We were on the bus at 5am to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat. This is a must-do when visiting Cambodia. The temple ruins are vast and you could spend weeks here exploring the various locations.

Unfortunately Maddie forgot her ticket so we had to make a quick u-turn. We weren't very far from the hotel so she sprinted back.

Our guide's name was Borey and he looked a little like a young Asian Wayne Brady. By the end of the tour we were in total awe of his knowledge and enthusiasm for the region and we were so privileged to have him as our guide.

We got off the bus in the dark and used the light from our phone to navigate our way along to Angkor Wat. As the sun started to light the sky, we could see there were hundreds of people in the area, all waiting to see the sun peek over the towers on Angkor Wat. It was worth the wait as the sun came over the horison, it illuminated the temple and looked spectacular. Our photo's didn't do it justice; the view with the naked eye was amazing.

We sat at a table and got a travel pack brekkie of egg, bread and a pastry with butter and jam. Steve swapped his pastry for Sue's egg and we ordered an ice coffee from the nearby cafe.

After brekkie we ventured into the temple. The ruins were well known to the locals prior to French occupation, but the French claim they "discovered" it in 1860. After that, the location became well known and is a now one of the most iconic tourist destinations in SE Asia.

The temple is 65 metres above the ground and they believe that it was constructed by mounding earth around the whole structure to push the gigantic sandstone blocks into place. The stone was quarried at a location about 30km away and carried via canals. The foundations of the temple is bauxite which is much stronger than sandstone but no good for creating the elaborate carvings. We could see where rough sandstone was in place but the carvings had never been completed.

The next stop was Bayon temple which was one of the last temples to be constructed in the area. It displays a multitude of stone Buddha faces as well as a real history of day to day living during that time. Borey described the carvings as more of a history museum than a religious expression. It portrayed battles that included Chinese mercenaries, life along the river with fishing and even a man being attacked by a crocodile, people taking refuge in accommodation for travellers and even people waging on cock-fights. In one part there were circus performers balancing wagon wheels on their feet and tight-rope walkers. It was amazing to see because we were going to the circus that night and understood that this tradition has been continuing for thousands of years.

There was also lots of conservation and reconstruction happening at this location. Heavy earthmoving equipment was being used to dig out the open areas near the entrance. Borey said that originally there were probably large water pools here similar to those outside Angor Wat and that the French had filled them in. They seem to think the foundations were compromised so thats why they were filled. The archeologists were now working to determine if that is the case.

We were warned ahead of time that many children were selling souvenirs or otherwise used in commercial activities. It was advised that we should not encourage them to participate in this as they were forgoing school in order to chase the tourist dollars. When a young child approached us as one point selling the various souvenirs that everyone seems to be peddling, Adam (a teacher back in the US) politely said, "no, you should be in school". The young boy replied, "school is in the morning". The thing was it, was only mid-morning.

Ta Prohm is known as the "Tomb Raider" temple due to it being the location for the original Angelina Jolie movie Tomb Raider being shot there. Interstingly, Tomb Raider was the first Hollywood film to be made in Cambodia since the Kymer Rouge. Borey said that much of the appeal for this temple is that it is an example of how nature will gradually consume man-made structures if left abandoned. In some spots, there are huge trees intertwined in the building. The trees grow between the cracks in the sandstone and eventually fall over, bringing down the temple with it. In many cases, the trees have been severely pruned to avoid damage. Some parts of the temple have been completely rebuilt after the tree roots have been removed. It is fascinating to see that sort of conservation work underway.

That night we went riding with lady tuktuk drivers who took us to a restaurant that supported disadvantaged youth. We were each given a lotus flower when we got on board which was a nice touch, but may have also helped to identify our group in the crowds.

After dinner we went to the circus. This was amazing and the athleticism of the performers was incredible. Although it was difficult to follow many of the stories being portrayed in the dances, it was highly entertaining and well worth it.

Our tuktuk driver took a a very long detour on the way home and we weren't sure why. Eventually we found our way back to the hotel and there was some confusion over the payment. Johnathan came to the rescue and paid the driver. We found out the next morning that the ride home wasn't included in the orignal transportation arrangement so we weren't getting ripped off, just something lost in translation.