You said Wat?

We wake up before the whip of dawn has even cracked. My eyes are thick with sleep but my belly is full of anticipation. I get to see Angor Wat with my own eyes today, it has been a dream for almost 10 years.

Sarath our tuktuk driver is waiting for us as we emerge from the hotel, smiling face and gentle laughter to complete every statement. With the wind streaming through our hair and touching our faces, we begin to wake up as the tuktuk slows to a stop and we are directed to wander into absolute darkness toward what Sarath promises to be the temple.

It is quiet, some light reflects on the moat that we have to cross. The quiet rhythm of feet on the causeway of ancient stone is one of the few sounds you can hear although there are hundreds of people approaching their perfect spot to view the sun rise. I manage to find a position that gives me a reasonable view below someone’s armpit and my one handed guessing photography is put into practice but I manage to get my shots, reflection included.

And then we get chauffeured to the next temple Ta Prohm,  better known these days as the Tomb Raider temple after Angelina Jolie’s prowess amongst these jungle devoured walls. The structure has somewhat been restored by some very clever scientists from India and the work of putting this jigsaw together continues today. The ornate carvings on the sandstone, still visible in their beauty, shows sheer dedication from the artisans of the day.

The various temples have enormous faces, a clear indication that some of the royalty were narcissistic. Thousands of stairs can be climbed. Getting to the top of some temples is a feat since these stairs must have been made for giants. Apparently the rocks were acquired from a quarry 50km away using elephants and bamboo rafts to transfer them.

Each temple is unique in architectural style and intended purpose but after a full day of darting about and hot jungle sun, they start to become one in your lucid tuktuk dreams.

Fortunately on day two of our temple pass, Sarath makes a heavenly suggestion. Head to the holy mountain or Kulen Hills (where the sandstone for the temples comes from) to swim in a waterfall and see the river of 1000 lingas (and a Buddha that lies on its side). The trip itself was an adventure with a few stops for extra temple viewing. 40 km in a tuktuk, the last 10km of uphill on the back of a moped over sandroads winding up green forests dodging Toyota Camrys and minibuses filled with locals.

The river flows over the 1000 lingas (I think it’s supposed to be a phallic sign) and this water is believed to bring good fortune and healing to the injured. The spring flowing into this river has a bottom naturally forming a heart shape and the water is crystal clean. Sarath tells us that the spring dried up last year when the Cambodians and Thais were fighting, this year there is peace and now it flows again.

We joined the local people swimming in the fresh water of a waterfall for a quick cool down before having lunch and heading to one last temple and seeing the sun setting over rice paddies as we lazily sit back and get driven through the countryside on the way back to Siem Reap.

Siem Reap is a tourist town however, it has a very charming character that must be experienced. The people are very gentle but I might add persistent when they want you to buy some wares for One Dolla. I tasted Kampot Pepper chocolate icecream, banana crispy pancakes and fresh shakes of any fruit you can imagine. Meals are cheap if you sit down at the more local restaurants and you can get to Pub street to have a drink on the side of the road at a pub on wheels. Your senses are bombarded with different genres of music from each establishment and hundreds of people milling about like busy ants. Best part, it’s locals and tourists all mixing in the same areas and enjoying the same food and drinks.