Day 51 Wat a day!

24/04/13
Last night I forwent the guinness I promised myself as it was 10 times the price of the local brew, the wallet speaks. My day started when my alarm went off at 04.00. The only times you get up that early is when you're catching a plane,your baby wakes up, you're making a summit attempt on a mountain or you are going to watch a sunrise. Not surprisingly it was the last one that got me up at the unearthly hour. By 10 past I was downstairs getting on my hired bike. I rode about 4km to the ticket office (everyone entering the park needs one), it was just after half past when I got there and I found out that they only open at 05.00, something the guys at the hotel failed to mention. Whilst waiting I chatted to a Canadian couple, here doing dentistry. The husband started playing Wide Awake by Katy Perry, rather appropriate I thought. At 04.50 I had my photo taken and my 3 day pass issued (costing $40). It was another 3km to Angkor Wat, the first temple you reach by road and the best place to watch the sunrise. I had quite a while to kill before the sun came up so it was lucky I bumped into the Canadians again. At about 6 the sun rose above the horizon, illuminating the mother of all temples. It was just the start of an awe inspiring day. I saw 27 major temples and a number of smaller (house size) ones too, each one was unique in structure and carvings. I am very glad I got a 3 day pass, even though I spent 14 hours there I probably could have spent twice as long. My legs are feeling it this evening though, I haven't done much cycling recently and the 65km+ really took its toll on me, coupled with walking up copious amounts of stairs 'leading to heaven/enlightenment', they're a little sore. My favourite temple was Ta Prohm, an atmospheric and rugged temple (also used in Tomb Raider), it is slightly overrun by the jungle, with a number of large trees being very much part of the structure. It was a relief to finally get into the shower because not only was I discustingly sweaty but my feet and legs were almost black with grime. I think I will wait to see how the legs are doing in the morning before deciding what to do, plus I need to catch up on sleep at some point!

Angkor Wat at dawn

One of the faces on the Bayon

My trusty steed 

Impossibly steep stairs