2012 Feb 17: Cambodia - Day 13

Today we hired a car and driver to go to some of the outlying temples.  First stop was Bantay Srei:

Rice fields:

Bantay Srei was built around 967 by a Brahman:

After Bantay Srei we travelled about 20 km on a private dirt road (fee $20 each) through the jungle and up a mountain to get to Phnom Kalen.  It is a holy mountain and the source of the Siem Reap river. At the very top of this the highest mountain in the region is a giant Reclining Buddha. The visit is supposed to bring good luck and is a favorite place for Cambodians on the weekends:

Bathing in the waterfall is a holy experience:

It's tough climbing:

And on to the temple:

The Reclining Buddha is now covered to protect it from the elements:

A view from the top:

The Reclining Buddha:

On the way down they sell snails from the river bed:

Back down, over an old wooden bridge:

Too much for our hired car: it broke down in the Cambodian countryside:

Waiting for a tow, with the family whose house we stopped in front of:

The 17 year old girl and her family who lived there. 

Waiting at the gas station 30 km outside of Siem Reap, a little girl:

A view of the passing traffic while we wait:

Back to the hotel for a shower and then off to the Red Piano for dinner.  To the right of the red piano upstairs is the seat at the bar once regularly occupied by Angelina Jolie:

After dinner Judy is shopping at the night market:

Three nights is definitely not enough time in Siem Reap, an oasis of comfort in Southeast Asia.  There are just too many sights we missed.

All in all, another great day in Cambodia.