We arrived at our hotel late in the afternoon which was located a few miles outside Siem Reap town centre. After unpacking our bags we went into town to find somewhere for dinner. The town itself would have been very pretty had it not been spoilt with the excessive use of neon lights! However it still had a nice atmosphere and there was a plentiful supply of restaurants. We settled for an Indian which was very good. The next day was spent talking to tour operators to find the best way to explore the temples also using this time to look around the town where Amy and I both bought scarves.
We decided to go for the three day pass into Angkor, which also allowed us access to the park that evening to watch the sunset. We headed to the temple of Phnom Bakheng which was about a 10 minute walk up a hill through the woodlands. Unfortunately the rest of the world had the same idea and it was extremely busy! Nevertheless we still enjoyed the beautiful views.
We had planned to get up early the next morning at 4:30 to watch the sunrise but unfortunately the nightclub next door kept us up and we slept in until 7! I discreetly mentioned this and we were moved to a nicer room. After breakfast we set off on our bicycles to the most famous temple: the largest religious monument in the world Angkor Wat which was about 3 miles away. The temple was awe inspiring and we wandered around in the 34 degree heat for at least 3 hours taking breaks in the shade at regular opportunities. After a quick lunch of fried vegetables and rice we hopped back on our bicycles to Angkor Thom which was the largest Angkor complex of about 4 square miles. Angkor Thom is a 12th century city surrounded by a wall and moat now comprising mainly forest, a few ruined temples in the centre and other strange ancient buildings which I will talk more about later. We cycled through the woodlands and out of the east side of the city wall towards Ta Phrom. Amy was particularly looking forward to this one as it was made famous by the film 'Tomb Raider'. The temple was located in dense woodland and much if it was covered with tree roots which give it a magical feel. After what had already been a tiring day we now had a 7 mile cycle ride back to our hotel. Fortunately we had choosen a hotel with a pool so the moment we returned i jumped straight in to cool off.
We were keen to understand more about the temples so the following day arranged to have a guide. We were fortunate to have him all to ourselves and rather than being driven around the park in a minivan we were in a tuk tuk instead which we both found more enjoyable. We were taken to Banteay Srei at the north side of the park about 27 kilometres away. This temple in pink sandstone was the most intricate of them all and we enjoyed learning about the carvings. We saw several more ancient temples and structures that day which included a hospital, royal baths and even a university. On our way back to the hotel I was chuffed when we passed back through Angkor Thom and asked the guide about a few of the ruins which I now understand to be gambling dens and a terrace called 'Elephant Terrace' where the King enjoyed watching various parades and also elephant fighting. That afternoon our Hotel also treated us to a free massage as an apology for the previous nosiy night which we thought was very generous! A restaurant in the town performed traditional Apsara dancing which we were keen to watch so we headed out early to get a table! Before dinner we were persuaded to have a fish pedicure for £2 each including a large beer! At first we both got the giggles as the fish were tickling our feet but after a while we relaxed and both found the experience enjoyable.
4:30 the next morning our alarms went off. Tempting as it was to press snooze, we told ourselves that we would be lazing around the pool later that morning. We headed back to Angkor Wat by tuk tuk to enjoy the sunrise, naively assuming it was our little secret and everyone else would still be in bed. We were wrong. The guide book suggested that the pool of water to the left of Angkor Wat was the best place to watch the sunrise and thousands were there to witness it. Just before the sun did rise I noticed that barely anyone was sitting by the other pond so without further ado we picked a spot and sat down with our coffee's. This was a smart move and I am sure our experience was more pleasurable than the rest of the suckers at the other pond :-). Before heading back to our hotel for breakfast we visited the Rolous group: the oldest group of temples built in the 9th century. The rest of the day was spent sleeping around the pool and reading our books. Next stop Battambang.