My alarm jolted me awake at four, and grumbling I made my way across the room to see what the weather looked like. I’ve never wanted rash badly in my life, since then I could go back to sleep. But it was dry outside, so I woke Adele and started getting myself ready. We had to be downstairs at quarter to five to board the the bus to Angkor Wat. There was no time for breakfast, or even coffee before leaving, if we wanted to be there to see the sunrise.

And so after a short bus ride, we began to trek through the dark to a vantage point where we could take in the gradual illumination of the temple. According to Yang, the chances of actually getting to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat are vanishingly small. In twenty years, he said he’s only experienced it a handful of times.

We trudged through the dark along a worn stone pathway, across a stone bridge, and between sandstone buildings that had once been libraries. As we walked, the sky began to brighten little by little, almost imperceptibly at first, and the outlines of the old temple began to stand out against the background of the sky. At the urging of our guide, we took up positions near the edge of a deep pool, along with dozens of other tourists. All of us with cameras at the ready.

After everyone had their fill of taking the same picture again and again, but with slightly better lighting as the minutes ticked past, we met at a small café on the grounds for coffee and breakfast. Cats and dogs came to visit us, as did souvenir hawkers.

For the next couple of hours, we explored the grounds and buildings of Angkor Wat, once the largest Hindu temple in the world, although it has converted over time to Buddhism. The temple was built in the twelfth century, but was disused and enveloped by the jungle when the Cambodian capital moved from Siem Reap down to Phnom Penh. It currently houses two Buddhist monasteries.

In the main building, Adele and I took the opportunity to receive the blessing of a Buddhist monk. For a nominal fee, he used a lotus flower to splash us with water from a brass bowl while chanting. And no, I didn’t sizzle at the touch of the holy water.

Overall, it was worth going to Angkor Wat, although I would still prefer to have slept a little longer.

Soon, though, we were back on the bus and headed to the next temple, To Prohm, which had also become overrun by the jungle. In fact, there are several buildings with trees growing through, or out of them. It was fascinating as well, but our tiredness and the humidity somewhat dampened (as it were) our enthusiasm.

There’s not really much more to relate about today. Tomorrow we visit another temple, though thankfully not so early, followed by a floating village.

I’ll write more tomorrow.