I woke before dawn and couldn't return to sleep, so I got up and went downstairs to work on the diary some more.

There was a knock on the door. I opened it and a German man asked me if he had left his contact lenses in the bathroom. I went upstairs and checked but couldn't find them.

Eventually Greg woke and we went for breakfast. Across the road there was a deck above reception with a few tables and chairs. We sat up here and enjoyed the view over the neighboring buildings. I ordered fruit and yoghurt which included dragon fruit, papaya, banana and pineapple. Greg ordered muslei. And we both had coffee which was a very nice plunger pot. I was still hungry so asked for banana pancakes which cost an extra $US2.

After breakfast we checked if we were to be moved to a new room and asked if they could organise a Tuk Tuk. We then went back to the room to repack and get ready for the day. I wore the fisherman's pants I purchased on Koh Phi Phi and borrowed one of Greg's t-shirts (which he also got on Koh Phi Phi). I didn't realise until I saw the photos how bright this combination was.

We went to meet our Tuk Tuk driver and almost immediately forgot his name. He asked where we wanted to go and I said Angkor Wat. He suggested Ta Prohm first, which was another of the places on my list. He reminded us we needed a passport photo which I had, but Greg had to go back for.

First stop was the ATM though to get money to pay for our passes. It was not the ANZ we saw on our way in, but another one opposite the Old Market. The ATM itself was in a glass booth with a security guard sitting nearby. Meanwhile Greg waited in the Tuk Tuk and took some photos.


We then headed through the town towards Angkor. We went along the river past a few bridges, then headed through a park and past all sorts of buildings. We pulled off to get petrol where a kid poured the contents of two bottled into the tank. Each bottle held a litre and cost a bit less that $US1.


Next we went to the ticket booth where we paid $US40 each for a 3 day pass. It is now a requirement that you not smile when a passport photo is being taken, so Greg looks rather dour.


The road from the ticket booth to Angkor was straight, lined with trees and lamp posts. There were people in cars, on motorbikes and in other tuk tuks. We arrived at an intersection with a moat directly ahead and a low stone wall. This was surrounding Angkor Wat. We couldn't see the actual temple. We turned right and followed the moat around for a while, past ruins, gates and villages.


We stopped in a dusty car park with stalls along both sides and we immediately surrounded by a dozen kids saying "Please buy mister" showing us bracelets "one dolla mister", guide books, postcards and various musical instruments. I had no change so asked Greg to give me a bit and bought a bracelet. Greg bought half a dozen. We arranged to meet our driver at the other end and headed up the dusty path to the temple. The kids only followed us to the gopura (gate) at start of the path. Strangely neither Greg nor I remember the cows in this photo, or much of that 400m walk to the temple gate. It was already hot.

Ta Prohm was built by Jayavarman VII. It was consecrated in 1186 and dedicated to his mother. It has deliberately been left to let the jungle swallow it. It is supposed to look very much as it was when the Europeans first stumbled on Angkor.


We arrived at the steps to the temple, only a few but rather worn. There was an eroded singha (lion) either side of the stairs. We took a while to absorb the sight of the temple, obviously derelict, but still an impressive structure, and the trees emerging from it. We had arrived at the east entrance, the main entrance. (The east was the main entrance of all the temples, except for Angkor Wat. Most of the people seemed to be heading towards the right.




Eventually we made our way into the temple proper through the left entrance into the outer enclosure. There were blocks everywhere, some tumbled any which way, some carefully rescued and some repositioned. The tall silk-cotton trees towered over the temple while draping their roots everywhere. The smaller strangler figs strangled remnants of other trees as well as parts of the temple.


Everywhere seemed to be carved, some parts eroded almost to invisibility, others still showing incredible detail. We could see the laterite filler bricks in many places.


Not all the damage was due to nature. There were a number of carvings which had bee defaced. Literally. Some of the damage this was from conquerors, some from thieves and souvenir collectors.

Somehow we collected a teenage boy who was sort of acted as a guide (grey t-shirt in photo above with Larry). His English was slushy and difficult to understand, but we understood a few things eventually. He was pointing out the best places to take photos from. After threading through the ruins he demanded money, saying something about official guides. We gave him a few more dollars than we should have, including some for his school.



He left after pointing towards a doorway beyond a pile of blocks, but there didn't appear to be any way through, until we saw someone poke their head through the doorway. We climbed the few blocks and headed through there and another doorway to a large dusty cleared area with lots of people. We had take the quiet route through the temple. 100 photos in 30 minutes.


But wait, there's more.

There was a doorway and inside a corridor with an old woman tending a Buddha with gold cloth, incense and other offerings. For a donation I received a blessing. There was also a wooden board walk here. Some tourists roughly pushed past us to keep up with their tour group.


We noticed the guides bang their chest and pointing and realised that this would be the echo chamber. You really can hear a sound like a drum when you bang your chest.

We wandered around this inner part of the temple some more taking more photos, before heading out the western gopura.


Out the back there was a large excavated area with blocks neatly laid out and numbered. Presumably this was archeology in progress.


We headed towards the western gate. Once through we were again mobbed by children. "You buy one bracelet one dollar." "Three for one dollar."

Almost an hour and a half total with close to 200 photos. Not bad for the first temple.

We found our driver and said how much we enjoyed the temple. He suggested lunch near Angkor Wat. We had to ask his name again and remembered Nakk or Takk. (We eventually got it right - Nat.)

We stopped briefly, but didn't get out at Ta Keo. As we crossed Srang Siem Reap Nat pointed out Spean Thmor, the ruins of a stone bridge. We passed Thommanon and stopped just before the Angkor Thom moat at the Victory Gate.


Greg sat in the Tuk Tuk while I took a few photos of the bridge, the moat and the gate. Along the length of the bridge were angels and devils churning the sea of milk. The gate had four faces supported on three trunked elephants. Most of the asuras and devis were headless. There was a wall beyond the moat, mostly intact but overgrown. The moat was dry. It was nearing the end of the dry season.




We drove into Angkor Thom to the centre of the Elephant Terrace where the king viewed the troops when they returned from as victory. We turned left towards The Bayon. The road around it was one way so we went past it's rear, which was very impressive, then on to the Angkor Thom South Gate . The moat here had water on one side. All five gates to Angkor Thom are similar, though we only saw these two and the north gate. The statues here were more complete.



We stopped for lunch at a row of stalls in the car park opposite Angkor Wat. We asked Nat to join us, and to order. We were happy to eat whatever he recommended. He ordered Fish Amok served in a coconut, chicken curry and a beef dish. We drank a litre of water and took another couple with us.

During lunch Nat started to tell us some of his history. His father had been killed by Khmer Rouge when he was one year old. He was from Kampot Province in the south, not far from the Vietnamise border. He was the eldest of three children and his mother still lived on the farm where he grew up. He was almost 30 and wanted to become a guide, rather than just a driver.