Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Alarm set for 4.15 but I was awake on and off most of the night feeling like my head would explode.

We set off in the dark to watch the sunrise at Ankgor Wat.  Our guide found me a chair so that I could sit and watch it by the lake.  I think she was glad I managed to come as I had felt so ill the evening before.  The sunrise was quite spectacular – we were lucky the clouds cleared for it.  

Then we had some breakfast in the open  – muesli and fruit brought from the hotel. We returned after breakfast to look around the temple. I sat at the entrance waiting for them as there were many steps to climb and I was still feeling rough.

We returned to the hotel at about 10 where I rested again until lunchtime. There was a walking tour with the guide which Gill and Gareth went on but everyone else was too sleepy.

I joined the group for lunch at a restaurant in the city.  I chose a light Caesar salad while the others had beef burgers and chips!  Rice is off limits today!  There were one or two optional activities during the afternoon including quad bikes and zip wire. I declined both but the boys had a great time on the quad bikes!

Our evening meal was a cultural affair, spent with a local family.  Again very humbling.  We were invited into a home shared by three families…. just four rooms!  A tiny kitchen, a big sitting/dining room, half under cover with earth floor and two bedrooms which everyone shared!  The women were out at work when we arrived by tuk tuk.  The men had prepared a delicious meal of fish soup, beef amok and a vegetable dish with lemongrass.  Rose’s two young sons joined us as Siem Reap was Rose’s home town.  The family had just acquired a new music system and were eager to try it out with us so after dinner members of our group took part in karaoke, led first by one of the young Cambodians and the Rose’s older son, who was only 14 and had a lovely voice.  The evening was rounded off with us all dancing to the YMCA song before being taken back along the dark bumpy track to the main road and our hotel.

Gill and I noticed buy one get one free cocktails on the roof, so after packing our bags yet again for the onward journey in the morning, we rewarded ourselves we a Banana Daikeri and a Pineapple something or other.  There was a jacussi on the roof but we refrained from sitting in it with our cocktails!