I used my first full day to explore the city, and to stretch my legs after so much lazy time on the island. My walk took me along the riverside and then further into the tourist area of the city to the Central Market. This reminded me a lot of the market in Phnom Penh but on a much smaller scale. My main objective here was to buy some flip flops (mine were somewhere back on Koh Rong, or on someone else’s feet) and not to buy anything else. I was successful with flip flops, but decided to change the second part of my objective in exchange for two tops which I decided I definitely needed…

I was up at 4am the next morning to enable me to get to Angkor Wat in time for the sunrise. I had arranged to hire a bicycle from the hostel so set off on this into the darkness by 4:30am. It wasn’t hard to be sure I was on the right route, with a continuous stream of tuk tuks carrying tourists heading in the same direction. I found myself a spot settled in front of a smaller temple, giving me a good view of Angkor Wat, and the hoards of other tourists, and waited for the sun to arrive.

Angkor Wat

I’m not sure whether it was the crowd stood in front of me or the fact it was way too early to be out of bed, but I felt surprisingly underwhelmed by the sun rise and by Angkor Wat itself. Though it may also be because I moved before the sun had fully risen into view.

Getting back to my bicycle I headed off towards Ta Prohm, as I had heard most people visited the temples starting in the other direction I hoped to be able to enjoy it in peace. I was in luck, with only a handful of other people there when I arrived. Half in ruins, this temple had once been lost within the jungle and today is a mixture of temple and nature, trees growing on a top and within the building.

The rest of the morning I moved from one temple to the next, enjoying the scenic ride between each one as much as the temples themselves. Unlike other UNESCO sights, people live and work around Angkor Wat as much today as they did at the time of building.

Ta Prohm

Each temple impressed me as much as the previous one, it didn’t matter whether they were large or small, the amount of detail that went into them was incredible. The dedication of the people who built them is highlighted by knowing that all of these temples were built as houses for the Gods, never meant to be lived in by humans.

By 12pm I had made a full circuit and was back at Angkor Wat. Knowing this could well be the last chance I ever had to see the temple I decided to give it another try. This time I was definitely more impressed. I seemed to take in more of the detail of the building and it’s surroundings, so maybe I was just too tired in the morning after all.

And finally I had the energy to do no more, 8hrs of cycling and temple viewing, with the day getting hotter by the minute, I decided it was time to head back to the hostel.

The following day I visited the Angkor Museum, for what I hoped would be a great follow up to visiting Angkor Wat. I was not disappointed, there was an excellent range of exhibitions detailing the Angkor history, including a room with 1000 Buddha statues of all shapes and sizes.

As something different to round off my time in Cambodia I decided to go to the circus that evening. Unsure of what to expect, I was delighted by the end of the performance feeling I had spent both time and money wisely. The experience was unlike any circus I had been to previously, with very little in the way of props (only cardboard boxes, a painting eisle and a table). Through a mixture of dance, acrobatics, painting and acting the performance took you on a journey of a girl who had lived through the Khmer Rouge, and had survived due to her faith in the human spirit.