Hired bicycles today and did my second day of the Angkor temples.

The whole Angkor site is set in gorgeous rolling (and thankfully flat) countryside, so cycling is a great way to experience it. Our bikes weren't exactly cutting-edge technology (I think they're probably older than Grandad) but they did well and I got around a big chunk of the site.

I started at Angkor Thom, an ancient walled city with an impressive temple, Bayon, at its centre. Bayon is a series of high towers, each side of which is carved with a smiling Buddha face - it's quite a sight. To get to there I cycled past Angkor Wat; set in the centre of a huge moat its vast and so impressive. I'm saving Angkor Wat for my last day at the temples, so didn't go in this time but kept on riding - had to tear myself away though. After clambering around Bayon we cycled on to another temple and wandered around admiring more overgrown trees forcing their way out of the stones, the Leper King terrace and the gorgeous Elephant Terrace - a long row of carved elephants, flanked by elephant sculptures complete with long trunks stretching out to meet the ground.

Then on to the East gate, taking in two smaller temples, Chau Bay and Themmanon - I gave an offering of incense to one of the shrines and had a bit of red string tied around my wrist - not quite sure what the meaning of it is but it was a nice thing to do nonetheless. Onwards to Ta Keo a huge looming ahead; a steep climb to the top in the heat of the day didn't appeal so I lounged around the lower levels and read my book in the shade. One more stop on the list for today; Preah Khan. The moat is flanked by rows of angry-looking gargoyle-soldiers, sadly most of them are missing their heads but they're still quite imposing! Preah Khan has been badly looted - lots of the scultpures have been damaged or stolen, but in some ways it is still quite intact; the roof and walls are still standing, so you move from room to room and get a real sense of what it was like. Preah Khan was the queen's palace; the king married two sisters and their images are carved into the wall side by side. Once decorated with rubies and precious metals, now they are just stone - but still beautifully carved. Wandering back across the moat as dusk started to set in, green algae settled on the surface of the water looked as though it were a watercolour, with the falling light dancing lightly across it.

The sun wasn't so hot as sunset approached, good job as my legs were getting tired by now - I think we did about 35km today. On the way out of Angkor Thom we saw monkeys munching tropical fruit and elephants roaming along the pathways. It was a gorgeous sight.

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