I was beginning to feel like a loser tourist because I had been in Siem Reap for a week, and had not visited the famous temples of Angkor. So yesterday, I got up around 6am and filled my pack with photo equipment and luna bars and headed out to the streets to find a fair and willing tuk-tuk driver to take me to the old empire. It was only a few moments until a tuk-tuk driver flagged me down on the street. His offer to drive me around all day long for only $10 USD was too good to even bargain with. I was expecting a price of at least $12, so I jumped in the back and off we went. Zooming through the streets of Siem Reap, I could see why one would want to find an experienced tuk-tuk. The driving here is insane. The only rule is that there are no rules. The bigger the vehicle, the less likey you are to get run over.
Eventually, we made it to the first Wat: Angkor Wat (the mother of all Wats). I spent about two hours roaming around angkor and finding spaces where there were no signs of tourists. I lucked out and found a few...although I soon realized that the reason there may have been no tourists around was probably because of the amount of dung I was smelling. I turned around, and yep, sure as shit, there it was....piles and piles of it. I don't know who left it, but I wasn't staying to find out. i took the photo of myself at the Wat (which I did at each following Wat that I visited) and moved on.
I spent about two hours at each Wat. It was a good amount of time for me to photograph and to just ALMOST pass out before returning to my tuk-tuk driver. He was very kind, though not a guide. It was good to not have a guide. I imagine, with three months left here, I will have plenty of time to visit the Wats with a guide.
The Bayon and Ta Prohm were my favorites (And not because "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" was filmed there). It was so beautiful. The jungle has reclaimed Ta Prohm. It was amazing. Got bit by some nasty ants there, though, and am still fighting not to itch the spot.
After the temples, my driver took me to Tonle Sap Lake. I got on a motorized canoe and cruised on to the Vetnamese floating village to see the sunset. Unfortunately, there was no sun as the clouds had taken over the sky for the night. So, I sat at the small, floating cafe, looked at the fish exhibition, and got back onto the boat (which turned into my own private boat) and sailed back to shore. When I arrived on land, there was a carnival happening - I mean, the works. There was a ferris wheel, cotton candy, and balloon shoot races to win stuffed animals. It was amazing. But I could tell by the look on my driver's face that he was ready to head back to town. And frankly, so was I.
The drive back lasted about 15 or 20 minutes. It was nice to be out at night, riding in the tuk-tuk. I got home, had dinner with my two housemates, and crashed.
