Oct 24 2007

Cambodia, Angkor Wat

Published by at 8:36 pm under Scott's Adventures,Uncategorized

Up at 4am, our taxi picks us up at 5 as planned to drive us out to Angkor. We arrive just as light hits the sky, and stroll in alongside hundreds of (mostly Japanese) tourists. The temple is immense, and after passing through the outer wall, we can see the lotus bud shaped towers of the temple’s center in the distant twilight. Most of the Japanese seem content to sit quietly along the outer wall, waiting for sunrise, but Janise and I decide to venture closer. The sun rises just as we reach the lily pools, and we enjoy the magic of the moment as the sun explodes from behind the temple’s 5 towering spires.

The temple’s very quiet this early (most of the sunrisers have retired for breakfast) and we wander Angkor as if we’d just happened across it in the jungle. It’s on several levels, with intricate carvings on all the sandstone facades, and I find it amazing that the details have survived the elements for so long. After about an hour, we return to the road to enjoy a hearty “American breakfast” (lots of coffee).

Our driver escorts us through several other temple ruins, all interesting in their own right, but no match for the majesty of Angkor. We finally arrive at Ta Prohm (made famous by Tomb Raider), a temple still mostly claimed by the jungle, and realize just how spectacular these temples must have been when the French explorers first found them – trees drape over the temple walls, roots flow like water dripping over the intricately runed stones; this truly is mystical.

We’re templed out, and head back for the comforts of the hotel pool. There’s nothing quite as nice as a cool, clean pool in a hot, humid climate, especially when accompanied by a cold local larger. We decide we can top it though, and head downtown again in search of a foot massage; after a blazingly spicy dinner, we end up going for the 4-hands (two masseuses) full body package. I could get used to this….

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