Tuesday 22nd April 2014 Cambodia Siem Reap - Sunrise at Angkor Wat - Just One More Thing You Have To See

The crown jewel of the Angkor complex is Angkor Wat, a temple built between A.D. 1113 and 1150 that rises 213 feet into the air and extends to 500 acres.  

I hope the photos will speak for themselves.  This event is one of those iconic things you just have to witness.  By the time we arrived, having set off in the dark at 5.00am, the grounds inside the outer wall and in front of the Great Temple of Angkor Wat were already full of a great throng of tourists from all over the world waiting expectantly for the sunrise over the temple and so too were a host of hawkers selling all kinds of souvenirs who constantly pestered you with their wares.

A memorable moment for me as we entered the outer gate was to hear the cacophony of noise from the cicadas; it was all one could do to hear oneself speak.

Of course with so many people everyone was jockeying for position for the best view of the sunrise so I moved about a bit.  Unfortunately it was a rather cloudy, watery sunrise but nevertheless rather magical and another event I can cross off the ‘bucket list’. That sounds a bit dismissive it was awe inspiring especially when you remember the ancient and religious significance of this place.