SIEM REAP - ANGKOR WAT DAY 2

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30.11.08

Today we have a tuk tuk all for ourselves, that will take us around to see the other temples. But there's no discount on the time, 4.30am as usual! We are soon ready to leave and the driver is ready, so we jump on and go into the dark. We definitely underestimated the cold of the wind at such an early time, so we freeze ourselves on the way to Sras Srang. It's only few minutes after 5.00 when we get there and it's still all dark, but we'll wait here for the sunrise. We walk, with a torch to find the way, towards the wide screen of water, completely unaware of the huge number of stands surrounding the place.
Immediately kids are all around us trying to sell whatever they can. With all this following we reach the edge where other kids are already giving it to an American man. Clearly there's no way to get away from them, so we sit all together, waiting for the sunrise, while they keep on trying to convince us. Soon other people arrive and we meet again the Scottish couple, of which obviously we still ignore the names, and they join us in conversation with the kids. These little people speak English very well and are informed on all the most important facts of every country around the world! Despite the hassling we're subjected to, we all have a good time, we watch together the sunrise and at the end we all buy something. I also receive a bracelet from a little girl as a present. Our driver is waiting for us, so we run away and jump on the tuk tuk. Even with the front curtains unrolled and a big scarf to cover us up, is still cold, but we can't do much about it.
Before heading to Banteay Srey, that is quite far away, we stop at Pre Rup. This is the temple that I maybe liked the most spatially. All the temple we visit today are quite different from the ones we've already seen.
Here and at Banteay Srey we meet twice the American man, with which Michael spend some time talking about all the places visited. We find out later on that he also has a travel blog, so we exchange the addresses to share more tips.
Crowds of Japanese are unfortunately spreading around, with their cameras so big that we are sure they have competitions on that, and some even with tripods, standing for ages in the middle of the way to take pictures that I would be very curious to see!
Anyway, this is also a long day that we end visiting Angkor Wat, the most famous of all temples.
We ask our driver to kindly leave us in town, so we can have a look at the market and eat something.
The Mexican restaurant has been a very unfortunate choice, as I got sick a couple of hours later. Perfect timing! Just when we're about to spend the next two days travelling! I hope it's not going to last long.
We walk the dusty road back to the hotel and get straight away on the internet to book our hotel in Thailand. We find a resort and spa that looks very nice, it's on the beach, and has a reasonable price!
While we're sitting at the table the couple of Canadians we met yesterday are back and join us for a chat. We're invited to have dinner with them but I think my stomach is not looking forward to more food, plus we still have to get everything ready for tomorrow.
At 9.30 we're about to jump into bed when someone knocks at the door. Michael goes to see who's there. It's Luciano, an Argentinian guy, that came to ask if we want to share the taxi tomorrow morning with him and his girlfriend. Of course we do! So we arrange to meet for breakfast at 6.30 and leave at 7.00.

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