Angkor Wat

What a great day!! We all got up at 4:45 in the morning to watch the sun rise behind the main temple, Angkor Wat. We couldn't believe the people there...there must have been at least 300 people all crazy enough (like us) to get up at 4:30 in the morning to watch a sunrise. It was not at all spectacular though, but it was nice and cool and we were able to walk around the temple with a relatively small amount of people. We finished at around 8:30, went back to the hotel for breakfast, took a nap, and then headed back to the temples for the afternoon. Our favorite temple was Ta Phrom. It is the bottom photo above. They left the temple as it was when discovered with the trees and jungle taking over...amazing!! Huge trees and roots covered all the walls....very cool.

Siem Reap has changed since I was last there about 5 years ago. Tourism has really taken off. Last time I was there, I walked around Ta Phrom by myself....not another soul around. This time, I had to time my shots between groups of Japanese posing for shots at the popular spots. The town itself is really nice now. The roads are all paved, and there is one street that is blocked off to traffic that is filled with outdoor cafes and restaurants....very nice.