Angkor Thom

 

 

The road to Angkor Thom is through several miles of beautiful, quiet forest

 

 

 

 

Suddenly a strange stone structure appears

 

 

 

 

The west gate of Angkor Thom with a parade of sculptured warriors flanking the access road which bridges over the 100 yard wide surrounding moat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The four cardnal gates to Angkor Thom are each ordained with giant sculptures of a face, similar to the Bayon Temple contained within Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom is not really a temple, but rather a ten square-kilometer area surrounded by a wall eight meters high, and a moat 100 meters wide. Within the walls are a number of temples - Bayon, Baphuon, Pimeanakas, Royal Palace, and Ta Keo (just outside the east wall) - and other interesting structures such as the Leper King Terrace, Elephants Terrace, and numerous bathing pools and reservours.

 

 

 

Detail of the heads over the gate

 

 

 

The Elephant Terrace is located in a very large area used for elephant competetion and games

 

 

 

 

This is the Baphoun Temple entry causway

 

 

 

 

The causway is elevated on double rows of columns

 

 

 

 

Baphoun has two bathing pools along the causway

 

 

 

Our usual guide girls have joined us for another day - this time on the trail to Ta Keo.

 

 

 

 

Ta Keo Temple is reachable on foot from Angkor Thom. The girls are telling us the heat doesn't really bother us...

 

 

 

 

More that 50 meters high, The wall carvings of Ta Keo were never completely finished.

 

 

 

 

Each corner is decorated with the statue of an elephant.

 

 

 

 

Up, up, up we climb on almost vertical stairways

 

 

 

Narrow terraces circle the top level

 

 

 

 

Tight space for Steve and the guides.

 

 

 

 

From the top we can see another large temple - Banteay Kdei

 

 

 

 

Faye scores a drink at the refreshment stands in front of Ta Keo

 

 

 

Soda sales woman and her son

 

 

 

 

Monks bathing in the moat just outside the Angkor Thom wall

 

 

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