Angkor Wat

Up at 5:00 a.m. to see sunrise at the temple at Angkor Wat. In darkness we load onto the buses, drive to the site, unload and walk to where we will watch for the sunrise. We cross the moat on a bridge approximately a quarter mile long and proceed along a road. It’s dark, the road is uneven, the guide has the only flashlight for about 25 of us. Giules is using the flashlight application on her iPhone, to no avail.

We go off the road, down some very (and I do mean very) uneven and old steps (not a handrail to be seen anywhere in Angkor Wat), stumble, literally to our spot on the steps of an outbuilding to watch the sunrise.

Sunrise commences as scheduled (no surprise there), however, with the cloud cover, there is almost no color in the sky as it becomes more light. Therefore, we take images of the silhouette of the temple and enjoy the start to the day.

We have a very good guide, who takes us around the perimeter and in through the back of the complex. Along the way we see a building off in the jungle about a quarter mile away that is what Angkor Wat used to be –encased in the jungle.

We walk through the temples, admiring the carvings and the great work done by thousands of workers at a time. We are fortunate to be able to get close enough to touch the sculptures (which we do not do). Sooner than later this access has to end to preserve the site, however, for us, it’s great as we walk through the complex for nearly two hours.

Breakfast is a boxed affair from the hotel served at a restaurant/gift shop just outside the temple complex. It fits the need.

Hawkers are everywhere as we go to breakfast, leave breakfast, go to the buses. At every stop at a tourist destination, there are hawkers. Saying anything to them means they do not let you go; the only thing to do is to ignore them and keep on walking.

We head out next to another temple, Ta Pram; a temple held together, literally in places, by the giant roots of trees. The structures are in maze formation, so we stay with our guide. It also is in the process of being restored, but is at a much earlier stage than is Angkor Wat. The Indian government has contributed funds and expertise to help with the restoration, which is a massive undertaking. Watching it we can get a sense of what was involved in freeing Angkor Wat from the jungle, a Herculean task.

One poignant part of the tour through Ta Pram is the group of seven musicians playing by the side of the trail, under a tree, as we walk in. They are selling CDs and DVDs, and the music is quite pleasant. However, as you look more carefully at them you realize they are all missing a limb – they are all land mind victims.

Their CDs and DVDs are priced in dollars, as is most everything in this part of Cambodia, or at least what the tourists might be buying. Cambodia has its own currency, but we never saw it. All transactions were in U.S. dollars to Thai baht.

Lunch is at the hotel, a multi course, delicious lunch, followed by . . .a 90 minute couples massage, meaning that we are both in the same room getting our massages at the same time. Aaah.

We go out for a walk after the massage, just wandering the streets. People on bicycles, motorcycles and motorbikes are everywhere, transporting all manner of goods and people. Five on a motorcycle or motorbike is not unusual. It’s great for street photography.

Since it’s hot and humid (as it is everywhere on this trip), a swim in the hotel pool, shaped in the manner of the one at Angkor Wat, is a welcome respite.

The temples are all closed a night, however, for us . . . we have an extravaganza at Banyan Temple. It is lit from the outside as we sit on a wooden floor, put down for the occasion, with well decorated tables. The entertainment is Cambodian dancers. The food is from a catering kitchen brought in for the night, western to a large degree (steak imported from the U.S. and Atlantic cod). It is a memorable night, hopefully some of which shows up in the photos.

As we post this, we once again have a good an internet connection, so Giules has added some of her pictures to yesterday's Siem Riep post.