Cambodia: Siem Reap // Ridiculously early mornings at Ankor Wat.

The very next morning after our elephant adventure, we were in for another early morning. This time, we were heading back to the airport to fly on to the next country in our itinerary: Cambodia.

When planning our trip, both of us were so excited to visit Cambodia. It was the strangest thing but we both felt such a connection with the place, despite never having been there before. The only time I have felt anything similar was before going to South Africa for seven months, a country that will always have my heart. We knew Cambodia would be an incredible part of our trip.

In our household, planning holidays most definitely falls as a 'pink job' (mine, not Steve's) but when I asked for Steve's input and ideas, the ONLY thing Steve wanted to do for definite was to visit Ankor Wat. So our first stop in Cambodia had to be Siem Reap, the Cambodian 'city' (said loosely, it's tiny!) situated near to the ancient ruins.

Flying away from Bangkok and arriving in Siem Reap was like going from night to day, it was so insanely different.

Word of advice: make sure you have the $30 something dollars you need for your Cambodian visa handy in your hand luggage when arriving at the airport. 'Someone' left our money in our main luggage and so, after what seemed like an age of glancing longingly at our bags on the other side of the barrier and lots of hushed, angry whispers, we were finally granted entry to the country and found our ever-so-lovely Tuk-Tuk driver, Mr. Bros. 

After dumping our bags at our wonderful hotel and booking in our complimentary massage for later in the evening, we headed into Siem Reap for a wander. We found the best dim sum restaurant and lots of intriguing markets. I fell in love a little that first day in Siem Reap.

Steve modelling the flattering garments needed for our traditional Khmer massage

The next morning, the shrill of our alarm clock woke us at an ungodly hour of 4am. We met our lovely tour guide Chaiiy (who incidentally is probably the most knowledgeable man on the Ankor Wat temples) and hurried off on our rickety Tuk tuk to the Ankor Wat temple complex, chasing one of the spectacular sunrises it is famous for. Unfortunately, the weather was not kind to us and that gorgeous sunrise was hidden behind too many clouds :(

Even in miserable weather, Ankor was a fascinating place with so much to see. If you go, please get a guide - it's worth the £20 to find out the meanings behind all the carvings and hearing the stories behind each temples construction. Whatever you do though, don't leave your water bottle on the tuk tuk. I can tell you from first hand experience that 38 degrees and no water makes for a pretty horrific 48 hours of heat exhaustion.. Enjoy the photos.