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Published: November 9th 2006
Sunrise over Angkor Wat
tough to get up at 4am, but well worth it!hello lovelies!
Well here we are in Cambodia, in amongst the greatest Temples in the world - and they really are mind blowing!!
Today, we hired our own private tuk tuk (like a rickshaw but pulled by a man on a little moped) to take us to the temples around Angkor. Would you believe, we set out at 4am (having vowed to take it easy and sleep in while in Cambodia, after our hectic schedule in Vietnam!), and the reason for the early start?.............Chris wanted to photograph the sunrise over Angkor Wat!!!
Angkor Wat is the biggest and most famous of all the temples, and is actually the largest religious building in the world. When we arrived, it was pitch black and without a torch or any lighting, it was quite eery. As daylight comes and the sun rises, Chris soon found he was one of a couple of hundred other photographers, hard core enough to get up at such an early hour!
Anyway, we saw a perfect sunrise over the temple, and went on to explore for a couple of hours after. Its hard to describe the sheer size and presence of these buildings, they really
With buddhist monks.....
all under 21 years of age and not allowed to touch a female, hence Chris is next to them and not Jak! do have a mystical feeling about them. Before leaving, we stopped and met some of the many buddhist monks who live in the area - they often begin this way of life at the age of 13 or 14.
In our tuk tuk, we went on to see most of the other temples, including Ta Prohm, one of the locations used to film Tomb Raider (Jackie wondered round in her combats thinking she was Lara Croft!) Walking through Ta Prohm, you really do feel like you're in a film set and need to take time to take in all the amazing scenery and nature. There was a slight moment of panic, as Chris realised he'd left his camera bag (and lens) somewhere in amongs the famous tree roots that snake round the Ta Prohm temple. Luckily, with our speedy tuk tuk driver and some honest people, he got his camera bag back in less than an hour.........he wouldn't have been a happy bunny otherwise!!
It is amazing to see the local Cambodian people all looking so happy, despite the huge land mine casualties (about 1 in 275 people are amputees here), with around 30 people a month still
falling victim. You are advised to stick to well used paths when out of the towns, as the area is still host to many land mines (don't worry, all the places we're going have been thoroughly cleared and are safe).
After years of turbulent history, the children and adults alike all smile and are very happy to meet and talk to you, they are all very respectful of tourists, and make you feel very welcome.
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Borat Sagdiyev
non-member comment
You come
Big Chris, Jagshemash, when you come to my country. I was love for you to have my wife for you dinner. You like. I like yours to. You please meat with Lala croft and tell her I would very like her to see my khram and to have sexy time. Hi five, Wa wa wi wa