Day Two (early morning): sunrise @ Angkor Wat, South Gate of Angkor Thom
Sunrise @ Angkor Wat
We got up at 4 am, took a bath and was at the guesthouse entrance by 5 a.m. ready to rumble. By 5.30 a.m., we were already at Angkor Wat. We crossed the moat and entered the first gates in the dark and we were not the only ones; most of all the other tourists were there as well. We all waited in the compounds famed for beautiful sunrise pictures of Angkor Wat. You can hear everyone clicking away almost all the time not wanting to miss any good pictures. I think Sean and I were also caught up in the fanatical clickings that eventually we were starting to run out of memory. That's when I thought to myself, enough is enough and sifted through the images in my digicam to erase duplicates.
I must say some of the pictures taken were magnificent. Even an amateur like Sean had pictures taken that looked like they were taken by a professional.
Reflections of Angkor Wat...
... and it ain't no dream! That's me!
Rays on the gates of Angkor Wat from inside
Looks like one of those Greek structures...
... and that's me trying to pose like a model.
Tourists waiting to get a good picture of the sunriseAfter all the clicking buzz was over, it was time to explore Angkor Wat for itself. Lots of climbing and despite what others may say, I think it makes no difference from which stairs you are climbing or descending from, they are all almost equally steep.
The Grand Angkor... What?
Angkor Wat: fit for a king...
... the halls of Angkor Wat.
One of the Buddhist statues still left in the temple... an altar set up for worship.
Feeling on top of the world atop Angkor Wat
You can even view the sunrise @ Angkor Wat on a hot air balloon for a hefty USD15.
The complex within Angkor Wat
Beautiful apsara carvings on the walls of Angkor Wat
Angkor...What? The steep stairs leading from one level to another
One of the images of the bas-reliefs... can't possibly get them all!We thought we could probably reach the other landmarks on foot after we exited Angkor Wat on the eastern gate initially; after some walking we came across a Mat Salleh cycling who advised us against it. So we headed back to our tuk-tuk driver who was patiently waiting for us for 2 hours.
Leaving Angkor... What? That's Sean walking out towards the entrance...The South Gate of Angkor Thom
As we left Angkor Wat and passed Phnom Bakheng, the south gate of Angkor Thom were just ahead of us. There were demons lining the bridge over the moat; and the gate itself is crowned with 4 giant faces.
One of the four faces of the South Gates of Angkor Thom
The South Gates of Angkor Thom with demons lining the bridge over the moat
posted by Hanson @ 5:54 PM
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