part of the temple was used for special dance performances and to mark this many walls are decorated with beautiful apsaras.
There were lots of people exploring here as it was made famous by Angelina Jolie in the movie "Tomb Raider". Many photograpers were scattered around every corner just trying to get that special picture - but the light was very difficult.
Ta Prohm is certainly one not to be missed.
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Next stop was to see East Mebon a temple originally dedicated to Shiva , a Hindu God. There were many steps to climb if you wanted to go to the top of the
temple where a great view of the area could be had. The stonework was still in place and one could see the magnificence of a
great complex. We had a pleasant time with some of the young locals who were very pleased to talk to us and of course offer somethings for sale!
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Next stop was to see Preah Khan, the temple of the "sacred sword". It was originally a monastery and place of learning for the Buddhist religion and is quite noticably a calm
and quiet place that does have a similar structure to Ta Prohm. It is nestled among trees and as such has a mysterious aura about it. The restoration process is being carried out
and in time will be somewhat back to the original buildings and environs. The trees that surround this lovely temple however will always set the scene for the tale of history that
surrounds magical places like this.
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After a fantastic day, Sethi suggested that we take in a cultural show to complete our introduction to Cambodia. What
a great idea! the show was located very close to our hotel and included a buffet dinner before the show. The performance itself was very colourful, musical and entertaining. It seemed to
be a little like a Thai cultural show in some respects which helped us to understand the meanings of some of the dances. Mostly they depicted daily events and life in general of the
Cambodian people so it was easy to follow the stories. Their costumes were just beautiful and we were again mesmerised by the amazing
hand movements of the dancers. After the show, it was back to the hotel and time for a good night's sleep.
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