Awake even before 4:45! It’s so rare that I’m actually awoken by an alarm or wake-up call these days. We’re out in the dark and our tuk-tuk driver from the night before is ready and waiting. We join a long line of other tuk-tuks and tour buses on their way to enjoy the experience. $20 entrance fee purchase handled, we drive across the moat (not visible until later) and into the parking area as all the sun worshippers fall in together on the path and through the Temple gate. There is a large pond, around which most everyone is crowding (pictures are later, after sun rises), and beautiful water lilies are blooming:
and Valerie and I agree to meet under a large tree when the sun has risen and I’m done cruising around taking photos. I climb up on a nearby ruin, and carefully wedge myself between Japanese tripod installations. After snapping a few shots, none of which are great because it’s cloudy:
I decide to leave the hordes and see where my size 7’s take me. I walk right up to the front of the Temple (nearly stepping over someone’s GoPro, set to snap once a minute), continue my exploration of composition,
and then continue around the side. I see a tour group all the way in the back corner, and quickly realize that no one is really back there. The sun is coming up, but the sky (as seems prevalent across every country I’ve been in) is hazy and no photogenic ball of fire as backdrop. I climb up on an old stone wall, and invoke inspiration from Edmund.
Panoramas, close-ups, profiles, leafy-tree framing, you name it and I test it out. Just fun playing around.
I finally finish my circumnavigation and plant myself under the anointed tree (pun indeed intended) and pretty soon my partner in crime shows up. We then take another spin around and through the Temple, take a few posed shots:
checking out the different Temple rooms and perspectives
before heading back to find Tan, our driver, and pick up a coffee, water and chocolate croissant from Bong’s truck.
A short ride and he drops us off to check out a large Buddha
and to walk through a smaller temple:, with requisite photo taking:
then we ride once again over and behind and we are soon walking past the “guards”
and exploring Angkor Tom. We totally agree with Marilyn that it is much more compelling. Waiting for tourists to clear to get “the” shot is at times frustrating (and we’re certainly not alone in this), and either we get it, or grumble “that’s what Photoshop is for” and continue on our way.
Angkor Tom was found later and as a result, large trees have grown in and amongst the building walls:
As we walked through the Temple, we spotted young women who were dressing in traditional costume for tourist picture-taking (for a price, of course). I snatched a freebie:
When we were through, we headed to the tuk-tuk parking lot, where a few guides had it down for resting while their charges toured the sights:
A couple Temples later (and when asked if we want to get out and explore, trying to be gracious to allow the other to do what appeals, we laugh and realize neither of us is quite that obsessive about it), we call it quits and enjoy the ride back to the hotel
and arrive back just in time for breakfast. Traditional noodles, crepes and flan-filled pumpkin mousse are this morning’s indulgences:
Tan appears an hour later and we head into town for a little more exploration, shopping and a very short visit to the handicraft center. Back to the hotel, as we are both quite tired, and cocktails and light lunch by the pool before enjoying a lazy afternoon by the pool. Oh, and they’ve upgraded our to a suite, so we make that move. Bed area, steam room, shower, large oval tub opposite the sinks, and a sitting area/room that can be closed off with a curtain. The high life!
We have dinner reservations at 6:30 in our hotel, which lucky for us hosts live jazz on Thursday evenings. We are seated in the upper level, which wraps around the walls of the hotel, completely open to the lounge below. We enjoy the soft vibe and seat ourselves downstairs after finishing our repast. Enjoy the tunes, speak to a few ex-pats inquiring after recommended activities (yoga?), then off to our room for a bit of reading and bedtime. No plans yet for tomorrow. What will come to pass?