Kbal Spean and Banteay Srey

Mid June we had a couple of visitors into work and this gave us the opportunity to spend one of the many public holidays here trekking up to Kbal Spean, hanging out in the falls, looking at one of the more remote temples and having lots of fun.

The trek up the hill in the heat was pretty tough, especially as I was having a lot of pain with my back after coming off the moto.

There were lots of boulders to climb over, but more than anything the heat was pretty sapping.

"Climb mountains, not so the world can see you, but so that you can see the world" - anon

After taking a break at the top of the hill and sharing some stories and jokes, we headed down to see the carvings and lingas in the river bed below...

The butterflys must have found something deliciosu! 

All those little bumps are lingas.

From here we trekked on and saw a small cave with a buddha in it...

....and after an opportune photo moment, we headed down into the falls.

I love nature and it didn't take long to persuade me into the falls. 

"The point is that when I see a sunset or a waterfall or something, for a split second it's so great, because for a little bit I'm out of my brain, and it's got nothing to do with me. I'm not trying to figure it out, you know what I mean? And I wonder if I can somehow find a way to maintain that mind stillness." - Chris Evans

A few of us went in and spent the rest of the day pretty wet, but it was worth it. 

Soon we headed back down the hill...

...and on to Banteay Srey and its lovely surrounds...

There is little shade at this temple and in the heat of the day the weather was pretty punishing!

I love the carvings at Banteay Srey, very different, really intricate and lovely pink stone.

"Your daily life is your temple and your religion. When you enter into it take with you your all." -  Khalil Gibran

Love a good doorway!

Such detail!

Soon we were on our way again and took a stop at the butterfly house.

"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne

And a final stop of the day at Angkor Wat - of course!

"I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun." - Charles R. Swindoll

Khmer New Year staycation and visit to see the animals

Happy Khmer New Year!

A little slice of luxury, some late night swims, fun nights out with old and new friends and joining in the celebrations kept me nicely chilled over the festivities....

"We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves. And we'll also have a lot more joy in living." - Thich Nhat Hanh

On one of the days we headed out to ACCB wildlife center to hear about the animals they have rescued there...

They had a lot of birds...

Including a rare sort of peacock..

"The bird is powered by its own life and by its motivation." - A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

A few types of monkeys in enclosures and the the surrounding forest...

Some of the baby monkeys were tiny and played in and outside of the enclosure.

"Too much free time is certainly a monkey's paw in disguise. Most people can't handle a structureless life." - Douglas Coupland

They also had two sleepy leopard cats

And a massive monitor lizard...

And an areas where they were breeding tortoises.

The work they are doing sounds great and its definitely worth a visit if you are up at Kbal Spean, for me the enclosures were a little small, but they did say they were working on extending their space.

A great trip and a relaxing week!