After a day in the Tuk Tuk, we decided to brave the temples in Angkor by bicycle. Our guesthouse offers some bikes for charity. This sounded great and all proceeds go to a children's charity, for only 2 dollars. Ok, cool. So we got up early again for a 5am departure. The front door has a night guard sleeping. He hears you come down the stairs, opens the door, and sends you on your way. You normally leave the key and get going. This was all fine, until I jumped on my bike. Let me tell you, bike no. 5 was a dud. We pedaled off and my crank was a wreck. Every top stroke of the right pedal flopped out and then came back. This created a wobbly stroke favored by the left pedal. It was 5 am, and there was no way to get another bike, so we just kept going. For the rest of the day, the bike and I became good friends.
We went back to Angkor Wat, but went inside with all the people. After one look at the reflecting pool, and all the people, we decided on another spot to set up for the sunrise. I went right in front of all the people behind a wall. I thought that a picture of all the people taking pictures of the sunrise would be impressive. It really wasn't, but it humored me a bit. There was not as much color in the sky this morning, making it difficult to get the shots I wanted. You just have to deal with it, I guess, and find another way to capture what you need.
Once the sun rose a bit in the sky, we toured Angkor Wat for another 2 hours. Its 3 levels are massive! There are just way too many nooks and crannies to explore. Even though the large tour groups take away some of the adventure, it is still like being an explorer, if you let it. Katherine and I would leave the crowds in search of remote hidden places. This is where I found the best photo opportunities. The sky was white, killing most panoramic shots. The more we observed, we saw people cruising by at a fast pace, each armed with high end electronics, snapping pictures as quick as possible.
These temples have sure lived a tough life. The natural elements are straining them for sure, but the human impact is even greater. There have been looters, religious defacing, and political destruction. Going from Buddhist to Hindu and back sure caused havoc. Then came the looters, and recently has been the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese. Lastly, are the hoards of tourists barraging the sites on a daily basis. I think that they are bound to crumble from nature, and sealing them off from the public is the wrong thing to do. They bring the country of Cambodia tons of money and people love them. We should enjoy them while they last. In another 1000 years, they will surely be gone.
After Akgkor Wat, we toured a few more temples. The Elephant Terrace was sweet and the Terrace of the Leper King was impressive. We also saw the temple called Bayon. This temple has the 4 sided face pinnacles. Inside was a maze with outlooks to the sky. We carried flashlights and I was able to find a deeeeep well. I had to sneak around to find it. Cool.
The bike ride back was tough with the gimpy bike. We took a nap, ate, wrote some post cards, and crashed after the long day.
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