Wow. I was right, you are the expert. Thanks for the lowdown, makes complete sense about the geography and building materials. I think some of the renovations included a dab of cement here and there. Youd love it here, really and yes, keep your mask on, throw 15baht at them and say khop khun ka and youd in like a local ;-)
Take care Mac and thanks :-)
Do they offer official guides around the area too? When I went to do these temple trips, I often go with guides but always told them to skip on the folktales and the myths. So, they would show and tell me fun things like how to distinguish the restoration between the actual compound. These temples are quite fragile and even now, Indonesian govt is restricting visitors into these places and charge hefty amount just to visit them.