 |
| Sunrise over the Angkor Wat |
By 5:00 a.m. our driver and guide Sarath were already waiting for us outside Golden Temple Villa. Since there were 4 of us we decided to rent a van instead. Our van had a small cooler inside with cold water provided for us by the guesthouse. Sarath spoke pretty good english and I think he was getting a bit stressed that we might miss the sunrise. The sun was already breaking out in the horizon when we reached the ticket counter to purchase our Angkor day pass for $20. I could no longer contain my excitement. Going to Angkor Wat has been a dream of mine for a long time. I never thought that I'd be able to see it within my first year of working. Small blessings I'm forever grateful for.
Crossing the moat surrounding Angkor Wat, we could already see how many tourists also wake up this early to witness the majestic sunrise. I read about how busload of tourists would arrive for the sunrise and immediately disappear after to go back to their hotels for breakfast. I didn't think that the articles actually meant hundreds of tourists! The peace and tranquility one would feel walking into the halls of the Angkor Wat immediately disappears at first sight of a huge group of camera-toting, noisy and perky tourists, but they still weren't enough to ruin my mood :-)
