Serenity in sculpture - Cambodia

The Bayon temple is a work of art. It is best to get there early in the morning when the haze that invades the forest bit by bit starts to dissipate. The some 200 calming faces each with a smile on their lips appear one after the other in what is quite simply a magic sequence. Built for the Buddhist king Jayavarman VII, it was totally destroyed but resurrected in the 30s; a mammoth task but one which was absolutely worth every drop of sweat. Other than its faces, it boasts superb bas-reliefs right along its terraces. The visit of the galleries and other pavilions is a real maze, interrupted by small statues of Buddha watched over by venerable nuns.