The Beauty of Banteay Srei

Last night, I was wrestling for connection with the internet, so now, as the coach bus is gently bouncing through the rice paddies of rural Cambodia, I’ll detail the last of my activities while in Siem Reap. 

I really enjoyed Siem Reap, enough to stay an extra unplanned day.  Yes, there is an element of tourism, and many night markets with merchants chiming to the same tune of “hello, ladeee, buy something?  What you looking for?  Very good price!” And then there are the beloved tuk tuk drivers, starved of work in the slow season.  In the night markets, there are dozens of t-shirts with

No Tuk Tuk

Not today

Not tomorrow

Printed in bold letters as a running joke of tuk tuk drivers’ requests to know of your temple plans and if they can drive you.  To get anywhere around Siem Reap, it will cost $2, or if you get really good at haggling, $1.  To get out to the temples for a half day tour (which is all your legs will allow), it will cost anywhere from $12 - $35 if you have a particularly swindling hotel arranging your day.  The closer temples will be at the low end, and the tour that I took last involved one of the farthest out temples – Banteay Srei, which set me back $20.  On top of the entrance fee, these temple treks start to get pretty pricey, so I made a point of really soaking in every stop and making the most of my visit. 

Banteay Srei was a good 30k+ outside Siem Reap, so I was able to sit back in my tuk tuk and watch the countryside go by.  Rice paddy fields reflected the sky and palms surrounding them.  Half clothed children played in the muddy puddles outside their homes.  A wedding ceremony hung flowing pink cloth and flowers outside a home, and as my tuk tuk driver sped through, overtaking every moving thing on the road, I took lots of blurry pictures and smiled at oncoming traffic. 

We arrived at Banteay Srei and, although the temple was smaller than I was hoping, the carvings that have somehow been so well preserved did not disappoint.  I agree with most, that temple treks in Siem Reap are not complete without this one in the schedule.  It was constructed as a dedication to the Hindu god Shiva, and the exterior had many different colors of sandstone: pinks, oranges, yellows and browns.

The tuk tuk ride back was relaxing, and as I trailed through the remaining temples on our route, the sky opened and unleashed a beautiful downpour.  No bother, I had my umbrella, and continued walking through the low archways and steep steps as the ruins washed dark.