We visited the rest of the temple ruins along the eastern side of Angkor today. This particular ruin at Preah Khan reminded me of the causeway that leads into the Chaos Sanctuary in Act IV of Diablo II.
The various chapel and library ruins that litter the Angkor temple grounds are also tremendously reminiscent of the crypts, mansoleums and shrines that litter the Diablo world. If ever a Diablo movie were to be made, I think Angkor would make a terrific set.
The last temple we hit was Bakheng. It’s situated on a hill top and a 15 minute walk up is mandated, by the order of Angkor authorities. “You will take 15 minutes.” No more, no less.
You will look at the sign that proclaimed it. It’s quite funny.
Either the Angkor guys have a fantastic secret device to adjust the path up the hill that all who walk it will take exactly 15 minutes, or the sign is hilariously wrong. We took 10 minutes. I guess its the latter.
The view from the top of Bakheng is breathtakingly panoramic. One can imagine a king surveying all the lands under his dominion from his mountain-temple on the hilltop. But one cannot imagine the impossible amounts of labour it would take to haul huge blocks of stone/granite/stucco up the hill from a quarry 50 km away (which was apparently how Angkor temples were constructed). The construction work Bakheng, and other temples in Angkor, require is sheer madness.
After three days of baking in the Angkor heat, our arms looked like this. Clearly some of us came out rather burnt. Guess who which arm belongs to!
Still, Angkor was great.
—-Photos for my last post (Where’s Wally) have been uploaded.
