Siem Reap; 12 to 17th February

Face of Jayavarman VII, The Bayon
Angkor Thom ( C12/13th )

What to say about such a relatively well known site?
The myriad temple and palace complexes at Angkor stretch over tens of kilometres and in the three days we spent looking over them we gained an appreciation of why they are one of the premier world heritage sites.
We saw temples dating from C9th to C14th, took too many photos, climbed too many steps and loved it.
Did we have a favourite; yes it was Ta Prohm, still set in the trees, tranquil, and with far less tourists than the large parties engulfing the headline sites it still retained a sense of place. A few pictures we like follow:

Elephant Terrrace at Angkor Thom ( C11th )

Angkor Wat from causeway

Part of the temple at Ta Prohm

Tree at Ta Prohm

After three days of temples we needed something less energetic and signed up for a cookery class. The couse started with a walk round the local village looking at various plants and herbs, learning about their uses and local superstitions.For example they plant lemon grass around their houses to deter snakes.

In the morning we prepared a three course meal which we had for our lunch. The process was repeated in the afternoon  and we departed with a takeaway supper. Still full from a huge lunch we passed the boxes on to smiling guesthouse staff.

Cambodian cookery class