Hi, Can those of you who have visited some of the less visited temples tell me which ones you really enjoyed and why?

Thanks
J

My very favorite temple is Ta Som. It is one of the unrestored temples (through they were starting to do some work when we were there in 2001). Walk all the way to the back of the temple, as the entrance on the "back" side is a wonderfully overgrown gate with Buddha heads entwined with the living roots of trees. I also enjoyed the two more frequently visited "jungle temples" Preah Khan and Ta Prohm.

I also liked the ruined temple of Preah Pithu. If you go to our photos, one of the photos there was my favorite of the trip. I think we were the only visitors to all three of the temples in the Roulous group, as well as the only visitors to the temple above Tonele Sap (there are monks living at that temple). I'll have to look at my notes to give you other less visited temples.

By the way, I used Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor, as a guide, and she gives specific instructions (such as going to the back gate of Ta Som) to see wonderful things you might otherwise miss.

photos at www.marlandc.com

the one known as the pink temple and quite far removed is the best i am told, althogh my time did not allow me to get there....its name escapes me but it is something like ban shri...i murdered it...

kathie,

how long of a trip is it to visit these unrestored temples? could we explore several in half a day? could several be paired together? and how far is it from siem reap, would we need to hire a guide and/or driver?

To get to the secret unrestored temples, you do need to hire a driver/guide and it can cost quite a bit. Not all drivers want to go there and roads are often unpaved. Some of these temples are only recently opened to the public and landmines are still being cleared in some of these the areas. You would need a full day and an adventurous spirit. Most tourists never even get to these temples and they are the best ones around. More impressive than anything in the usual tourist zone, in my opinion.

i think you mean banteay srei, rhkkmk , although my spelling might be wrong too. \

its also known as the woman temple. certainly it is the most intricate of the few i saw. but do get a car for the journey unless you dont mind the 30 km feeling much further. with the motodup, though, you go at a slow enough pace to see life being lived along the way.

Yes, Banteay Srei is the temple that Bob is referring to. It's a lovely small temple, but it is overrun with visitors. It's the only temple where the walls are cordoned off.

The temples I mentioned all all accessible from town, none are as distant as Banteay Srei. To visit any of the temples, you really need a driver. You can do a number of the ones I mentioned in a half a day. As I remember, we spent one morning at the Roulous group. A number of the others I mentioned are close to frequently visited temples, but not on the list of "major" temples, so are often bypassed by visitors and their guides.

There are more remote temples that Mealea is referring to. Some of those temples were on our list to visit, but one of the roads was washed out so we couldn't go. There are so many Khmer temples in Cambodia (and even in Thailand) there are always more to go back to see.

Thanks everyone. We have been before and did go to Banteay Sei as well as the major sites. We are planning a return visit for about 5 days so as well as revisiting these sites we want to go to some less visited places. Kathie I think I saw on Amazon that Dawn Rooney has a 5th edition of her book due out in Oct so I was going tot wait to get that. I also saw a book there by Michael F.... that seems it would be great but does not seem to be available. I will keep looking though.

Thanks again for the info and thanks in advance for that still to come!
J

its not expensive to get to these places....a car can be rented for a full day for $20 with an extra charge of maybe $10 to go to the outlying places....well worth it...

and yes that is the place...

jules, yes, Dawn Rooney has a new edition coming out. There is a book by Michael Freeman that is nice, but it's large - hard to take along as a guide. I've accumulated quite a library of books about Angkor. All the background reading will pay off when you are there. Also, in Siem Reap you can buy some books about Angkor that appeaer to be unavailable anywhere else - so save some space in your luggage.

The temples that are much farther away (a couple of hours)will cost you more to go see, but still the price is reasonable. I didn't name any of those in my list of minor temples.

Kathie which farther away temples are you refering to? We are fine to pay the extra cost to get to a great place. I think we both really enjoy the more overgrown temples with the jungle trying to take over. I love the sound of the gate you describe at Ta Som I will have to find some photos of that. Hopefully they haven't done too much restoration work!

Thanks J

I'll have to look at my notes for the farther away temples.

Photos of the gate at Ta Som are on my traveling companion's website

www.marlandc.com

Thanks Kathie!
J

Sorry Kathie forgot to say I have been looking at your photos to try to formulate my plan of attack. They are great.
Thanks
J