Day 42 of The Big Adventure.   
Our alarm seemed to go off half an hour after we’d gotten into bed, but after closer inspection of the time, it was indeed 4.30am.

We sleepily got dressed and ready and went downstairs to find our tuktuk driver. 

This time a different tuktuk driver was waiting for us outside our guesthouse and said ‘oh my friend is busy but he sent me’ . We were starting to feel like our original tuktuk driver (who we’d chosen especially) was trying to avoid us. But with a lack of other options we hopped in the back. This time the tuktuk driver dropped us at the main entrance to Angkor Wat and told us he’d wait for us there. So we began walking in the pitch black dark towards the temple. 

You have to go through a few entrance temples, I suppose you’d call them, and this was pretty scary in the dark. We could see some of the more prepared people had bought torches. 

We sat down next the lake in front of the temple and waited. We were a good 40mins early so had plenty of time to take in our surroundings. 

  
  
  
By the time the sun had almost risen above the temple there was a huge crowd around the lake all trying to get pictures. 

  
  
  
  
After the sun had risen and the crowd had (mostly) disappeared we went back to the entrance to try to find our tuktuk driver. 

 He whizzed up infront of us and took us to the next temple: 

 Bayon: a temple with thirty-seven standing towers, most but not all sporting four carved faces oriented toward the cardinal points. Fabulous!

  
  
 
  
  
 

  

   

 

  

  

   
  
  
 
After thoroughly exploring (and enjoying) the faces in the wall, we hopped back in the tuktuk to go to the next temple…

  
Baphuon: a huge temple-mountain in the heart of Angkor Thom, currently being restored, which has a rear brick wall in the form of a gigantic reclining Buddha.

  
  
  
  
  
  
Then we were off again to our next site: 

Ta Prohm: a temple in the jungle intentionally left partially unrestored; within the walls massive fig and silk-cotton trees grow from the towers and corridors. The roots are really something else….! 

This is the temple where Angelina Jolie starred in the “Tomb Raider” film. 

  
  
 

  

   

    
  
  
Then we went to a temple (we’re not 100% sure which one) but it was an incredible maze of outside rooms with incredible detailing on the walls. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
We got back to our tuktuk and we were completely worn out. Thankfully he told us this was the last stop and that he’d take us back to our guesthouse. We got back and Lauren went straight upstairs for a nap. 

I attempted to send some videos of us walking around the temples to my Mum but after half an hour and not much progress I gave up. Stupid wifi. 

We had a nice snooze until about 3pm. Then we headed into town to book a bus to Phnom Penh for the next day. As we were leaving the travel agent, a little boy ran up to me and began spraying me with a water gun! 

We had heard that this was a tradition around Khmer New Year but I still wasn’t expecting it! 
After a little drying off, we decided to go and get pedicures. So we had a look in a few salons and found one with some nail varnishes in colours we liked and sat down. 

Lauren ended up getting the longest gel pedicure of all time. I had a standard manicure and a pedicure and was still finished before her! 

They bought us Cambodian teas and banana chips to keep us going. 

  

After all our pampering was finally over, we decided it was time for a spot of dinner. Lauren fancied a salad and I fancied some more vegetable amok so we hit the streets trying to find a restaurant that would cater to us both. Thankfully we found one pretty quickly and enjoyed a hearty meal. 

Lauren managed a whole salad (the most she’d eaten in days) and I had a delicious Cambodian curry with coconut milk and vegetables. 

We wandered back through the street where there are stalls lining the road selling everything from fresh fruit shakes (fruit blended with ice – deeelicious) 

  

and cocktails (not so delicious) 

  
to durian (a rather pungent fruit). 

  
And even some coconut rice cakes (which we’d sampled earlier in our trip and decided were not our favs).

  
  

We hailed a tuktuk and went home to pack our bags for Phnom Penh tomorrow.