In our last few days in Siem Reap we returned to Angkor Wat and looked at the wall carvings which we had skipped on our earlier visits. They are a mixture of Hindu mythology and (semi-)historical battles.
There is a naval battle with the ocean full of fish and crocodiles, as well as scenes of city life, hunting etc.
We went up to the temple of Preah Vihear on the Thai border.
In fact it was part of Thailand for a couple of centuries but recovered by the French when they colonised Indo-China in the C19th. Thailand seized it again in the 60s, leading to a brief war. The International Court of Justice eventually gave it back to Cambodia. As a result it has a strong (if not very convincing) army presence. The Thai border is only half a mile away.
We also went to Banteay Srei.
Built by a senior minister in the C10th, it is smaller than the royal temples but beautifully carved.
The harder stone used not only meant that the carving could be finer, but also that it is better preserved over 1,000 years later!
It is amazing what the carvers managed to do with bronze tools. It is thought that the stones were polished by rubbing them against their neighbours to get the very tight fit. No mortar was used, although apparently a vegetable glue assisted in the construction process. Another remarkable feature is that the Angkoreans never discovered the arch, which is one reason the temples have fallen down. Also they were not always good at foundations, and in later years (2nd half of the C12th) they became lazy about overlapping the courses of stones, making the walls much weaker.
There is a naval battle with the ocean full of fish and crocodiles, as well as scenes of city life, hunting etc.
We went up to the temple of Preah Vihear on the Thai border. 
In fact it was part of Thailand for a couple of centuries but recovered by the French when they colonised Indo-China in the C19th. Thailand seized it again in the 60s, leading to a brief war. The International Court of Justice eventually gave it back to Cambodia. As a result it has a strong (if not very convincing) army presence. The Thai border is only half a mile away. 
We also went to Banteay Srei. 
Built by a senior minister in the C10th, it is smaller than the royal temples but beautifully carved. 
The harder stone used not only meant that the carving could be finer, but also that it is better preserved over 1,000 years later! 
It is amazing what the carvers managed to do with bronze tools. It is thought that the stones were polished by rubbing them against their neighbours to get the very tight fit. No mortar was used, although apparently a vegetable glue assisted in the construction process. Another remarkable feature is that the Angkoreans never discovered the arch, which is one reason the temples have fallen down. Also they were not always good at foundations, and in later years (2nd half of the C12th) they became lazy about overlapping the courses of stones, making the walls much weaker.
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