There's numerous temples in the Angkor complex that one can explore. So after exploring Bayon, I just took a short walk and went to nearby Baphuon.
To get there, I needed to dodge a few monkeys. There was this area just chock full of them. Fortunately, they were used to humans and weren't attacking us. And a short distance away, was this temple, built on an artificial hill.
There's a little pool in front of this temple, which is facing the east. I remember that children were not allowed to climb up, but only later did I realise why. The staircases are steep and so there's a level of danger involved when one is up there in the terraces.
I have learned that this temple was at some point called the largest jigsaw puzzle in the world. It had collapsed at some point, and people carefully labelled its pieces, however, the war happened and so efforts to rebuild it were aborted. And then the reconstruction plans were somehow lost. In any case, by 2011, the rebuilding efforts have concluded, and now people can visit this temple again.
The temple has three tiers, and climbing up to the very highest tier provides some interesting vistas. I basically explored every tier, going around the perimetre, exploring its walkways and tunnels. And after some time, I made my way back down, ready to explore the next interesting sight nearby.
