Today we kicked off the Nathan Horton Photography tour with a visit to a couple of temples in the Angkor area – Banteay Srei, and Kbal Spean.
We headed off at 7:30 and got our week pass to the Angkor Temple complex (this costs $40 and is a photo-id which is required to enter the park and each temple).
Along the way we stopped to photograph some workers in a paddy field – picking rice plants, ready for re-sowing.
Banteay Srei
Banteay Srei, a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. This temple is built largely of red sandstone, and is famous for its elaborate decorative wall carvings. The buildings themselves are small in relation to most Angkor temples.
Kbal Spean
More of an archaeological site than a temple, Kbal Spean is situated along a 50 metres (160 ft) stretch of the Stung Kbal Spean River, 25 kilometres (16 mi) from the main Angkor group of monuments. The site consists of a series of stone carvings in sandstone formations carved in the river banks and the river itself. The site is reached via a 1.5 km “walk” which requires some stamina – particularly on a hot and very humid Cambodian day.
