Angkor W(h)at an amazing place!

4.30 get up, it is slightly cold, fleeces on (a first), speeding along a bumpy road, tuktuks overtaking each other as if in a race, lights on roads appearing from all directions of vehicles with tired but eager looking tourists.  We are all on our way to the Number One on the Siem Reap Must Do List – the sunrise at Angkor Wat.

Cameras ready, tourists rushing around slightly panicked trying to decide where to take the perfect sunrise shot.  Others chilled and wait for the grand spectacle.   We decide not to join the line of crowds hurrying into the Temple but sit on a wall in a very relaxed place, next to a Turkish couple in matching Cambodian shirts (the husband told us next on his bucket list is visiting an English football stadium) and another couple prepping their selfie stick and all cuddled up ready to snap the romantic moment.  Cambodian kids scout around for abandoned breakfast boxes and guides start to tout for work.

5.30am - the sun reliably begins its performance and a light dusty pink and purple slowly starts to light up the giant lots flower buds of Angkor Wat and its surrounding moat gradually turning a beautiful and mesmerising orange as an enormous sun appears spreading a warm rich orange glow.

It is magical.  Definitely the best sunset I have ever seen (but maybe I say that every time).  Which surprised me since we are surrounded by so many other people but they seem to disappear from sound and view as we watch the sun rise over this magnificent building.

We spend the next 5hrs walking around.  Taran paints a picture and we hire the last guide available called Sun (very appropriate) to tell us a bit about the place and its history but unfortunately that is all he did and in a rather boring way.  But I feel for them as they do this every day and in this heat.

Taran gets tired but is revived by a coconut.  He says he is going to limit himself to 2 a day now!  We watch Chinese tourists by the shops choosing colourful and unflattering Cambodian trousers.  'Skut or pant' is repeated by the desperate sellers in 70s colourful flower print hats (they would be snapped up down Portobello).  I feel for them too but there do seem to be a lot of our fellow tourists wearing thee clothes so I think they do have some success.  Taran and I saw a man pass us on a motorbike with a bright orange helmet and matching baggy loud print trousers, big grin on his face and we both agreed this could be Kelty the Cambodian.

Another temple we saw today was Ta Prohm - after watching Lara Croft last night.

Big twisted roots of trees amongst a more crumbled temple still slightly in the grip of nature.  This place was less crowded so I could practice my Lara Croft moves and Kelty his Indiana Jones tree swings.  Taran painted another picture.  He loves it and I love it too that he stops and takes time to look and record it in this way rather than loads of pictures that might never get looked at again.

On to Bayon - our favourite - so we will return to this tomorrow.