On the Temple Trail, Angkor Wat, Cambodia

---

Today I awoke at 4am as we were going to visit Angkor Wat at sunrise. We left the hotel at 4.30am and drove to the entrance where our tickets were checked. When we arrived it was pitch black and we needed torches to find our way to the Temple. We found a good place to stand and waited for the dawn to break.

Slowly the light grew brighter, however unfortunately it started to rain and instead of sunrise we just got daybreak. The vendors which included small children were busy even at this time in the morning trying to sell us coffee postcards and scarves.

We went back to the hotel for a well earned breakfast and shower then off to seek more temples. We did three more temples in the Angkor complex which covers twenty square KMs and has around forty temples so I am sure if you stayed for a weeks you wouldn't see them all. Most of them were built in the eleventh century and the beautiful carvings still exist although many of the temples have fallen in to disrepair. The tomb raider temple which we visited last is being restored by the Indian government!! It seems odd that a country that has so many poor people can spend this amount of money on a temple in Cambodia. I guess it is because of the Vishnu connections and I am sure Cambodia is grateful for the restoration.

The temples were built by one of the kings who dies shortly after their completion and were dedicated to Vishnu, Sheba and one other whose name avoids me. Well worth a visit.

The day ended with our final night party in Siam Reap followed by a long journey back to Bangkok by road the following day. Fantastic tour, nice bunch of people and a great tour guide Jay.

---