Today I woke to Steven staring at me and telling me the time repeatedly and impatiently, we had said we would get up early and he had been snoozing since we returned from dinner last night so was well rested. I hadn't been able to sleep so it was way after two am before I finally settled... Hence the bewildered face at being awoken so early. We had decided today we would do an orientation of Siem Reap on bicycles, hopefully to get our bearings and see what was on offer. We had chatted to Mr Why Not last night about possible itineraries for the Angkor temples and we agreed we would go get our tickets later on tonight.

We got ready and headed out into the heat of the morning, it was only about eight thirty but already warm. The heat is dry here and very intense unlike the humid warmth of the south, the town was just waking up and around us were people having their morning coffee or munching on local bites. Siem Reap is a lot smaller than Phnom Penh but equally crazy, its developing at a crazy rate and you can already see the difference the huge influx of tourists have made to the town. On the roads tuk tuks cram along side huge shiny new range rovers while the obligatory motos' weave in and out of traffic without a care in the world. Here tourists aren't allowed to hire a moto so the hundreds of bikes that join the chaos is a mixture of laid back locals and brave tourists. The town is very diverse in its layout with the huge bright lights of pub street a mere few km from the rundown streets of the suburbs where electricity is scarce and space even scarcer.

We headed down our road to a small launderette that also rents bikes and popped in... I instantly was pulled to a very nice navy blue vintage style bike with a basket and tried it for size... Perfect. Steven found an equally girly bike and we paid our fee, three dollars for the whole day with free water and a map thrown in. We had to leave something behind as a deposit such as a passport or drivers licence so we left the latter as had very little use for it currently. The lady took a look at Stevens very old licence and laughed, Stevens about seventeen in the picture and looks very much the innocent school boy. She kept saying "you look like that man" "ahhh what's his name?" We pondered for a min wondering who she meant before she blurted out "Obama... You look like Mr Obama... But white!" We could not stop laughing, especially as you can kind of see the resemblance haha.

We jumped on our freshly polished and pumped up bikes and set of into the craziness of Siam Reap, instantly thrown into traffic I was wondering what an earth we were doing. The bikes here don't ride on the pavements at all so all push bikes cycle on the road with traffic and that was interesting. I think we got the swing of it quite quickly, learning fast that you have to be firm with the other road users otherwise they will just ignore you and probably hit you.

We headed north towards the river where we followed it as far as the map would take us. Here there was our first two Wat's called Po Lanka and Prehh An Kau Saa. A Wat is basically another word for a Buddhist temple and as we soon began to realise doesn't always mean you will be confronted with a vast and beautiful building. Some Wat are simply a Buddha in a small shrine. Here on the outskirts of town were our first two and they were both quiet and forgotten. It was quite a peaceful place and probably some of the nicer places to worship as your left alone with your own thoughts and prayers. They had the familiar Buddha relics along with the amazing and now familiar smell of incense, we wandered around but didn't stay long and soon cycled on. We were now in the area of town where most of the locals live in wooden houses with stalls and moto's out front. The roads are sandy and bumpy and the children friendly as they scream "hello" as you ride past. That's one thing I love about Cambodia... The people, they always smile and say hello and often just want to chat.

We headed back over the river towards the royal residence and the difference couldn't be more striking, now we were in the royal independence gardens, which is a very lush green part of town with large areas landscaped gardens and trees and shrubs. The royal residence is quite well concealed and obviously off limits to the public so we just had a glance as we rode past. The area is spotless and very well maintained, the big boutique hotels are in this area and so the grounds are beautiful and the people rich. We cycled towards the Preah Ang Chek, which is a small Wat that has been beautifully looked after and obviously quite popular. There were numerous school children and locals there leaving flowers and saying their prayers and it was lovely to watch. A bit further along on what appears to be a small round about is the Preah Ang Chorm shrine. This was a simple statue of Buddha in a case and was surrounded by incense and flowers... It was quite serene despite the moto and cars passing every few mins.

We passed the worshipers quietly and rode on down the road after taking a few pictures, the road soon opened up into a busy stretch with shops and several lanes of traffic... There are traffic lights in place but it appears this is merely for advice rather than mandatory, this was especially prevalent after a very hairy moment with a car who despite seeng we passing thought he would just carry on at the same speed until he had to stop or hit me... Think my grimace pretty much expressed my thoughts on the matter, with Steven giggling behind me we carried on. It was a matter if minutes before we found ourselves at our next destination... Wat Kesararam also known in English as the pagoda of the cornflower petals. This was a moderate sized Pagoda and obviously a lot more active, there were a few people scattered around including monks. Steven was feeling the heat so sat in the shade with the bikes and a very nervous ginger cat, while I went off to take some photos.

The grounds were sandy and dusty and did not give you any inkling of what treasure sat inside. On entering there was a few small buildings that had a monk or two sitting outside and a few local people were pottering about. The temple it self was constructed at some point in the 1970s and is very striking. It is quite a moderate sized building covered in brightly coloured paintings that beautifully illustrates stories from Buddhism. The pagoda itself accessed from a small set of stairs on each side which are overlooked by several equally bright Naga (seven headed serpent) and lions. The balustrade has the body of the serpent covering the length of it and its very well crafted.. I also loved the bunting and flowers hanging from the roof. Inside is believed to house a number of Buddha relics but it didn't appear invitingly open so I didn't want to assume I could enter so remained outside. As I wandered around there was also a small pagoda similar to the silver pagoda at the royal palace in Phnom Penh... By now I could see Steven was getting bored and as I had seen pretty much everything I went to join him. It was unbelievably hot and I could see him flaking in his soaking wet shirt.

By now it was almost midday and we hadn't eaten breakfast so we set off in search of food. I wasn't particularly hungry but Stevens rumbling stomach could probably be heard from home. We headed back towards our hostel area and returned to a place Steven liked yesterday, where they make vegetable fried noodles for a dollar. He put his order in along with an iced coffee and I ordered an iced lemon tea... Soon came Stevens lecture about eating (I only eat when I'm hungry lol) but to pacify him I then ordered a plate, which he ate most of... I think his plan all along. We enjoyed the coolness of the fan for a while and sipped our drinks before heading back out... Our next stop being Wat Preash Prom Rath

This is the most prominent Wat in Siem Reap most given to its incredible location next to the river. It is also framed on the other side by the famous pub street, so even the most lazy of backpackers can saunter down and indulge in a bit of culture not far from their fifty cents beer. The main building was founded in 1915 the completed in about 1945 making it one of Cambodia's youngest Wats. Its entrance by the river is striking through almost imposing large gates, as a foreigner you can easily feel a bit uneasy about entering such a site. Thankfully from our time in both India and Thailand we know how welcoming and friendly the community are. We walked in and were blown away... We had seen many temples and wats before but this was one was very striking. Not sure if its because all the other wats seen today we obviously smaller and not so well decorated and looked after, or because it was a welcome sanctuary from the crazy heat and constant demands of the town. All you hear all day here is "sir tuk tuk... tuk tuk today mam"... it all gets a bit to much sometimes. Here was this beautiful and very well maintained place of serenity and peace, with monks wandering around and welcoming you in with their warm smiles.

We walked in, parked the bikes by a tree and went off to explore. First we came to the main pagoda, this was walled off separately as it was the inner sanctum for worship... there was an etiquette manual for any unsure worshipper or tourist scared of offending. We removed our shoes and ensured our shoulders and such were covered before we entered into the hall which housed a large gold Buddha sitting cross legged and surrounded by beautiful gems and items of worship. It was empty with no one currently in prayer so we went in and had a good look around... Behind the large Buddha was an equally large one in a reclining position which looked beautiful. The whole place was so quiet, cool and peaceful that I could have stayed all day. However after a few minutes we went to explore the outside court yard, this was equally impressive with every wall decorated with individually painted and very bright paintings depicting stories and such. The floor was tiled throughout with beautiful mother of pearl and marble tiles which were cool to walk on and caught the sunlight beautifully.

While I was wandering around taking pictures Steven got chatting to a young man standing nearby. He worked for a charity who provides schooling to poor children in the area and was looking for volunteer teachers. Steven was explaining that we would love to do something like that but as our time was almost up in Cambodia we would have to get involved when we pass back through. We took his details and said we would get in touch before giving a donation towards his cause. We said our farewells and headed back out into the main area. Here there was a large and beautifully landscaped garden which housed various smaller statues and such. It was here there was a large boat standing and by which a monk was standing quietly and smiling sweetly and warmly at all who passed him. Steven asked wether he could take a picture and the monk kindly responded with a nod and a smile, Steven then took a couple of pics and we nodded and thanked him.

Within the rest of the grounds sit several other buildings including a school and such, each building is beautiful decorated and looks like a shrine or temple its self... We really enjoyed being here and it was so nice to just take some time out from the hustle and bustle. After probably a good half an hour we reluctantly wandered towards the door, feeling sad to go but mildly refreshed and calm.

We took our bikes and ride back out into the chaos of Siem Reap, we rode back along the river and over a bridge down towards our final Wat... Wat Bo. This Wat was out a little way but we both wanted to see it, on arriving the grounds were vast and very much like most of the Wats seen today with their dry dusty ground and very little maintenance. The place was fairly open and had one large building opposite what seemed to be someone's wooden house, behind this they were building a few more buildings. We parked the bikes and were debating wether or not to explore as we were a little off the beaten track when an old women could be heard shouting in Cambodian... It wasn't an immediate shouting but more ramblings that just got louder and louder as she came nearer, she appeared to have a bottle of something in her hand and appeared under the influence of something wether that was alcohol or a dislike of people in the Wat I don't know but it felt aimed at us. I think we were just being sensitive as there were numerous people pottering about but to be honest the constant screeching and ramblings were getting on my nerves and ruining the supposed calmness of being in a place of worship.

We jumped back on our bikes and left.... We headed off back to town when we saw another Wat and a monks nursing school, we took a quick glance at before exploring the town and streets. Eventually the sun became too much and we were in desperate need of a cold drink, we headed back in the direction of pub street and settled on the roof terrace of one of our fave bars. Here we ordered a couple of cold thirty-five cent beers and they chucked in some peanuts to Stevens delight. We then chatted to the batman about Angkor Wat and the best way to see it... We really wanted to cycle but the whole thing is just so huge with one circuit being over twenty five km... After the eight getting there and even then you have barely touched on it.

After a long chat we decided to cycle to the main two compounds... Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom then get a tuk tuk to take us to the rest. We had spoke to Mr Why Not and he said we could take us in a tuk tuk for the day for just thirty dollars... This may sound a lot but the route is over one hundred km and goes quite far away from the main site to see various smaller temples. We hoped to find a couple to share the tuk tuk with as thirty dollars, despite being a good price was still a big dip in our budget, especially after spending eighty dollars on two passes for three days.

After our beers we headed down to the pharmacy to get some provisions as we had run out of everything so stocked up on shampoo, razors and body lotion. On the walk back down pub street Steven suddenly went "look who it is" and sure enough in front of us in one of the bars was Sam and Jon. They were leaving today for Bangkok and had just returned from Angkor Wat, they cycled out on the one day ticket and said it was great but incredibly hot and very busy. We chatted for a while and swapped details before we headed back... It was getting on for three and we were heading to Angkor Wat to collect our tickets at four ish.

On our way home... Which admittedly was a little squiffy after having a beer we arrived at the bike shop and dropped off the bikes, we then wandered back to the hostel to freshen up before heading out. Mr Why Not was taking us to buy the three day passes tonight as that way you get a sneaky sunset included for no extra. We met another couple who initially were going to join us but decided they couldn't be bothered tonight so me and Steven headed off. The journey to the site wasn't too long and the roads were good, we arrived at the booth and it started... So many people (mainly Chinese tourists). We got in line and soon got our passes, Steven crying as he handed over the eighty dollars. We had to have our picture taken which is then put on the pass (to stop sharing I suppose) then we were free to go. We jumped back in the tuk tuk and headed out towards the site.

On arriving all you can see is a huge moat full of water and so much greenery, the whole area is surrounded by trees and bushes. As you get nearer you can then see the hoards of people and tuk tuks. We jumped off and arranged to meet our driver in an hour or so and off we went. As soon as you hit the hill the hawkers are all over you trying to sell you anything from books to magnets. We politely declined and bolted for the hill, where thankfully as we walk fast we over took a lot of people and neared the top fairly quickly. It was very humid and the ground damp and we soon realised we had forgotten our water, so were feeling very dry.

Once at the top the whole thing was a bit underwhelming, we saw the ruins of the temple but that was it really if you disregard the hundreds of tourists perched all over the ruins ready for sun set. We walked around a little but soon got fed up and headed back down the hill where half way down we saw a view point. This was pretty quiet with a calmness not found at the top, plus it had a much better view than at the top. Here we perched in relative harmony watching the sun set slowly over the water, although this was soon interrupted by two Chinese men who with their tri pods and huge camera lenses decided they would take over the deck. After twenty mins of them huffing and puffing at not getting the desired shots, we decided to call it a night and headed back down.

We soon found our guy and sped off back to the hotel where I flaked... Steven was hungry and went out to get dinner but I was way too tired and passed out.