Angkor Wat

Streets in the Angkor Archeaological Park

4am came much too soon. I got ready and met my guide Keo at 4:45. Okay, maybe it was 4:55. I was tired with about 4 hours of sleep so was barely conscious as we drove 15 minutes out to the ticket area. Luckily they took credit cards as I had very little cash left on me. We then got back into the tuk tuk and drove into the park. At one point we passed a ticket checkpoint where I needed to show my entry ticket. In the dark I could see two more guards, one of them snoozing in her chair and part of me (the tired part) secretly wished I was her. We drove on and on. Angkor Archaeological Park is enormous. It's like the Yosemite of temples where you enter and then take different roads to get to different monuments. There are over 1000 buildings and 400 square km in the whole complex. Angkor Wat, the largest and most famous temple complex, is bigger than 300 football fields.

The king's entrance to Angkor Wat

Eventually my driver dropped me off then went to park the tuk tuk. Then we walked. Up one road then turned along another road, stumbling along in the dark. There was another guard station where they checked my ticket and we officially entered the Angkor Wat Temple grounds. We crossed a floating walkway over the big ponds and went along some more paths to the viewing area. With Covid there were no crowds so grabbed a prime place on the edge of the reflecting pond careful to heed others suggestions to make sure no palm trees obscured any of the towers (except partially). Pre-Covid if I had shown up at 5:55 I’d be way in the back of hundreds of people, but now with so few tourists I snagged a spot right at the edge of the pond. The left pond is closed for renovation so all of us were at the right pond (see pic).

Angkor Wat pre-dawn

People waiting to take sunrise pictures

Steps to Angkor Wat

As is typical here it was cloudy, so there was no real sunrise. I walked over and checked out Angkor Wat slightly annoyed I got up for nothing, but I guess you have to try for the sunset at least once. There were some very steep steps up the temple to the top with a nice hand rail I clung to, making sure not to look down as I ascended. Once at the top there were some great views! On the way down a young man was a few steps ahead of me and I let him know I’d be using him to break my fall if I lost my footing. He cheerfully agreed and kept an eye on my progress giving me verbal encouragement. I did get some good pictures of Angkor Wat, just not the iconic sunrise shot, which is hard to get since the weather doesn’t often comply.

Angkor Wat columns

Hallway to statue

Angkor Wat View from the top

Angkor Wat One of the towers

wall carvings

Steep stairs down

Angkor Wat side corridor

Angkor Wat sun rising

Bird doing crane pose in Angkor Wat

Angkoe Wat from across the big pond at entrance

Lots of painters sell their work outside the park

Fruit first day

We went back to my hotel where I had breakfast and waited for my package. After breakfast I called and it was at the Larryta van terminal waiting for pickup. We zipped over to get it. At first there was an issue because they used the wrong phone number to verify my identity, but I told them my passport was inside and once I got that out it was proof enough. Next we went to the ATM, which gave out US dollars (no option for Cambodia Reils) and sadly when I requested $300 it gave me $100 bills so I had to wait another 10 minutes in the bank to get it changed to smaller bills. My driver took me to the Youth Sports Club where the government is now doing Covid tests. They were very efficient, and everyone spoke excellent English. Cash is required ($130 for my PCR test) and I can pick up results on hard copy in 24 hours. Soon I was done and ready to see more temples!

Delicious breakfast first day

Me with Keo my driver

Larryta vans that brought my stuff to me

Picking up my passport and ATM card

The ATM and bank

waiting to get my $100 bill changed

Outside of Covid Testing Youth Sports Club

Testing Center Youth Sports Park

Checkpoint guard

My guide took me back to the Angkor temple complex and this time I saw Ta Prohm, the banyan tree temple from Tomb Raider. This was when I figured out my driver was just a driver not a guide as he dropped me at one end and picked me up at the opposite end. This temple has giant banyan trees growing over, under, and through the walls of the temple. There are so many great pictures to take with different banyan trees, every time I thought I had “the shot” that everyone waits among crowds to get, there would be yet another tree around the corner. Since there were zero crowds there was no way of telling which was “the tree”, but on the other hand, I was able to get pictures of myself with all of them.

Temple entrance

me and famous banyan

roots growing everywhere

The doors often line up so you can see through them

Panoramic of me looking at banyan

me and yet another banyan

A couple and their baby were taking pictures with their guide and they took a few for me so mine weren’t all selfies. A couple of the guides also knew the trick of putting my phone in panoramic mode and taking a picture of me scanning upwards to catch the whole giant tree. I also took one for them with their guide and as I squatted down to get a good angle I heard a long rrrrrip! “And that’s why they are $2 temple pants.” The woman and I got a good laugh over that. I guess the guys were too embarrassed to laugh. Luckily the pants are also baggy so no one could tell they were ripped! I also saw some girls with their entourage going to do a photo shoot at the temple. The temperature was getting hotter so when I saw my driver waiting for me with an ice cold towelette and water, he was a very welcome sight!

Hole in my pants

me and another banyan

Me and Banyan tree

View of the temple grounds inside

Girls walking to photo shoot

Photo shoot

Ice cold towelette

Checkpoint Guard house

We saw some more temples, the happy faces temple (Bayon Temple) and the king’s residence, and I started getting tired of temples. Finally I had him show me the elephant training grounds (giant fields with some places to oversee them) and we walked back towrds the tuk tuk in the heat. When we got back to the main road, my driver told me to walk slowly and he ran to get the tuk tuk. Talk about great service!

Checkpoint guards

Me above the gate

The gate

Tuk Tuk in front of Bayon Temple

Statue at Bayon

Me at Bayon

Bayon Temple

Giant Buddha

Kings residence

me at top of kings residence

view from top of kings residence

View of the elephant training grounds

Steps to training grounds with elephant carvings

My driver running to get tuk tuk

Monkey on my tuk tuk

On the way out we saw monkeys and stopped to take pictures. There were six or seven in a tree. A couple more on the ground rushed to our tuk tuk and swiped bottles of water, which they tried to drink but couldn’t open. My driver stood guard and kept them from getting into my backpack while I snapped pictures and took video. We stopped at the old market so I could get my dinner and make my souvenir purchases then I headed back to the hotel for a much needed nap.

Monkeys on the road

Monkey and baby

Monkeys in a tree

Trying something different for dinner

Not drinks, scooter fuel

I also found out why all the gas stations were so empty and simultaneously learned what all the "brown drinks" were on the side of the road. They are gas/fuel for the scooters.

More fuel sold at street stalls

There are tons of these for sale on the side of the road

Traffic in Siem Reap

My excellent Massuese Thilm

Later that night I went out for a massage but the place I had chosen, Master Feet, was closed. I walked along the street to find another one and there were a number of people outside who told me they had a foot massage “very cheap.” I said “but is it good” to which he replied “if you don’t like, you don’t have to come back.” Not a ringing endorsement. I looked them up on google and they had horrible reviews. I found another place close by and had the most marvelous oil massage (what we call a regular massage) and a pretty good foot massage. It was 2 hours for 7 bucks plus a $7.50 tip. I’m going back tomorrow and maybe I’ll get a foot massage at the other place too if they are open. While waiting for my Grab I met a Finnish woman who was married to a Turkish man and they own a Greek restaurant down the street, Elia, which I will try tomorrow.

Here are more pictures of the day:

Tiny birds in cages

Truckload of dragonfruit

Vanload of dragonfruit

Lots of Scooters parked

bicycles for sale

Decorated bridge

Pub Street

Kids in a cart

Friendly people in tuk tuk

Entrance Lotus Blanc