Soa s'day! Cambodia and the lost (and found) capital city of Angkor

We meet our guide, Sal (short for Kosal, his name from his years as an orphan in a Buddhist monastery), a little after 5AM (it was supposed to be 4:50AM, but Sal overly informed us he was partying with his buddies and overslept). We head out on the darkened road, chauffeured by Chum in the remork (like a tuk tuk), with the caravan of other tourists. Arriving at Angkor Wat in total darkness, Sal deftly guides us to a picture spot where plenty of would-be photographers are lying in wait for the legendary Angkor Wat sunrise. As Sal recovers from his hangover, we sit and listen to the clicks, beeps and other little sounds digital camera manufacturers dream up. Suddenly, the first lights of dawn fill the sky and the ancient 12th-century temple reveals itself. Built in honor of the Hindu god Vishnu, the temple was later transformed into a Buddhist temple (in fact, some of the Vishnu statues now sport the orange robes of the Buddhist monks). Sal takes us around, regaling us with stories from his studies of both Hindu and Buddhist philosophy while making sure to point out the bullet holes, beheaded Buddha statues and other tragic remnants of the time of the Khmer Rouge rule in the late 1970s.

Next, we head off to Bayon Temple, part of Angkor Thom (the city of Angkor) and explore the faces on the walls and more beautiful bas reliefs depicting stories of battles long past. This temple was built after Angkor Wat as a primarily Buddhist Temple. The place is teeming with tourists like us, so we head out soon after snapping some shots and climbing the precarious stone steps.

Last stop was Ta Prohm, my favorite. The temple was left in ruins as the rest of Angkor was freed from the grip of the fig, banyan and kapok trees. The trees and their monstrous roots break through the stones and wind in an out of the crevices. It's like they're an essential part of the whole structure. I walked away with a whole new respect for trees...

Sweaty and exhausted, we head back to the hotel, but not before buying some bracelets from one of the many Cambodian children selling things at the exit.