Exploring Khmer Temples in Isaan

I'm currently in the town of Surin where we are sleeping for the night before we finally head home to BKK tomorrow morning. Today was major Khmer temples! We visited three monuments, built in the 11th and 12th centuries, around the provinces of Si Saket and Surin, checking those laterite temples that one of my colleagues of so crazy about.

Of course I am not complaining coz I'm just tagging along with the group. If anything, the past couple of days were marvelous, learning about archaeology as well as seeing the beautifully arid landsape of Isaan. And yeah, I have to mention that the food is ahhhhmazing in this part of Thailand.

First stop for today was Prasat Hin Wat Sa Kamphaeng Noi, which is nothing much but a heap of laterite blocks precariously leaning towards the ground. The temple had to be supported by a contraption of wood, wire, and rubber otherwise it would totally collapse. The monument used to serve as the centerpiece of an Angkor-period hospital.

The next monument we visited is the charming Prasat Hin Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai. It's located within the grounds of a contemporary Buddhist temple complex, hence, a juxtaposition of the old and the new that one hardly sees around. This Khmer monument uses sandstone, laterite, and bricks as its main materials. The details of the lintels are relatively well preserved, reminding me of Bantaey Srei in Angkor. Again, I have my archaeologist colleague to explain of all this stuff.

We then moved to the province of Surin where we visited the stunning Prasat Hin Chom Phra. Surrounded by a moat, the monument was originally Hindu and was converted into a Bhuddist temple by some Lao king in the 13th century. This temple is again made of sandstone, laterite, and bricks.

My camera ran out of battery so there was little camwhoring done today (damn!).