The jungle temple - Ta Prohm

This is a place that gave me the "wow" factor from the get go. My local driver told me that Ta Prohm is also known as the jungle forest and the place was made famous by the movie "Tomb Raider". It's really easy to see what Hollywood has chosen this to be the setting for the Lara Croft movie - the whole temple is shrouded in dappled shadow yet extrudes a sense of calmness and serenity - exotic. 


The extensive root system dug deep into building structures creating a manicured look that reminded me of a bonsai plant - except that in this case the trees are "life-size". While the trees and its muscular root system is a definite highlight of this place, there is no doubt that its these roots that are slowly destroying the temple consuming & breaking it down with the age of time.


Along the way into the temple you'll see many kids and teenagers who would offer to be your guide. What's surprising is that most of these kids speak really good English without any hint of local accent. Some were so good that I wouldn't be able to tell them apart from the foreigners... These kids are extremely street-wise and have probably been trained in their early days to survive in this real world. So if you are feeling generous, there's no harm letting one of them guide you through the temple for a small fee... (always agree on a price before you start with them).


Pearly told me that this is her favorite place in Siem Reap.