Exploring Angkor Wat

The #1 attraction in Siem Reap, or all of Cambodia for that matter, is the impressive ruins from the ancient city of Angkor Wat. One of the 7 wonders of the world, it was built in the 11th century and is the largest religious monument ever constructed.

I decided to buy a 3 day pass to Angkor Wat, which cost $40. The other option was a 1 day pass for $20. I didn't think this would be a sufficient amount of time to explore the sprawling 37 sq. miles of the ancient city.

Due to the massive size of Angkor Wat, it's a good idea to hire a tuk-tuk driver for the day. This will cost about $20 for the entire day.
Each site is about 1-2 km apart. At each stop, locals rushed over to try to sell me anything from postcards and hand fans to water and clothes.

One time when my tuk-tuk arrived at a temple, I saw a lady get up out of her chair with such abruptness it made my heart jump. I thought her hut was on fire or something! Out of fear, I held my hand over my heart. I saw she was grabbing the menu for her restaurant and rushing over to me before anyone else got to me. "Hello, lady! Are you hungry? Cold drink?" she yelled, running up to me frantically. Relieved, I started laughing and said, "You scared me! Oh my gosh!" We laughed together for a while before I bought a bottle of water from her. I figured if she had to go to such extreme lengths to make a sale, life must be hard.

They have their children in on the act, too. 2 or 3 surrounded me at a time. With a voice that would get progressively more whiney, they would beg me, "Buy postcard, lady? Need money for school. You buy. Ok, lady?" towering above them, I looked down into their pleading brown eyes. "How old are you?", I'd ask. I got answers anywhere from 4-10 years old. They were so small for their age. I wanted to bring them back to the US with me and show them what a good life is like.
I did buy the postcards from them. Now I have 10 postcards to mail to friends and family :)

In the early morning hours, some of the ruins were void of any tourists. As I traipsed through the ancient city solo, the only sounds I heard were the buzzing of bugs, singing from birds and the soft tapping of my sandals on the ancient stones.

I tried to imagine what the city looked like at the height of the ancient Khmer era.

One of the temples I visited was where Angelina Jolie filmed "Tomb Raider".

The large trees are desperately trying to engulf this city, intertwining it's way through windows, doorways and scaling up walls.

Watching the sunrise over Angkor Wat is a must. Brushing the sleep from my eyes at 5 am, I made my way to Angkor Wat with my hired tuk-tuk driver. I found a spot on the mats set out by the little pond that provided the perfect view of Angkor Wat. I sat next to an older German gentleman that had a gentle spirit and the prettiest baby blue eyes I've ever seen.

We chatted sporadically as we patiently waited for the big ball of fire to make it's appearance.

As it began to rise, the sky turned from pinkish purple to an orangish yellow and eventually to blue. It was magnificent....

Angkor Wat, just another reason to love Cambodia!