Cambodia Day 3, Part 3: Bayon Stone Faces

The centerpiece of Angkor Thom is Bayon, which is one of the coolest things I've ever seen anywhere. Bayon is exactly what temples in the jungle should look like: spires with four heads each rise like a mountain. The edifice has a regular pattern but avoids being boringly square.

Every surface is ornately carved.

The temple had some chambers between the walkways and under the spires.

Dinotopia has a page in a jungle covered temple based on Bayon and other Khmer face-covered temples, only the stone faces are of dinosaurs. I still thought this was awesome even if the faces were merely human.

Stairs lead down to a maze of passageways. These areas lower down that were nearly empty, unlike the crowded pathways above.

The lower areas are no less decorative, though.

From the ground level, the view was as if looking up at mountains from a steep canyon.