Angkor Wat

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It was a very early start for us again to make sure we could get to Angkor before the tour groups so up at 6am for breakfast and then out with Rener for a whole day around the amazing sights of Angkor. Nothing can prepare you for the vastness of the temples especially Angkor itself. With its huge moat around the edge and its three storey temple I wondered how it could possibly be built so long ago.

Walking along the paths through to the main temple of Angkor you feel at peace, it's very hard to describe but it just feels right. Small temples sit either side and you start to imagine what life must have been like living in such a place. When we got to the main temple we were amazed by the walls all the way around, similar to those is Egypt the walls have been cut out so the imagine protrude out of the walls, each wall amount 100m. The skills required to produce the intricate detail are mind blowing.

The courtyard in the middle was nice and cool as it must have been getting close to 30oC at 8am! To go up to the main temple you must have covered shoulders so it was a quick walk to the market close by to get a T shirt and a cold drink ! Then back to climb the steep stairs, but like with Banteay the views from the top 65m high are stunning, you can see the whole magnificence.

It was back to the waiting Tuk Tuk to take us on to Angkor Thom or big Angkor to the locals, its huge in comparison to Angkor Wat but the restoration here is still under way so the condition is now way near as good as Wat. It's a 3km walled and moated royal city, you do feel like Indiana Jones as you walk up and see the temples with the faces looking out at you. There are lots of places to explore and as usual like a small puppy I was off and climbing the steepest stairs! God knows what I was thinking as when I got to the top apart from being out of breath I suddenly realised how the hell do I get down! This place feels a lot older than Angkor Wat even though it actually is not. I would say that in hindsight I think we should have got a guide for the day to explain everything in more detail.

After Thom is was very much time for lunch and Rener suggest we go to a nice restaurant, I am sure we got something for taking us and it was little bit more expensive than others there but it was indoors and there was no one trying to sell us things in there so it was nice to sit and cool down. The food was really good and two soups, salad and four drinks was still less than $20.

Our final stop was Ta Prohm to me one of the most interesting sights due to the huge trees which seem to be at one with the temples as their roots grow over and through the buildings. There has been very little restoration works here so you can see the mammoth task that is facing the teams trying to work out which piece goes where to restore it! After this it was close to 4pm and we were knackered so it was back to the hotel for sleep before I night on the tiles as tomorrow no early start for once!!!

We headed out to the Cambodian BBQ which we had seen the night before selling snake! To be honest it was not much and the portions were terrible for the price, but it's not every day you say you eat snake! After that it was on to Angkor What the first pub in on the now famous Pub Street! It was so cheap in there! After we few we headed down to the Red Piano for some Tomb Raider cocktails which should be renamed brain cell takers! After a few we headed to the Irish bar to found it closed at midnight!!!!!! So it was off to bed!

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