Cambodia Day 2, Part 2: Prasat Kravan, Sra Srang, and Beneay Kdei

It might be natural to go from Angkor Wat to the enormous fortified city of Angkor Thom, but I decided that the ancient city deserved an entire day devoted to its exploration. Thus I instead looped out to some of the outlying temples in the Angkor area.

First along my path was Prasat Kravan. The five brick towers were clear successors to the Roluos temples.

The small moat around the towers was filled with blooming lily pads. 

A short bike ride further was Sra Srang, a rectangular artificial lake. A stone pier-like entryway included lion figures that flanked the stairs into the reservoir. I took a moment to sit, relax, drink water, and reflect as I looked out over the water. Apparently I was relaxed enough that I forgot to take pictures until I had walked across the street to Beneay Kdei. 

Beneay Kdei looked to be a humble temple compared to its neighbors. A stone platform guarded by carved lions stood before a smallish building.

It turned out that the temple was long and skinny, however, and continued back for a considerable distance. 

One pillar had intricate carvings and an alarming tilt.

In fact, a fair portion of the temple looked ready to collapse:

The far end of the temple had a mountain-like gateway.

On the far side I was fascinated by some of the strange twisted jungle trees.

It wasn't until I turned to go back that I noticed the coolest thing about the temple, a series of huge carved faces above the doorway I had exited.

After admiring the craftsmanship of the stone carving, including the forethought it must have taken to make the faces from about a dozen separate stone blocks, I retraced my steps through the narrow corridoors of Beneay Kdei back to my bicycle.