After another, excruciating, bus ride we arrived in Siem Reap to some of the hottest weather I had yet to find myself in. Luckily, I chose the hostel wisely, and was able to jump into their heavenly pool almost immediately after dropping my bags next to, what someone informed me was, a soiled pair of jeans from a guest that got too hammered the night before. Oh the joy of hostels.
We discovered the thing to do for Angkor Wat is to hire a private tuk tuk (and driver) for the day. We opted to start our tour at about 11am, end around sunset then get up early the next morning to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat (we had been recommended to see the sun rise as opposed to the sunset). This decision backfired… the heat throughout the day was almost unbearable. I don’t think there was one second I was not completely coated in sweat. We each drank, at least, 3 big waters and did not pee until getting back to the hostel at 7PM (possibly TMI, I’m aware, but that gives you a good idea of just how hot it was).
Despite the heat, Angkor Wat was incredible. Dating back to the 12th Century, this huge temple complex was simply breathtaking. From the tower at Agkor Wat to the many Buddha faces carved into ancient stone and the “tomb raider” temple where, you guessed it, some of the movie Tomb Raider was filmed!
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