We Then Continued Our Journey,

to Banteay Srei,

 

it is a beautiful 10th-century Hindu temple complex about 23 miles north of Angkor Wat, also famous for its intricate carving and red coloured sandstone, 

just outside the information centre there was a small field of rice being grown,

 

the green colour looks so lush,

there is a chart here showing the age of some other famous buildings in the world,

before we went into the site I had to take a picture of these water lilies,

they looked so nice,

times like this I wish I had a pond,

 

there was also some bamboo growing here,

and a newly sown rice paddy,

there was quiet a crowd here, it is the busy season I guess,

this temple is renown for its carving, in that it is extremely fine,

so fine in fact that many say the carvings could be made by ladies, the name Banteay Srei translates as citadel of the women or citadel of beauty, it is generally taken to refer to the intricacy of the carving and the tiny dimensions of the architecture,

a thee headed serpent on the top of the column,

Diana in the door way,

lots of tourist at this temple, but then the carvings are renown world wide,

although there are some large trees here abouts none have damaged the temple,

a shrine in one of the rooms,

there is also a walled lake at the rear of the complex,

although this wall looks straight the ground at the far end is slowly subsiding,

 

a bit easier to see here,

unfortunately much of the roof in some areas has gone,

so many people, it was difficult to take a picture,

but the good news was that as there was only the four of us we could take our time and let the crowds go,

which meant we almost had the place to ourselves,

a close up of the carvings shows how detailed the work is,

another three headed serpent, this time a corner piece,

in one of the courtyards,

 

these fearsome figures stand watch,

over this door way another piece of fine craftsmanship,

so much detail,

a small tree has taken root, hopefully it will be removed before it causes any damage,

another part of the courtyard,

also protected by this fearsome creature,

well I had to get in on the act,

for me it is just amazing that some one has gone and made something so beautiful then abandoned it,

a last look at the interior, then we are off,

 

well one quick shot of Diana, then we are off,

past some huge trees,

and some damage to the wall,

here it has been shored up,

we pass another group of musicians,

 

lines of rocks waiting to be measured and hopefully placed where they should be, but it is a mammoth task the area is so huge,

we make our way past the outer wall,

and back to the information centre and shops,

we all stop for a cool drink,

this is a sugar cane crusher, the cane is put between two rollers and the sugar is squeezed out of it,

a bit easier to see here,

fresh ice has arrived,

motorbike overloaded? never!