We had been warned about “temple fatigue,” and with hundreds of temples, it’s easy to imagine. Luckily, we didn’t get all templed out until our last day (of six or seven). There was so much to see! So many different types of temples! How were they constructed (and by whom)? How did they fall down? How big were the surrounding cities? What were their lives like?
I was especially interested in the process of restoration. Many temples are currently undergoing some type of reconstruction, most of it funded by international sources. Of course everyone wants to preserve the temples for as long as possible, but the method of historic preservation varies widely. Some temples restored by the French in the 1930s (such as Banteay Srei) reconstructed portions of the temple with matching materials, so that it was no longer easy to tell what was old and what was new. Others, such as the hilltop temples of Phnom Bakheng, had severe water intrusion issues threatening collapse. It is currently being carefully reconstructed by an American team, and they are underlaying the pavement with a PVC waterproofing layer and other portins with a lead sheet. I question this approach. Surely 21st century building plastics will decay at a different rate than sandstone. And will the lead stain? On the other hand, I appreciate that once it is complete the intervention will not disturb the impression of the temple. So many temples had wooden scaffolding propping up failing walls and it may help them structurally but it sure is ugly. It becomes difficult to envision life centuries ago when there are blatant reminders everywhere of the modern world. I wonder if future historians will cringe at current practices. On the other hand, there’s the Bapuon, which was built as a Hindu temple in the 11th century and then half the facade was repurposed in the 16th century to form a gigantic reclining Buddha. How’s that for sensitive historic preservation? 
Our itinerary:
- A: Sambour Prei Kuk, 6th-10th centuries, pre-Angkorian, brick
- B: Prasat Preah Vihear, 11th century
- C: Koh Ker (pronounced more like “Koh Kay”), 10th century, briefly used as capital of Khmer empire
- D: Beng Mealea, 13th century, attempts at higher vaulting lead to increased collapse, sandstone
- E: Angkor Archaeological Park, 9th-14th centuries, mix of sandstone, laterite and brick
- F: Banteay Srei, 10th century, pink sandstone
The ziggurat at Koh Ker lending itself easily to Indiana Jones fantasies.
The colonnade at Koh Ker all collapsed in the same direction, making it easy to imagine. I got obsessed with the pegs and stone notching that was used to lock everything in place. Pretty ingenious! 
Prasat Preah Vihear is still an active temple and pilgrimage site. Interestingly, most of the sites we visited were originally built for Hindu gods and have since been converted to Buddhist places of worship, sometimes with the same statue. Vishnu and Buddha could be twins! Actually, Hinduism reminds me a lot of Greek mythology; both are polytheistic with a mix of animal and human gods and elaborate narratives where there is less of a clear separation between good / evil and human / god. 
Naga, a 5-headed cobra whose long snake-body forms the balustrades at Beng Mealea.
Beng Mealea: a very elaborate rubble pile. I wish they were lightweight and we could rearrange them like Legos. I could definitely enjoy a research position to digitally model the temples as they may have been. I could be a nerdy Sherlock Holmes! 
Sunrise / moonset at Phnom Bakheng.
Prasat Preah Vihear, the only linear complex, lies above a cliff at the Thailand / Cambodian border, and as recently as 2012 there were skirmishes between the two sides, each wanting to claim ownership of the ruins. We saw Cambodian guards peering down a telescope towards the Thai border patrol.
We had a magic moment at Banteay Srei, being the first early birds to arrive. The guard let us “buy him a few coffees” in exchange for entry into the restricted area of the temple where you could get up close to the fantastic carvings. I had a fleeting thought << guards + bribes = corruption! >> but it was not enough to deter me. The temples are considered the “crown jewel” of Angkor, and the pink sandstone carvings are so intricate they look like they were completed yesterday. 
The Bayon temple in the center of Angkor Thom was incredible. After ascending to the second tier you are surrounded by over 200 supersized faces of a god (who happens to look like King Jayavarman VII). Imagine how imposing that would be to a mere mortal!
Does it look like it might crumble at any minute? Chris’ strategy is to go fast. 
I included this for comparison, so you can see a popular temle (Ta Prohm of Tom Raider fame) during the middle of the day. This was the moment I got “templed out:” when all the tour buses arrive and the sun is burning down. As much as I am not an early riser, a 5 am wakeup makes for a much more pleasant temple visit.
We found a dinosaur! And, apparently, so did the ancient Khmer people! Did they excavate stegosaurus bones during their extensive mining? How, oh how did this happen? Is it actually a lotus blossom behind a rhino? Curiously, the creationists use this to deny evolution by arguing that dinosaurs and humans roamed the earth at the same time. 
The apsaras (devotional women who hapen to all have perfectly plump breasts) were probably my favorite part of the Angkor Wat temple. There are over 2,000 carvings of these women in the complex, and each one is slightly unique. There were several different hairstyles, necklaces, facial expressions, props, hand positions, and clothing that was worn by them, and many of them were very finely carved. Only one bares her teeth. We even found one with lipstick on (courtesy of Maybelline)!
The gods holding up the railing at the south moat of Angkor Thom. Most of the heads have been econstructed. If you look closely you can make out the faces on the gate towers.
the traveling Kansan 