Angkor Watt Temple... Another Wonder of the World

CAMBODIA DAY 4:

After a late night out on the town in Angkor Watt, Cambodia my mom and I woke up before 5am to join the early-risers for a sunrise visit to one of the Wonders of the World- Angkor Watt Temple.  We got to the site while it was still pitch black out and made our way through one temple before arriving at a lake in front of the main temple.  Many local children were selling guidebooks, hot cocoa, or even a chair to sit on.  For the next hour we watched the sun rise over the gorgeous temple and cast vibrant orange and pink colors onto the lake and into the sky.  Unfortunately my camera couldn’t quite capture the full scene. After breakfast, later that morning, we toured the Jungle Temple (my favorite by far!).  While it was comparatively small, it was surrounded by a forest and had trees growing over the walls of the temple. I separated from everyone and climbed around through the corridors sometimes not seeing anyone else around.  I felt like I was in Indiana Jones or Tomb Raiders.  Tomb Raiders was in fact filmed at these temples.  I walked out of a doorway and just about stepped on two huge black beetles with bright red spots on their backs. After that I decided to go find my brother instead of wondering alone.  While the day progressed it got increasingly hot and more tourists arrived.  Angkor Watt, however, was our next stop and the most famous of all the temples.  We were able to climb up to its highest point and look out over the entire landscape and also view the sacred Buddha.  We learned about the restoration projects as well as the history of the detailed stone engravings.   My mom, Trent, and I ditched the group for lunch and got a tuc-tuc into old town for a ham and cheese sandwich on Pub Street. It was nice to have a bit of time to explore on our own without being shuttled to each location and guided.  As our last stop of the day we visited the Temple City, Angkor Ton, which housed several different structures in a large park area. The main temple we visited was a maze of large faces coming out of stone pyramids surrounding the center.  We were able to climb through every corridor and up to high levels exploring every corner and every Buddha.  After a long day of temple touring we flew back to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for our last night together as a family.  My Mom and I had a late dinner at the famous Rex Hotel and stayed late enjoying the live band and having drinks with my friends.  It was the perfect night.