Upon entering the Terrace of the Elephants, visitors will stumble into the Royal Palace grounds. The Royal Palace started construction in the 10th century and being the Royal Palace, must certainly been impressive in its day. Just after ther Terrace of the Elephants one would encounter the gopuras of the Royal Palace.
The gopura was elegantly designed with the mandatory mythical creatures and flower motifs. However, not much of the Royal Palace remains except for some ruins which is really a shame. There are some ponds which are probably baths for the royals. Actually for a bath it is certainly huge.
However, just beyond the two gopuras and beside the pond is the magnificent temple-mountain, Phimeanakas. This is a big structure presumably for the use of the king. There are four sets of stairs leading to the top of the temple. However, all of them are quite steep. The one facing away from the Terrace of the Elephants is a little more safe to climb.
It is funny to notice how small the steps on these temples are. Makes you wonder whether the ancient Khmers were a small people. When you get to the top, one can explore in detail the workings of this magnificent temple-mountain as the same timeone can also have a look around the surrounding area.
While the Phimeanakas was a little interesting, overall, the Royal Palace was quite a disappointment since there isn’t really much left of it. I look forward to the other temples we will be visiting.
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