Ta Prohm

Perhaps one of the more popular temples at Angkor (besides Angkor Wat itself), is Ta Prohm--famous for being a staging area for parts of Tomb Raider 2, but also famous for its atmosphere. Largely unrestored (though more restoration work is in place today thanks to generous donations from Germany, Japan, etc), the temple is a textbook example of how we might picture "ancient ruins"--crumbling evidence of once immaculate structures, now encrusted with lichen, jungle overgrowth, and bursting at the seams with trees.

In fact, my Khmer guide referred to Ta Prohm repeatedly as, "the temple with the tree."

Badass.

He also excelled at finding pictures in the tangled roots of the trees:

"This has the root like cobra snake."

Historically, Ta Prohm was built in the same period as the Bayon, by the same king. Built as a tribute to his mother, the temple grounds were an important monastery and place of study during its time. With, of course, the requisite dance hall. Which needs some work, by today's standards:

Here's the album: Ta Prohm.