Going for temple saturation in Angkor.

26/3 - Had a lazy, but not late start. I even washed my sandals as they were starting to dance to the tune they were humming. I did a bit of reading and decided to go to Angkor Thom, a collection of temples including the Bayon. I thought I'd toddle along at last light, so went for an e-fix and a wander first. Madeline was just coming back from her early start as I left. She looked knackered and stressed, but said it was beautiful to see the sun rise at Angkor Wat and her pictures backed it up.

I had the e-fix and walked out to bump into Madeline, looking even more knackered and stressed, so we went for some lunch, then she went back for a power nap, her best decision of the day. I strolled around Central Market, Psar Chaa and as usual bought nowt.

I sorted myself a toot toot to drop me at the Bayon and pick me up around 18:30. He wanted $10 until I mentioned the mini tour only costs $12, so he dropped it to $8, which suited us both.

I was dropped at the east gate and shown the market stalls where we would meet later. From a distance the Bayon looks average, but once in side face to face with the 216 smiling Buddha faces, it is very impressive. This is definitely Indiana Jones territory. As the sun drops and changes the look of the faces, it becomes even more impressive. It is a great place to sit and could have sat for ages, but it started to fill up and being selfish I left, plus I was wilting a bit, so I guzzled some water and set off for another temple, 200yds away. I got there and it should have been restored by 2006, but is still shut, they must be working at my pace. It was worth a peek though. Although I am only 200 yds from the Bayon, I cannot see it through the thinned out trees. Before the jungle was cut back for restoration and tourism purposes, it could have gone unnoticed from about 20 yds. I read that very little of the entrance fee gets fed back to the upkeep and restoration of the sites. One of those corruption stories. It costs $40 for a 3 day pass and after 2 days, it seems good value to me. I was wilting even more after this temple, so headed back towards the market stalls via some of the palace ruins. This is one impressive place. The palace ruins lookout onto a parade area, now a big field with the waiting toot toot drivers having a kick about on it, but not mine. I went over to sit on a bench and watch the match, but the ref must have blown for time when I got there, they stopped.

Angkor Wat, the well acclaimed temple, has dropped another place in my temple top 10. Bayon is a great place once inside. THere is always one of the smiling faces looking at you. It is very relaxing and atmospheric. Same Same but different to Ta Prohm.

I am early, but after a couple of laps of the market stalls, there's still no toot toot, so I bought a pineapple from a very smiley lady and sat on a tree stump to devour it, they are lovely and juicy, very sweet, the pineapples too. This is hell of a place, Angkor Thom, the enclosure. There is said to have been 1 million people here in its height. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I wouldn't be surprised at 100's of thousands. This is some construction achievement for 11-1200's. There must have been lads and lasses as muscled as me to get these stones so high. 18:15 and still not toot toot, so I wandered over to the Bayon for a low light shot and he toot tooted in. We stopped for a photo on the way back at the gates. There are 54 gods and 54 demons lining the entrance. This was in some film too, Tomb Raider I think. Back to the hotel and I'm going nowhere tonight, the sun has sapped my strength and frazzled my enthusiasm to walk into town, besides there's no football on.
So it was showered and into the bar for some tasty Khmer curry. I am getting the hang of this Khmer food, it is either gingery or coconutty. Watch the Oxford Concise for the introduction of coconutty as Cambodian tourism explodes. I planned a bit of logging and a bit of readdy, but I got nattering, I'm turning into a woman. (More of that soon)