Paul and Juli had gone their own ways, Talita had gone on ahead to Phnom Penh, and Echo seemed to have totally disappeared from the scene; so I had to wrap up the last few temples on my list by myself.

As usual, I rented a bicycle from the guesthouse and started off towards Angkor Wat. On the way, I saw a volleyball game in progress so I stopped to watch for a while.

Volleyball game

Sras Srang & Banteay Kdei, which I went to next, had nothing special to offer. But there was a pleasant surprise at Ta Phrom. There was a board that said that this temple was being restored and preserved in joint collaboration of the governments of India & Cambodia.

Indiyeah!!

The most impressive part about the Ta Phrom temple are the huge trees growing inside. These are the same trees featured in the Tomb Raider movie.

Huge trees 1

Huge trees 2

On the way back from Ta Phrom, I spied a tall temple that didn’t seem to arouse anyone’s interest. It turned out to be a temple called Baksei Cham Krong, and was totally devoid of tourists. I climbed the steep steps to the top to find a reclining Buddha and looked all around peacefully without a single other person in sight - the first time this has happened in tourist infested Siem Reap.

The deserted Baksei Cham Krong temple

Reclining Buddha at Baksei Cham Krong

Next I went back to Angkor Wat for one last look. Despite so many visits to Angkor Wat over the past few days, I feel that I still haven’t covered it well enough. Although on an earlier occasion, I had been privy to sections that were off limits for tourists, there was a lot that I had glazed over. I simply didn’t have the time to cover it now, so it would have to wait until my next visit.

In the evening, I went to Kantha Bopha hospital for a cello concert cum fund-raising event by Dr. Beat Richner. Dr. Richner had set up the hospital to provide free treatment for dying children in Cambodia, and spoke about the work he has been doing there for more than 15 years. If you wish to support his cause, please take a look at his website.

Dr. Beat Richner with his cello

Met some nice new people at the guesthouse and enjoyed a game of pool with them before calling it a day.