Girl with the red ruby ring

Beng Mealea is one of the temples that take some time to visit. It is an hours drive outside Siem Reap city on the way to Kulen Mountain.

The Lotus Pond Temple, Prasat Beng Mealea, was build around the same time as Angkor Wat, but nearly seventy kilometres away. It is near the sacred Kulen Mountain. It is a large temple, and the last few years it has been heavily renovated. The accessibility both to the temple itself and inside it has been upgraded as well.

Refreshing green season
We where a group of visitors seeking shelter for a sudden downpour. Visiting Cambodia in green season means some short downpours morning or afternoon. And this was morning mid-September.

A small bridge-like shelter over a small river leading into a small lake was suddenly filled up. By visitors in different levels of soaked. And their guides. And some locals from the stalls selling food and drinks nearby.

We were all under visual scrutiny by this local girl.

Whether it was the general appearance of slightly soaked foreigners, or the typical curiosity Khmer children often have, is a mystery. But she did a perfect pose for a portrait.

Potential World Heritage
The Lotus Pond Temple was added to the list of tentative World Heritage Sites in 2020.

To visit Beng Mealea you need a separate ticket if you do not have the Angkor main pass. A daytrip here will often include a visit to Phnom Kulen, the river, waterfall and the Reclining Buddha, and highly recommended the beautiful temple Banteay Srei.

And meeting some nice locals.


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3 Full-day Completely Guided Tour in Siem Reap
Experience one of our amazing 3-day guided trip in the famous Angkor of Siem Reap, start the first day tour to explore Angkor Complex in the small circuit followed by the magical Angkor Wat temple. On second day, we do the outlying journey to visit the most beautiful Phnom Kulen waterfalls... https://www.guidingcambodia.com/3-full-day-completely-guided-tour-siem-reap/
#angkorwat #sunrise #angkortemples #tonlesap #cambodiafloatingvillage #phnomkulen #travel #cambodia #destination #southeastasia #Asia

Mommy’s shy little helper
Running a street food restaurant is normally a family business.
But even if mom is proud to show off her skills, the children may disappear in the background.
Or shyly hide.

Weekend picnic food
A weekend trip out of Siem Reap City with family and friends must include food. These stalls along the road or at visiting sites sells the favourite Khmer go-to food: grilled fish and BBQ-chicken. Often with catch of the day or the chef-mommy’s special seasoning or sauce as a bonus.
Then eaten nearby on a picnic mat with rice and cold drinks.
After which the holy falls of Kulen Mountains is visited for a cool and refreshing dip.
This can be a day-off relaxing highlight of an off-the-beaten-track trip. But this is Phnom Kulen, and during weekends it is a very popular spot for Khmer families to visit.
https://www.cantravelwilltravel.com/kulen-mountain-day.../
Visitors and tourists from out of the province are advised to visit during weekdays if they want a less crowdy experience.

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The reclining lord Buddha @ Preah Ang Thom

This 8-meter-long statue of a reclining buddha is the largest in Cambodia and among the 10 largest in Asia.
It rests on top of a sandstone formation and the statue is carved out where it is. Meaning someone saw the buddha in the stone and carved until he was set free.
The surrounding Preah Ang Thom temple was built after the Buddha was carved.
Kulen Mountain was the place where the first Khmer prince declared the establishment of the Khmer Empire in 802. The Khmer prince Jayavarman II declared himself chakravartin (lit. 'universal ruler') and by that claimed imperium as a god king ruling an Empire.
The empire lasted for over 630 years.
Getting to this site is fast and easy from Siem Reap, and the area carries a lot of other excursion worthy sites, including trails for the day trip trekker.
The conglomerate of holy sites on the Kulen Mountain was proposed as an official World Cultural Heritage site by Cambodia just before the pandemic started. An approval of this request seems proper, this is the national mountains and cradle of Khmer culture and empire after all.

https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6460/

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Cambodja, Phnom Kulen : portrait of a young boy #asia #cambodia #phnomkulen #childhood #boy #young #portrait #travel

Phnom Kulen waterfalls set among the lush mountainous forget, about 55km from north Siem Reap. This sacred mountain houses the largest reclining Buddha statue which is considered as a holy place to pray and ask for harmony, good fortune and safe journey.
#phnomkulen #phnomkulennationalpark #phnomkulenwaterfalls #Cambodia #SoutheastAsia #Travel