Siem Reap &Temples of Angkor,Cambodia Jan 2013

Tarzan Bundolo

Now i'm in Siam Reap. From there i was hiring tuk tuk-driver and was going to see Temples of Angkor.

Of source i wanted to go early in the morning to get nice sunrise picture and i was day before googling tips where to take pictures and so on. Of source i thought that i go straight to temple of Angkor and take there sunrise picture but i was reading on some blog that its not worth it: blogger said that if you go there there will be many buses of tourists taking pictures so taking unique picture without tourists is almost impossible. And that was true: when we did get closer to Temple of Angkor in 5 am i saw 1 kilometer long tuk tuk-train going to temple of Angkor and i was happy that i was picking smaller temple for sunrise picture, called Phnom Bakheng.

We go past tourist line with my driver and come down the hill where is bath to temple of Phnom Bakheng. I jump out of tuk tuk and start walking dark path with headlight. Atmosphere is calm but little spooky, middle of jungle alone with headlight. Crickets chirps and from jungle there is shining eyes looking at me, i thin
k it was cat, i hope so!!! (And mean small cat, not big one) 

I reach top of the hill and see first silhouette of temple against dark sky and getting more and more exciting. When i reach temple i'm excited like little boy, wondering around :)

First i think i'm totally alone but down the hill i see already another light coming this direction.

I try to take couple pictures in the dark but still too dark for my camera, they all just black.

I go around temple trying to take photos until i see stairs top of roof to temple. 

I go up the stairs and see that i'm not only one but no problem: against of hundreds of people in Angkor here is less than 10 people. Atmosphere is calm, still exited. Still even people there, no one speaks, just like atmosphere would crack just little noise and i feel big guilty for making too much noise just opening my bag's zipper :D

I listen sounds of jungle same time when sun is slowly rising and i start to see more clearly temple.

sunrise picture

Usually i'm lazy to take pictures but now i was so exited to see temple that i go around taking pictures like crazy. 

Others take pictures also in silence and between everyone there is understanding without words, they go out of picture even you don't say anything.

Sunrise was beautiful and i get taste of whole temple area, very active place, i feel like Indiana Jones :)

Sun is already quite up and i'm happy that i was more calm place taking pictures than Angkor. I take last pictures of temple and go back to my driver and heading to another temple.

So there i was going around temples 3 days and it would take eternity to write all of them and of source i was visiting Angkor wat which was most effective temple but whole area have must been very massive and fancy when there still was action!!!

When i was going around i had 3 days same young driver so i get know him better and we be friends.

So we spend a couple of evenings together between exploring area.

We went to local bar and i was laughing his friends singing (also driver) and next day we went swimming some locals beach and there came some local couple that my driver knew and a couple girls also. So we eat chicken, fish and rice that this couple brought with them, very good spices on food, were swimming and chilling in hammocks :)

After that we went to local disco for dance and that place was cold as freezer, don't understand why it has to be ice cold air con? (And i'm Finnish ice swimmer so i know what i'm talking about...)

But i was already booking to bus ticket to another town because still was harassed Siam Reap's crazy amount of tourists and was already seen enough temples so after disco i say good bye for my driver and he was really disappointed, would wanted me to stay longer. I say that if i some day come back we see again and pack my things ready for tomorrow and go sleep wondering what this trip is heading me to? :)