Angkor Wat What!

Jon and I woke up early on our first morning in Cambodia so we could take in the famous sunrise over Angkor Wat temple. We arrived to the temple, along with hundreds of others, and made our way toward the reflecting pond. Although we arrived early enough to get a decent seat close to the pond, we quickly found ourselves suffocated by people closing in on us and our good location. 

The noise levels of the women, men, children and cameras around us was near defending at times as we waited for the sun to crest over the temple. As a result, it was hard to remain present, take in the beauty of the scene, and not be distracted by the activity going on around us. 

With the sunrise over, we made our way back to our hotel to have breakfast and then meet up with our English speaking guide that we hired for the day to provide us with a detailed tour of the temple grounds. We met Mr. Von Ny in our hotel lobby, exchanging pleasantries as he serenaded us with music from a Tro Khmer, a traditional bowed instrument used in Cambodia music. 

Von Ny began his dialogue on the history of Siem Reap and background of Angkor Wat once we arrived outside the main gate of the temple. While Von Ny had a good command of the English language and vocabulary, his enunciation was incredibly difficult to understand. Before making our way across the bridge to reach the entrance, Jon turned to me and asked "How much of this are you getting? I will be honest, I am at 10%". I put myself at 85% and Jon called BS, it was impossible to understand that much of what was being said. Five minutes later, Jon officially gave up trying to understand Von Ny and I began the process of providing a recap of the important bits. By lunch, I had a wicked headache as a result of the concentration and I decided to call it quits myself. 

What Von Ny lacked as an orator was made up by his all-access approach to our tour. He forged his own path through the temples, at times leading us into no access points and even encouraging us to stand near or on sacred spots as he took our photo. So while we learned little during the day, we certainly came away with some amazing photos. 

After visiting Angkor Wat, we made our way to a number of other temples in the main archeological park: Angkor Thom, Ta phrom, Bayon, Baphoun, Phimeanakas. Each temple was unique in appearance and character. The carvings, symbolism and sheer size of each temple was a sight to behold. 

By 4:30pm it was time to head to Phnom Bakheng and hike up the mountain to take in the sunset. Only 300 people are allowed on the top of the temple for sunset, so it is key to get there early to ensure a spot. As luck would have it, we sat down right in front an american girl traveling by herself. With a lot of time to spare before the sun would actually set, we struck up a conversation with Allison and made plans to all get together for dinner later that night. 

I have never made a conscious effort to see the sunrise and sunset in the single day before. While it makes for a long day, it was the most rewarding feeling to be there and bear witness to the start and finish of one entire day. When I look back on the day, I will remember that feeling long after the vibrant colors of the sunrise and sunset fade from my memory.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat.

 

 

Inside Angkor Wat Temple.

 

 

 

Outside the east entrance of Angkor Wat.

 

 

Our tour guide Von Ny.

 

 

We stumbled across some monks and offered our blessings and prayers to the Buddha statue. 

Exploring the many doorways of the Temples.

 

 

Bayon Temple.

 

 

At Ta Phrom temple.

 

With Allison at dinner on Pub Street.