Blue face in blue night

The blue colour of the hour just after sunset is enhanced by a large painting in blue variations and black of a Bayon portrait. These stylised portrait covers the facade of Bayon Temple in Angkor Thom. They are supposed to be of the great emperor Jayavarman VII, who built Bayon as his State Temple. But the style imitates classic pose of a Buddha, reminding everyone JVII was the first powerful Buddhist god king of the Khmer empire.

Night market in Siem Reap is not one place. There are several. This one is from the newest, established in 2018. There are two more.

Siem Reap- morre than temples
The night markets are one of the night life activities in Siem Reap, visited by tourists and locals alike. One of the interesting aspects of Cambodia’s second largest city are the effect the large influx of visitors an expat has on the city life and offerings. There is a great chance to meet interesting people activities in this city built on the ancient Khmer Empire and the modern international culture.

Visitors and long stayers alike have offerings of museums, mine sniffing hero rats, botanical garden, animal refugee centre, Circus, art galleries, aquarium and wildness centre.

Shopping is an option not only for the evening, and then there is a wide offering of places to eat and drink. That includes fine dining with both international and local based cuisine, all the way to street food. There are offerings for bike trips, sunset trips, photo trips, Angkor off the beaten track-trips, added with options like food class, pottery class or art classes.

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Morning moment of peace and fishing in a pond

This little pond near Kror Sang Rolerng village is surrounded by rice paddocks on three sides. The local school and road to Wat Athvear is on the fourth.

Wat Athvear is both an active monastery and an old, small temple build in early Bayon style. Like Preah Enkosei on the north side of Siem Reap City, this temple from the Khmer Imperial era is one of the closest temples to Siem Reap city proper.

This is a nice spot to see a compact version of a temple between 2 main eras of Khmer imperial architecture. Normally it is very peaceful to visit Wat Athvear.

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The little village temple in 890s Hariharalaya

An early morning visit to the very old Prasat Trapeang Kaek ប្រាសាទត្រពាំងក្អែក with two oxen.

Prasat Trapeang Kaek, or O Ka-aek temple, is a single tower temple built in Hariharalaya. This was the second capital of Angkor Empire. O Ka-Aek was built 50 years before the capital was moved to the area near Angkor Thom.

O Ka-aek is part of the standalone temples in Roluos group. Probably it was built as a village temple. It is situated close to the old main dirt roads leading into the southern part of modern Siem Reap.

O Ka-aek is appx two kilometre west for Bakong Temple, the first large temple built in mountain style in the Khmer Empire.

Peace on the main old road
Since it is off track modern roads, O Ka-aek is rather peaceful and gives a chance to look closely on early architecture and art in the Angkor Empire. Even if the walls mostly have caved in, there are surprisingly well-kept stone art in the remaining structure. The north and south permanently closed gates have amazingly detailed carvings still.

The single tower temple is built in old Khmer Hindu style closely resemble development from the older Chenla style.
It is also on a nice green spot, meaning that the locals let animals graze around it. Two oxen were doing this on my visit, stopping only to study me study the O Ka-aek temple.

Getting here is easy by any vehicle or bike. It is a nice 18 km bike ride one way from Siem Reap. As the old road is gravel mostly, a mountain/terrain bike is advisable.

https://drzinasia.wordpress.com/2024/11/10/a-green-small-spot-at-prasat-trapeang-kaek/

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Inside this great collection of green is the remains of one of the oldest temples in Angkor Park

A colourful memory from that time I had lunch near Prasat Kôk Svay Pream. I had visited four temples in old Hariharalaya/Roluos group covering 400 years of architecture. Finally found this well covered, very old pre-Khmer empire temple site.

Nearly a 100 year older than Khmer Empire
Prasat Kôk Svay Pream, ប្រាសាទគោកស្វាយព្រាហ្មណ៍ in Khmer, is mostly covered by vegetation.

Only some small remains of a brick wall, an entrance gate and a lingam basin are relatively easy to be found. In front there of this is an entrance platform facing eastwards. The thick growth of green trees, palms and thick foliage including thorn bushes covers the rest of the site. It looks like it has been a moat of sort around the elevated area where this temple remains are.

When Prasat Kôk Svay Pream first was rediscovered, three lintels where found. They show the bridging of architecture and design from Sambor Prei Kouk of Chenla kingdom to Prei Khmeng and Kulen of early Khmer during the 700s CE.

The Chenla kingdom was the last Khmer kingdom before the Khmer empire was declared in 802 CE. Its capital was near Kampong Thom.

It is a nice and peaceful place, and not a lot of visitors. Or locals. Some friendly cows, though. Always lovely with something bovine out in the countryside.

https://drzinasia.wordpress.com/2024/09/20/lunch-at-prasat-kok-svay-pream/

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Prasat Bei – Trio of one out of four

Prasat Bei – ប្រាសាទបី – means three temples. On top of a small laterite platform of 10 x 24 meter there are these three towers, where the central one is fairly complete and in order. This temple tower rises 10 meter high.

The two flanking temple towers are not in that good condition, and the north one closest to the city moat around Angkor Thom was probably never properly finished. There are still some lintels with carvings left to see.

This is the largest in a quartet of temple sites on the west side of the Southern gate to Angkor Thom. Just to the east and west of this temple is the rather rudimentary remains of Sâk Krâop Temple I and II. Closer to the main road into Angkor Thom is Prasat Bay Kaek East – ប្រាសាទថ្មបាយក្អែក.

Among the earliest Angkor Thom temples
The temple was built for the Hindu god Shiva during the reign of Yasovarman I early in the 900s. This great King was the god king who moved the Khmer capital from Hariharalaya to Yaśodharapura, the area where we today find most of the most famous constructions and temples of Angkor Empire. The first central location of the new capital was built on the nearby Phnom Bakheng.

This temple is 1,5 kilometre north of Angkor Wat. It is worth visiting to get an idea of the design of the first Angkor imperial capital and its temples.

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That time I came to a fork in the road, and someone else choose the track most travelled. I felt obliged to choose the other one.

The area in and around Angkor Park and Siem Reap are excellent for off road biking and exploration. It is a healthy and green way to enjoy the marvels of the Khmer Empire, its origin and its later development.

Finding things not seen
I was on my way to find a couple of more secretive temples and old sites. I was trying to do that by a direct route via Bayon and Angkor Thom and north out of the Grand circle. This trip took me into dirt tracks not travelled by many.

Among things I did find were stuff like a river not supposed to be there. Some bridge and road maintenance. And a bunch of locals tending to rice fields, surprised by the pink skin visitor. But politely and smiling returning greetings of hello and well wishes for a good day.

As Khmer so often do.

It is, as always, important to respect the local’s privacy and integrity. Acting as a respectful, polite and responsible good guest in their home area are of the outmost importance. And of course, be a sensible traveller leaving only bike tracks and footprints and take only photos. Including not biking or walking into any private area or destroying any crop.

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