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The first thing I do when I move into a new hotel room is to check out the view.

Thailand and Cambodia 2000 - Part One - Bangkok & Siem Reap

Dougburnett
2003-11-22 17:55:13

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I had missed breakfast to catch my early flight, so we headed back to Siem Reap for lunch. I asked for a recommendation and he suggested I try the Bayon Restaurant (not affiliated with my hotel, by the way.) I thought that a good idea as I have read good reports from other travelers. After eating, I walk back to my hotel for a shower and a nap.

When I came down, Lin was waiting and we headed back to visit Angkor Wat, the main and best know sight at Angkor. It was about 3:30 and it hadn't cooled off in the least. In fact, as I walked and climbed Angkor Wat, it seemed hotter than before lunch. Angkor is another site where there is very little shade and probably would be better visited in the early morning. Anyway, at the top I finally did find a shady spot and sat enjoying the view of the surrounding countryside.

From my vantage point I watched a couple of young monks climb the narrow stairs up to where I was sitting. The stairs were quite difficult to climb because the rise was so high while the steps were very narrow. The best approach was to climb across them instead of straight up - zigzagging your way to the top. The steps reminded me of the ones on the pyramids of Mexico - if you have seen them you will understand how hard these were to climb.

After awhile I walked back toward the parking lot and stopped to have another can of pop - I was thirsty all the time. Back at the parking lot I found Lin playing some kind of kick game, like hack-e-sack, with some of the other drivers. Instead of interrupting him I decided to sit on a wall that overlooked the mile-on-a-side moat that surrounds Angkor Wat. No pictures can prepare you for how large this place is.

Our last stop was at Phnom Bakheng. It's a hill that tourist climb to watch the sunset over Angkor Wat. We were early and there weren't many tourists there yet: sunset was still at least an hour away. I looked up ...