Neak Pean is definitely one of my favourite sites. It's not even a temple, I don't think. It's basically a circular mound of stairs leading up to a shrine built in the shape of a tower. The whole structure rises up from the middle of a square hollow lined with steps. This centrepiece itself is surrounded by four other smaller and shallower but otherwise similar square hollows at each of the four compass directions.
In the past, when Angkor was the capital of the Khmer empire, every one of these hollows would have been filled with water - sacred water even. Today of course, they've all dried up and are now covered with grass. It would be prettier if they were still filled with water. And although these pools must have served a religious purpose back then, I can imagine this place being a hotspot for local children to swim in during the evenings.
I like this place because it's not a very popular site and tourists are countable with my fingers. It's so quiet and peaceful here. Ta Prom would have undoubtedly been my favourite if not for the hordes of tourists.
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