Day 2 Of Angkor Wat Adventures

Day 2- Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Pre Rup,Ta Srom
I'll try to do less words, but I don't think I can do less pictures in this post.  My words won't really help you all that much, and I already wrote a lot about Day 1.  Also, I don't want you to get that 'these all look the same to me' feeling about the ruins.  
Day 2 we traveled greater distances to see a few less temples, but they are very popular spots and well preserved for the most part.  
I think Preah Khan- the first temple we visited on day 2- might be one of my favorite temples.  This visit it was made very memorable from a conversation with a Japanese tourist.  Our guide was talking to us about a particular structure in one of the passageways when a man politely interrupted to ask a question.  After the question was answered he asked where we were from.  We responded with the usual "America" as most people in these parts learn that name for the fifty nifty and not really "the U.S." or "the states" as most expats refer to our country as.  His eyes lit up and also began to tear up a little at the same time.  
The earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster had recently struck Japan and this fellow was away from home throughout the whole event.  I can't remember the exact details of the conversation now, but he said he had a daughter that lived in northeast Japan and he had not heard from her yet, or he had not heard from her for a long time after the initial disaster hit.  Of course he was very emotional about that, but when we said that we were from America he got emotional for a different reason.  He immediately responded with some of the most heartfelt thanks I've ever received in my life.  He said that the people of Japan were so thankful to America for all the support they gave his country in their time of need.  It was totally unexpected, my mom and I weren't sure how to act.  We tried holding back the tears while this man thanked us.  After that the day was a bit changed for us.  
As usual we walked through the ruins in a different state of mind due to the heat, sweat, and envisioning days of old in which god-kings wandered these same hallways.  But this event seemed to put us in yet another, strange state.  We hadn't thought about reality much, and what was going on in the outside world.  Sometimes when you're in a jungle for a few days that happens.  
With that, Angkor ruins day two.
 
Preah Khan

This construction is noteworthy because it's not often that this type of architectural technique is used.  A cross beam support and these interior columns are reminiscent of Greco-Roman architecture.  (Am I right mom? Your architectural expertise would be handy...)

Hallways- sometimes shrinking sometimes not, but always leading you to something else breathtaking.

Buddha images sans head.  So many Buddha images are destroyed or etched out of the stonework as a result of battles over ownership of the temples and religious persecution.

Mom getting blessed with a bracelet and all bad things cast out of her by this old with no teeth.

Inside of 2-story stairless building

Whoops- someone was a little chisel happy and carved in an extra toe on the right foot!

Ah the male and female symbol.  You cannot go far at Angkor without seeing it. 

Palm leaf book.  This style of book has been used for centuries in Asia, and is one of the reasons no 'books' remain in the libraries at Angkor Wat. Either they were burned in the various wars over religion and ownership, or they simple disintegrated over time.  This particular book is a fortune book that the old lady was using to tell people fortunes, futures, what have you.

This structure is interesting- there is a second level, although there aren't any stairs.  After both times I've visited I still don't quite understand how it was used, or how people got upstairs!

Big vine growing out of a big tree!  I was trying so hard to stay on the vine for the picture- my hands were very sweaty- it was super hot!

Neak Pean
Neak Pean is a ruin with an artificial island and four surrounding pools.  At each pool there is a chapel with a different character represented- a human, a lion, a horse, and an elephant.  The four pools represent Water, Earth, Fire and Wind. Neak Pean was built to be used as a hospital.  People could come and bath in the pools, which were believed to align all the elements in a person to cure whatever their illness.  
The larger lake feeds into these four smaller pools.  It is possible to walk from the steps surrounding the lake to the inner island except during very heavy rainy seasons, when the 'path' is much too covered.  Of course children will always be splashing around in it.

On the right hand side of this picture is a sculpture that is falling apart.  The sculpture is a horse surrounded by men.

Human

Lion

Horse

Elephant

Incense holder.  These are common in many Southeast Asian countries and are common at many temples and shrines in the region.  I love how jam packed with incense sticks they always are.

Pre Rup
The name Pre Rup translates to "Turn the body".  There is also a crematorium structure , and Pre Rup was therefore known as a funerary complex.  Hiking around the ruins was tough at point in the day.  It was after lunch, around 2 pm so it was pretty hot.  The steps to the ruins are pretty steep, and there's a lot of them, but it's worth it.  It's a pretty impressive complex.   

Uppermost pyramid gallery

Newer additions to the gallery

Ta Som (sometimes pronounced and spelled "Ta Srom")

Ta Srom is another temple that has been left mainly unrestored, so there are a lot of huge trees growing through, over and around the ruins.  All the galleries, hallways and shrines are on one level, and there is a lot of shade, so this visit was pretty easy on the knees and enjoyable.  

Entrance

Old bike I found at the ruins!  Not rideable, but still cool. 

Hallways

Oh her way into the complex.

Thanks for bearing with me on this post- I know it was long and had a lot of pictures!  I hope you'll check out some of the information in the links.  They're all wikipedia links, but hopefully that can serve as a jumping off point if you're more interested.  Here is a great link with more history and maps- "The Monuments of the Angkor Group" by Maurice Glaize.  It was first published in 1944 and has been translated from French to English. Maurice Glaize was one of the early explorers of the Angkor ruins.  This online edition of the book is more informational than pictorial, but quite informative and comprehensive.  Definitely worth a look if you are more interested in learning more details about the ruins.

http://www.theangkorguide.com/text.htm