Thommanon and Ta Keo

After visiting the central Angkor area, we made our way into the first of the surrounding temples. First up was Thommanon, a small temple with a a pair of gopuras surrounded by a small wall. It is believed to have been dedicated to Vishnu. This was an oddity that seemed to recur with regularity - Buddhist temples dedicated to Hindu gods. It is adorned by dozens of devatas (engraved women) that are nearly life-sized. The detail is exquisite and nearly perfectly preserved.

Next up was Ta Keo. If we thought the stairs were bad elsewhere, this one took the cake. From the outside they are barely noticeable, but once you start the climb, you realize just how many there are, and how steep they are. There are several series of steps leading to another level. The next set only becomes visible once you have completed the previous set. Ta Keo was built over a 35 year span from the late 10th Century, and construction stopped just into the 11th century. It is the first temple mountain to have been built entirely of sandstone blocks. The temple was never completed. Some believe it was struck by lightning. It is impressive in its size even in its unfinished state (about 40-50 metres tall). At the top I tried to take a picture toward the lower terrace, whaer a Buddhist monk happened to be standing. As I lined up the picture, he bagan to call out at me, and I thought he was telling me not to take his picture (or so a local man beside me said). The man called back to him, and the monk said it would be fine. He turned out to have lived in California for 10 years, and we had quite a pleasant conversation.