This morning we experienced an incredible sunrise at Angkor Wat.  I am having some trouble with connectivity between my iPad and this computer, so I may not be able to post the photos–I will try to add them later, but, if not, you can be sure that I will subject you to thousands of photos from this trip and particularly to several of the Angkor Wat sunrise.  We arrived at the temple and sat across the moat on a stone wall at the crack of dawn.  Our first sight was a relatively gigantic rat, which was not welcomed into the group.  But we then sat on our wall, apart from the tourists who were streaming like ants into the complex itself, and we watched the sun rise over this beautiful west-facing temple.  The sun rose behind the temple itself, framing this temple–built in 1113–with magical light.  It is safe to say that all three of us by that point had forgotten about the early hour, and we were simply content to watch it all unfold before us, grateful to have had this opportunity.

After sunrise, we headed to a local stall for a traditional Cambodian breakfast–Kendall and I tried noodle soup with chicken, and Delaney had rice porridge with chicken.  Both were delicious–and then we were off for the rest of the busy day!

Our next stop was Ta Prohm, a beautiful one-story temple and apparently made even more famous by the fact that Angelina Jolie filmed the Tomb Raider movie here.  The temple is being restored by the Indian government–most restoration here is done courtesy of other countries.  The jungle surrounds and takes over Ta Prohm in several places–trees wind like snakes around the stones, sometimes forcing them apart and sometimes tying them together.

We then headed to another one-story temple, Banteay Srei, built by a king for his mentor in the 900’s.  Along the way, we passed children in uniform at their schools, several cows on the road, wet rice fields, houses on stilts (each with a spirit house), and a few water buffalo.  Banteay Srei is a beautiful temple made of pink sandstone–the intricate carving has withstood the test of time.  Because of the pink sandstone, this temple is sometimes called the Lady Temple.

We are renaming the vacation from the GPGT to the MSEFV, the Most Sweaty Ever Family Vacation–it is hotter and muggier than New Orleans in July or Austin in August or Houston whenever–but it is a glorious trip.  I still need to update on our visit to Angkor Thom, but that will need to wait.  We are off to breakfast and then to a temple that we will actually get to climb.  More later.

ADDENDUM: Angkor Thom–Great City

On this very long day that started exceptionally early in the morning, we also visited the Bayon, which is at the center of Angkor Thom.  This is an incredible place–the French have restored it painstakingly.  Our guide describes it as “the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle.”  The outer walls all feature beautiful Buddha faces.

A final interesting note: there are about 300 unfinished temples in Angkor Wat and the surrounding areas.  Each king wanted his own temple for his own god–and they kept dying before the temples were finished . . .