The last temple I visited in Siam Reap was tucked away in the forest, hidden from plain sight. If you didn’t know it was there, you may never have found it. But I was on a quest to see as many as possible, and went out of my way to find this small and secluded temple.
It was nearing the end of the day as I sought this final temple in the Prasat Bakong area. Knowing that time was not on my side, I knew this would be a quick visit. But as I approached the temple itself, I found that it was not easily accessible. There seemed to be paths leading to it, but they were not accessible by bike.
Thanks to modern technology I knew the location, so I picked a path and decided to follow it to the temple. It was a small dirt path through the jungle that would take me past a local home. The guard dog was not happy with my presence, but it’s owner came out to calm it down.
After the dirt path ended I found myself in a large grass field with no obvious path. There was still no sign of the temple, and I was starting to worry that I had taken a wrong turn. Not ready to give up, I crossed the field to the treeline opposite, and was rewarded with a few stones that may have come from a temple.
It wasn’t long before I came across the ruins. Scaffolding propped up the remnants of libraries and stupas that emerged from the bed of leaves below. Trees surround the area and provide a canopy over this small temple. Though little of this temple remains, you can still make out some of the intricate carvings that would have decorated its walls and doors in its prime.
The lack of people at this temple can be credited to either it being less popular due to being small and less restored, or that it was late in the day and the area was about to close. Still, the small journey I had to make here made it feel like I was an explorer discovering an ancient secret. It was a great experience to close out my temple exploration journey.
And yet, I still feel like I have barely scratched the surface. Perhaps one day I will come back and make an effort to visit more temples. There are many more near Siam Reap, and even more further away from the city. The ancient Angkorian empire expanded over a large area, and I have only begun to discover the centuries of history revealed by these stones.
