Temple hopping is a fine art and I definitely do not have wat it takes...(get it?).
We left around 8:30am and skipped the sunrise because I preferred sleep and also wanted to avoid the endless throngs of uber keen tour groups with their enormous cameras and that charming early morning hocking, gagging and spitting during the beautiful sunrise. I have seen enough to actively avoid those buses in particular :( yet another reason why I loved Phnom Penh a wee bit more than Siem Reap.
Any who I'm getting off track, first stop Angkor Wat.
The largest ancient religious structure in the world and it certainly takes your breath away..every step closer to the structure you begin to see the details, the carvings, the out lay and your mind starts to create a picture of what it would have been like in its hay day. Built in the 12th century by the King Angkor Wat is built to honour Vishnu as oppose to Shaiva which all previous temples were built in honour of. Arriving there just as all the early morning buses and tours are leaving its a much nicer atmosphere, you can see the corridors when they are almost empty, you admire the carvings and the intricacies of every minute detail.
Walking the halls and trying to understand the stories of these Hindu and Buddist deities, that being said you can purchase a guide at the entrance legitimate or not, we just wanted to wander however I did get suckered into buying a little guide book on the temples (don't worry mum you can have a read). Little tip for anyone who wants a 'guided' tour without paying for the guide: pick a corridor and stand somewhat in the middle ish...wait for 10 minutes whilst admiring the carving work then just wait for the English speaking tour guides to pass you, they come from both directions to ease traffic congestion so as one finishes speaking another one has stopped to begin, not all of their information is the same which makes it interesting and it just so happens that your standing where you need to stand to hear what they have to say when they stop with their group ;)
Angkor Wat is beautiful it pays to stop and take it in, the sheer size is mind boggling just imagining where and more importantly HOW all this stone was brought here and just how long it must have taken not only to construct but to begin each one of those corridors, columns and arch ways. Currently a lot of it is being restored so it can remain in a state that is safe to visit. The decades of visitors show in the shine of the bottom half of the carvings years of hands rubbing and touching them. It is the only temple still in full use as oppose to the others which have in some cases been left to ruin.
Trying to cram what we initially thought was going to be three temples in a day we had limited time though enjoyed all of it, some eager travellers could spend days on this one temple...easily.
One funny moment and of course it's an animal....Macaques....cheeky Macaques dotted the temple and they were VERY easy going though I wasn't tempted to try and pat one after seeing the little crazies running around Phnom Tamao! I caught sight of a big male casually walking past us and he quickened his pace a little, instantly without even looking up I said..."he's probably after someone's plastic bag thinking there is food inside...". Next minute there's a little bit of screaming and the Macaque is now behind a tourist that has a plastic bag of bananas attached to his backpack (hanging below the pack). Clever guy gave up the goods and it was a feast of epic proportions!
Also bring a 'sweat rag'....mine was my bandana, it was like my body was rejecting water and throwing it up through my skin (not even joking).
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