Day 3 – Preah Khan and Hotel Cuisine

Dave and the driver picked us up from the hotel in the afternoon.  It was so nice to return to the hotel for lunch and also a chance to shower and change clothes.  We underestimated the heat and I am sorry I didn’t bring more comfortable clothes.  Back to our afternoon jaunt – we drove to Preah Khan (means sacred sword) and just as we got there – the heavens opened up and we were pounded with rain.  We sat in the car for quite a while.  The driver had parked in front of a small store so Shawn and I took some rainy day photos from the window. We were happy when the shower finally subsided.  I had my umbrella but not my rain shoes. Shawn and Dave each had an umbrella.  Luckily, it didn’t rain any more but the ground and the temple were very wet.  I spent more time puddle hopping than looking at the ruins.  We had to keep detouring because of the water.  Anyways, Just a bit of history about Preah Khan – It was built in 1191 by the warrior king, Jayavaman v11. It was more than just a monastery. It was an entire city. It has been largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins. The temple was very interesting.  It is the second largest temple in the Angkor Group. We came in from the South Gate and had to walk up a long path to get there. Preah Khan has a maze of passages and courtyards leading to the Halls of the Dancers. There is a unique two story round column building. The east Gopura (tower) has a spectacular tree. We practically had the place to ourselves as there were very few tourists.

It had been a very long day with so much to see and do. We looked forward to returning to  happy hour at our hotel.  There is an inside bar and also seats outside near the pool. It is such a pretty area.  We have noticed that their cocktails leave a lot to be desired.  Beer and wine is what they do best!  They have Australian Yellow Tail and I have been happy with that.  They bring out  peanuts with lemon grass and different herbs and sugar mixed in with them.  They also bring out vegetable sticks with a thousand island dressing. Then on the patio they have different appetizers – miniature hamburgers, fried fish bits, teeny pieces of bread with different meats and vegetables.  So with all the food at happy hour we often went to bed without a big dinner. We fell into in bed every night by 8pm.  That is unusual for me as I am usually a night owl but we also have been getting up at 5am most mornings.

One night we decided to go to the hotel’s French restaurant.  We met a couple there from Hawaii.  The woman was Cambodian and they were there visiting her family.  We enjoyed our meal.  We ordered baked potatoes with soup and salad.  The baked potatoes were teeny tiny.  It wasn’t exactly French food but it was good!