This is the site of the first Khmer capital, dating to around 875 AD. It's outside of the more well-known Angkor area, and although you can get here by bus, it's far more fun to ride.
Our small van from the hotel took us to this non-descript yard with a large shed in back. Opening the shed, our guide helped us select our steeds for the day - brand spankin' new Specialized Hardrock mountain bikes.
And we're off! Chan Mol, our guide, took us through the outskirts of Siemp Reap onto the red dirt roads of the countryside. We passed by school kids on their way back to school from their lunch breaks, and Chan Mol explained that many of these kids are orphaned. The government and the U.N. are trying to support them with aid and education, but it's a struggle. 
It was wonderful to breathe the fresh air outside the city. And the feel of this more rural village and farm land was so much like the old Laos I remembered around Vientiane, I felt right at home. Tension melted away, replaced with joy in the return of life's rhythm. The ditches enabled at least two rice harvests a year here, and many people are getting enough to eat. There are many new jobs, and new construction evident. Chan Mol says there is now a real feeling of hope - I think it's fragile, and certainly nobody seems to hold much faith in the myriad political parties, but "normal" life is a welcome gift.
The old woman warned us. We stopped for a water break, and as we applied more sunscreen and insect spray, she talked to Chan Mol about our questionable actions. Translated, she said: "That goopy stuff you are putting on your skin is going to be a mistake."
She was right. In short order, we were coated in a thick layer of red dust. It was a day when you just have to stop thinking about sweat, dirt, and chemical goopey stuff.
Perfect weather, idyllic scene - and every half-mile or so, we'd see a different political party sign. Chan Mol seems to think it's not really going to make much difference who wins - they are all well-meaning, but what we call "bribery" or "corruption" is common. It's just the way the world works. People are resigned to this, and it does seem a small issue compared to gaining peace.
The local gas station. Whiskey bottles are used for measuring litres of petrol. There was also a compressor for tires here, and soda in a cooler.The white Brahma oxen were unchanged from 40 years before. At one point, we steered our bikes around a herd of them being guided down the road. I was hoping Jules would know how to maneuver around them without spooking them, since she was ahead of me. I should never have doubted!
We came upon an open-air temple/gathering place for the community, with murals of Buddha's life and journeys. A bright spot along the road.
Typical road-side home. Under the stilted floor, the animals live. Chickens, goats, cattle, pigs take shelter from the sun during dry season.
Chan Mol described the process of rice growing, drying, and storing in these thatched "sheds".
This woman was probably in her 40's, and wrestling with this home-grown building material, used for roofing.
By this time, we were ready for a break. We'd been biking for a couple of hours at least, and the lunch spot was our oasis in the desert. Covered with red dust and sweat, we pretended we were just as presentable as the Europeans lunching next to us.
We kept going, and finally arrived at the Roluos Group of Khmer temple ruins.
This was a completely different experience from our day at Angkor Wat. Peaceful, free of tour buses and crowds, the sound of birds replaced the sound of motorbikes here. The ruins themselves are less groomed, with grass and native ornamental plants growing on nooks and crannies. Exquisite carvings made in 1100 years ago coexist with foliage, setting off the beauty of the artwork. Here, you can feel connected through that thousand years of time to the presence of the gods and the people who spent so many years worshiping them through art.
Roluos, Preah Ko, the Six Towers.
This temple was dedicated to Shiva, and means Sacred Bull. (Nandi, Shiva's mount) Hindu mythical creatures are carved here, and Garuda.
Chan Mol explained that the method of making cement to hold the layers of brick and carving stone together is quite advanced at Roluos. It's an older area than Angkor, and not all the skills transferred to the newer building north of Siem Reap.
We never learned where the rest of this god is; seems to have walked off without his toe-shoes.
The elephants on the temple of Bakong, 881 AD, originally dedicated to Shiva but later a place of Buddhist worship.
No signs told us about whether these doors really opened or not. More research to do...!
As we explored, and occasionally just sat and rested, we got to know our guide. Jules again was able to ask questions that I could not. One of Chan Mol's hands was missing some fingers. By this time, we all felt quite comfortable with one another, and we learned that he had lost his fingers in a wood-saw that he was running with his father. His father felt so guilty that this had happened (Chan Mol was in his early teens then, I think) that he promised his son that he would pay for him to go to school, so he would be able to have a way to make a living.
Chan Mol's older sister was at school, and it was expensive to go beyond the elementary level. So for Chan Mol to get to go too was quite a challenge for the family. Currently, he has gotten through secondary education, and is taking college level classes when he can, earning his way through by working as a guide. His English is really very good, and he was very happy to learn from us as well.
Chan Mol's mother wants him to get married and have a family. But he wants to wait until he can really support a family; and before his father died, he agreed with Chan Mol on that issue. So Mom has now accepted his decision, but not too happily!
Next, we learn about Chan Mol's survival during the last years of the war. And we learn the technique of surviving Siem Reap traffic in the dark, on a bike.
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