Day 62 28th jan

The alarm fires off at 05.00am.....

It wasn't really necessary... The people in the room above are clearly doing the same thing as we are today.... Angkor Wat for sunrise..... And have probably woken the whole hotel up as they get ready.....
We are up and outside for 05.30 and jump into the back of are prearranged Tuk Tuk for the day.... It's pitch black outside and although our Tuk Tuk, like many has no rear lights at all we are grateful.... It does have a working headlight.... Which is more than can be said for some..... The black silhouette of other road users emerge from the unlit darkness of night as we travel into the remote outskirts of Seam Reap towards Angkor Wat......
We arrive at the main ticket area and stand in a short queue whilst the tickets are produced... Your photo is taken and printed onto your own personal ticket.... Having your photo taken at 05.40 does provide some pretty scary looking mug shots......
With tickets in hand we head off again in the Tuk Tuk and within 10 mins have arrived at the entrance to Angkor Wat... It's pitch black so we just follow the steady presetion of people.... To enter Angkor Wat you first have to cross the moat... Angkor Wat is a square complex with a centrally positioned bridge... The only access bridge to the island ground within... The path is very old and rutted.. It's made of large natural stone boulders which are far from even.... The bridge sides are meter high sandstone pillars with a huge snake like creature positioned along the top linking them all together... Both sides identical and 100ft long... Following the bridge leads you to a entrance building within the external walls that allows access into the complex itself... There are many steps within this outer building and no lighting at all... Thankfully we've got a phone with a touch so we can see....but I imagine many fall here.
You exit the entrance building into a large garden area... The path you followed over the bridge continues in a straight line into the darkness in front of you, and we just follow.... Your soon met by a bunch of locals with menus in there hand..... A number of small stalls and cafes operate in a designated area in the far corner of the garden area.... Your lead over towards this area by the people with the menus... They know your there for the sunrise, and they help as much as they can in the hope you go to there cafe for your breakfast when you want it....,
The whole area is packed with sunrise hungry tourists, but the ground is not flat.... It slowly drops down to a large square lake and its in this area that the really keen people who arrived early have positioned themselves.... We stand on the higher banked area at the back which is high enough for us to get some good pictures as light slowly starts to filter through to display the impressive silhouette of Angkor Wat.... The sky looks a little overcast and after waiting around an hour and twenty minutes is takes all my effort to keep Shiree's busy little feet in one place... She's convinced there will be no sunrise today and is keen to explore the insides of the building area before the crowds arrive but we stay put. Patience pays dividend and we are rewarded with a great sunrise.... We move around the banked area and walk back to the raised path we used this morning... Once on this path we notice now, in the twilight that there is a second square lake that mirrors the one we have been stood around on the other side... And it's almost deserted.... We quietly slide away from the crowds and manage to capture some great photos of the sunset, reflected in the still waters of the lotus flower filled second lake in relative piece... With exception of a small personal tour that is also by this lake we're pretty much the only ones there, and the sun position is much better too....
We rejoin the path and walk the short distance to the main building complex... It's hugely impressive and largely intact.... Construction started in the 12 century under order of the king.... It was originally built as a Hindu temple for the Khemr empire and is the only building of its type to have been a building of significant religious importance from its foundation, although the "religious orientation" has changed over time.
It's built in traditional Khemr style with an "outer wall" to the inner complex which housed swimming pools etc and there is then a central building which was the temple in the middle. This outer wall of the inner complex has four large dome shaped structures on each corner of its roof, and the inner building has one larger one that forms it's roof in the center, so from a distance you see five large structures that reach high up into the skyline.
From here we jump back into the Tuk Tuk and get taken off for an over priced breakfast followed by a precession of hugely impressive, very old buildings that we know absolutely nothing about... What we do know is in there day, every single one of them would have looked incredible.... There all sandstone with sculptures, stone carving and decoration being very important features throughout their design.. There surrounded by huge lush green trees and perfectly still mirror like ponds.... The attention to detail of the sandstone carvings which cover almost every inch of internal surface area like an elaborate henna style tattoo of every building is jaw dropping, this detail is equalled everywhere by an abundant amount of external carving covering the entire building stonework too of every building we visit... All the temples we visit today are all built from sandstone blocks that lock into each other..... There then carved and sculptured once in place....
With all these immense buildings being so old and with such attention to the finest detail it must have taken years of dedicated construction to create just one, but there are hundreds of building here with Angkor Wat being the best.... Whole armies of stone masons must have spent there entire lifetime working here....
Some of there very distant descendants are still working here as there's a constant need to replace heavily aged or damaged stones with new ones like for like.... The new stones stand out and look very out of place amongst the 7 or 8 hundred year old originals but I guess there introduction is necessary. There's a general drive of "refurbishment" around many of the temples, but the last we visit has largely been left to ruin....
Ta Prohm temple and has over time been engulfed by absolutely huge trees that have self seeded in the must unusual of places... Fully grown trees grow from the top of think stone walls or temple roofs... There roots spread out in search of earth covering areas of 30 or 40 foot before burring themselves into the ground and growing to become a foot think, this in turn can destroy the very wall that the tree is located on so in the end the tree finds itself holding the walk together in a net of entangled roots and suspended sandstone rocks.... It's an incredible sight that must have taken hundreds of years to become what it is now and it almost looks man made....
By the time we get home its 15.00 and after having the price hiked by the Tuk Tuk driver at the end of the trip it's been a fantastic day.... It was supposed to cost us $15 for the day to have our own Tuk Tuk driver, but on our arrival at the hotel is says its $3 more for the early start... This is the first we have heard of this but pay up. Shirees now got the bit between her teeth about not ever getting what's been advertised in Asia.... Our hotel is exactly the same... We paid extra for a room with two double beds as there larger, which came with free airport transfers, but when we checked in the airport transfers means they'll collect you from the airport only... And when we question our room which only has one bed we are politely informed that we have a nice room... It's got a balcony.... Yer, but only one bed we say.... Yes, but it has a balcony they reply, totally confused as to why your not content with there reply.... Its typical of Asia as a whole and just something you quickly learn to put up with... It's just a good job the second bed was only to put our bags on.....
We have a quick freshen up in the hotel and go back out for a wonder around.... The hotel is pretty isolated and we are in search of somewhere to eat.... In the end we head for the same place we are at yesterday, its nice and clean and not that far.... My legs feel really shaky as we wonder around and I guess we've walked further today than we have in a while, but once back at the hotel it's not just my legs.... I don't feel so good.... My head is boiling hot but the rest of my body is cold and I feel sick.... I figure I may need to drink some water... I'd been mindful of water intake all day but my mouth fells pretty dry... I drink and drink but still feel awful, so with a soaking towel on my face a get into bed...
I guess I must have dehydrated myself.... It's surprising how bad it makes you feel... I've not burnt today as I'd washed in sun cream but It was a really hot day...

http://www.tourismcambodia.com/attractions/angkor/angkor-wat.htm