2011 - NZ To SF - Day 73

Day 73: (25 July 2011):
- Get tuktuk to take us on large circuit for $12. Include a drive out to a temple too. Driver took us there without us even having to ask.
- See the IV on scooter thing again. Passed a hospital crossing at some point.
- Plan to start where the small circuit splits with bigger one.
- Stop at a gate. Explore the two tiny chambres of gate. Bats.
- 1st temple: the sister temple to Ta Prom. Felix hire guide for $6.
- Some big trees on temple. Cool Garuda carving on gate. Apsara carvings. Some in good condition. Echo room. Explore around ruins for a bit.
- Next step: Small temple surrounded by pool. Small (kind of deep) causeway to access. Diagram shown nice geometric pools before. Always good symmetry at temples. Light rain. Small shrines around pool (4).
- Get dragged in for a quick snack / lunch at the ubiquitous markets around temples. Prices very high: $5-6, so just share a fried rice.
- Downpour. Wait out most of the rain, decide start again when rain a bit lighter as not know when rain will stop.
- Cats climb around beams & cat platforms overhead. Must be fun.
- Rain tarps down in tuktuk. Nice drive down forested road in lessening rain.
- Explore another small temple to climb around. Kids playing in rain.
- Arrive at a tiered temple with the reddish poreous rock. Similar to a temple seen day before. Seems to be a popular temple style. See a few like this, others are all very different.
- Elephant statues. Small temples at top. lots of small holes, which we were told are for decorations (gold, gems, etc) at last temple with guide.
- Nice drive through some traditional-looking villages to the outlier temple. Liked the wood raised houses.
- Temple with very cool architecture. Remind me of a spider. Vertical-looking. Lots of these temples seem to have features that would be filled with water. Forest sounds. One of my favourite places.
- Next: another tiered temple with temples on top & reddish rock. Fields around, kids climb on temples for play. Water buffalo.
- Decide revisit Ta Prom instead of another adjascent walled temple. Impressed at length of wall. Cycled by wall last night too.
- Quick tour, as closing soon. Tree rots. Buddha & incense rifting up. Guard ask / follow us out when close. Crocodile root cool. Didn’t see Tomb Raider tree. Some renovation: blocked off? “I say: add roller coasters & charge more.”
- Dinner with BBQ snake. “Python” according to waitress. Meat surprisingly tough, but good.