Angkor Wat

One of the main reasons for me visiting Cambodia was to see Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples. When I was ready to go to the temple I walked the streets and found a tuk tuk. The driver introduced himself to me as Lucky, he was lucky too because he was in the right spot at the right and got my money for the day. I paid Lucky $15 for the day to drive me around. I then paid $20 US to enter the Angkor Wat park and the first stop was Angkor Wat, the largest and most crowded of the temples and I dodged the crowds to climb up, walk around to view the different sections of the temple and see some of the carvings. I must admit I know nothing about the Angkor history therefore I was seeing the temple for how it looks rather than why it was actually built or what it represents.

Lucky was waiting for me as I left the temple having spent close to two hours exploring then just minutes down the road he stopped again at Bayon. I again spent a couple of hours checking out the temple and the surrounding temples. Bayon is famous for its smiling faces. There are tour guides who tell the history of the temples for only a small fee but I decided just to wander around at my own pace and listen in on the different guides.

After Bayon and the temples of Angkor Thom Lucky dropped me at the Ta Prohm, the temple I was most excited about visiting as the trees are still growing out of the temple. I spent another hour and half walking around the temple and found the two Americans I had shared the taxi with the day before and explored with them for a while. Ta Prohm is now known as the Tomb Raider temple as they used one scene filmed next to the tree in the film. Disappointingly Lara Croft was not there on the day I visited. It was my favourite temple of the day.

When I went to find Lucky he deliberately snuck into a small restaurant and the waiters all came out. 'Your driver is in here, come sit down and eat,' it's the little games they play to make you ate at their friends shop. I was happy to play along and sat down for some lunch.

It was getting to mid afternoon and I was beginning to have had enough so I got Lucky to drop me at one more temple the Banteay Kdei, where I explored for around half an hour before getting back in the tuk and tuk and heading for town. I was anticipating on spending a couple of days at the temples although by the end of the day I was sunburnt, exhausted and had been hassled by enough young children trying to sell me things that I decided not to return.