Berk’s Blog

Nell and I started our Christmas day with a 4:30am wakeup call so that we could catch sunrise at Angkor Wat, which our guide from yesterday said was a moving experience.

Our driver met us promptly at 5am and proceeded to take us to the temple. Almost immediately we could tell something was different from the driver and guide from the previous day. He was chatty, enthusiastic, outgoing, and though he only spoke English for two years, was a much better communicator. It also turned out that he owned the tour business and employed the two guys from yesterday, but we didn’t rat them out.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat was amazing. When we arrived, it was still dark, but with the full moon shining bright, you could see the silhouettes of the 5 towers in the night sky. Then, as the sun started to creep up, the reflection on the lake began to show. Every few minutes as the sky continued to brighten, more details became apparent. The temple is an amazing sight as is, but having it unveiled in this manner was beyond words.

After the sun began to crest over the horizon, we left to hit as many other sites as possible before the temperature and crowds became unpleasant. Next on the trip Ta Prohm. This is where Tomb Raider was filmed. As Angkor Wat was immense and grand, Ta Prohm was more modest, sprawling but without the tall towers. Rather, it had many smaller towers in which statues of the Buddha in various positions used to be kept until looters got to them. One of the amazing traits of this site was the trees that were growing from the top of the ruins down over the walls, with their massive root system exposed. Great backdrop for a creepy action film.

From there, on to a few smaller temples, then back to the hotel for breakfast and a quick nap. We got more done before 9am than most tourists got to do all day.

Had a couples’ massage in the afternoon, and now off in search of some more cheap local beer.

Merry Christmas!!!