Angkor Wat

At 9 AM, we were ready to head out to Angkor Wat. We had hired a tuk-tuk driver to take us around for just 10 dollars. It had rained a bit over the last few days, so we were warned that it would be super hot and there would be a ton of mosquitoes. Not exactly the best combo for a couple of Danes trying to avoid bug bites. We slathered ourselves in both mosquito spray and cream. It was way too hot for long pants and a sweater. Luckily, we were pleasantly surprised. It warmed up nicely throughout the day, and it got even hotter as we climbed the many stairs to the temples. By the end, we were sweating buckets. But thankfully, there weren’t many mosquitoes around, or maybe they were scared off by the generous layers of spray and cream we had on. Either way, we managed to leave without a single bite! :) Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples are absolutely stunning. Some, however, are in pretty rough shape after all these years, showing signs of wear and tear. That’s why there are many maintenance projects underway, so a few buildings were closed to tourists. Creating these magnificent temples has been a massive undertaking. Cambodia must have been a really rich country to have been able to create one of the wonders of the world. In the middle of the afternoon, we headed back to Siem Reap for a bite to eat. There are plenty of options for food near the temples, with food stalls and souvenir shops just outside each temple area. It seems that the many sellers don’t have access to the temples themselves. Thank goodness, otherwise, we’d be chased by shouting kids: “Sir or Madam, what do you need? Why don’t you buy from me? You want a cold drink, you want a t-shirt, you want a nice book…” Back in Siem Reap, we were in desperate need of a cold shower and clean clothes. It felt so refreshing! After that, we went for a massage for our sore feet and legs. :) It gets dark pretty early here—around 6 PM. Around 5, we took a tuk-tuk back to Angkor Wat to catch the sunset. You have to go into Angkor Wat itself to see the sun set behind the buildings. We got there just in time to snap a few photos and enjoy the sunset before closing time. We had dinner at a nicer restaurant, but unfortunately, it wasn’t a great choice. The food is actually much better at the many smaller eateries. So we could have saved our money there. It was only 17 dollars, but that feels like a lot to spend down here! :) We wrapped up the evening in the bar street, where we struck up conversations with other travelers.