Day 2 In Siem Reap, Cambodia

April 24, 2012 (Tuesday)

We woke up really early today to catch the sunrise in Angkor Wat. We woke up at 4:30 in the morning, got ready, and left the guesthouse on John's tuktuk again. We also arranged for Sameath to meet us at Angkor Wat. We needed another day of his guidance, not to mention his photography skills. Hahaha.

The dawn was starting to break when we walked the long pathway towards Angkor Wat. The sky was starting to get bright. We went to the Reflecting pool to wait for the sunrise. There were a lot of tourists there already. We saw a Dutch couple from Ireland and we took a photo with them. They were really nice. When finally the sun was starting to rise, I marveled at the sight before me. The towers of Angkor Wat reflected on the pool, it was really amazing. I took a lot of pictures, it was absolutely stunning. When the sun was high up in the sky, we went to a nearby restaurant to have breakfast. I ordered an omelet with bacon and bread.

After breakfast, we went for a quick elephant ride. This is my first time riding an elephant so I was psyched to try it. Actually, we just wanted to take a picture of ourselves on top of the elephant, so we only paid $2 each for a 5-minute ride.

After the elephants, we proceeded to the first temple on our agenda. We went to Preah Khan temple first. It was huge and it has this structure that looked like a mini Parthenon. There were nice carvings on the temple walls and I had my picture taken with a nun who was selling trinkets inside the temple. Preah Khan was built by the King for his father.

Next temple on the list is Neak Pean. It was a long walk to the temple, only to arrive on the site and find out that we can't even enter. It was off limits to the public. We were told that it used to be an infirmary. So anyway, we got out of there and went on to the next temple. We went to Ta Som. It was said to be dedicated to the King's teacher. Ta Som is similar to Ta Prohm in little ways. There were huge trees all over and big roots as well. All around the temples, there were local Cambodian children selling souvenirs and post cards. 

Preah Kahn

Neak Pean

Ta Som Temple

After Ta Som, we went to East Mebon. I was really impressed with this temple. When we entered and saw the towers, we were awed by it and all we could say was WOW. I don't know there's just something regal about it. Like a quiet air of sophistication and majesty that I couldn't quite put my finger on. We snapped some pictures and spent a few minutes just sitting there and marveling at the towers. Beautiful. It was hard to leave, I couldn't take my eyes off of it. My brother even said that it was his favorite temple.

The beautiful East Mebon

Reluctantly, we left the temple and proceeded to the last temple on our list, Pre Rup. It was very much like East Mebon in terms of style, but I think I like East Mebon better. Pre Rup used to be a crematorium according to our guide. They used to burn their dead there. The temple was like reddish brown and looked very old. There was also a very high flight of stairs but we didn't climb anymore because it was sooooo HOT. I wanted to go to the highest tower, but the heat was unbearable. My skin's already very dark as it is.

Pre Rup Temple

It was already noon time when we left Pre Rup. So we went to have some lunch. We requested John to bring us back to Somros Sra Srang because we really liked their food. After half a day of temple hopping, we went to Angkor Silk Farm. It was a long ride to the farm. They offered a free tour guide when we got there. We got to see the silk making process, from the silk worms, the coccoons, to the silk threads and finally the finished product. The whole process looks complicated.

Silk worms

Silk weaving process

Strands of silk

After the quick silk farm tour, we went back to the Senteurs D'Angkor. The minute we entered, we were greeted by a very sweet aroma and a nice lady who offered to show us around for free. There we saw some workers making native products, we also saw different kinds of herbs and teas, and the soap and candle making process. We also got 3 free massage coupons that we could use. Nice, right? After the tour of the place we were given free tea.

Workers at Senteurs

Soap making process

Herbs, tea and spices

We were supposed to go horseback riding that afternoon, but my dad and bro thought it was expensive so they didn't want to go. Arrgh, I was disappointed. So we went to Lucky Mall instead and bought some snacks in the supermarket. Then we went back to the guesthouse. At around 7pm they went out to have dinner, but I wasn't that hungry so I opted to stay in our room. That was pretty much what happened the 2nd day.