Siem Reap Day Two: Angkor Wat

The breakfast may be one of my favorite things about this hotel, and by breakfast I mean the chef who will make a fresh noodle soup with whatever you want.  There were so many different options and favors to add, I just asked her to add what she thought.  Everyday it was amazing!  My kids loved it as well.  Besides the hot soup to order there was also a table of fresh fruit that included mango, watermelon, papaya, and a few things I've never seen before, but they were excellent as well.  There were chocolate croissants, pancakes with honey, fried rice, potatoes, bacon and sausage, plus eggs made to order as well.  A great way to start every morning!

Today we were going to see Angkor Wat, the reason we came to Siem Reap.  Jet picked us up at 8:30 and we were off.  It was a short drive to this temple.   The first thing you notice is the giant man made moat that surrounds the temple.  It is massive and hard to believe it was made over 900 years ago.  Once we  turned the corner and came closer you could see the entrance of the temple, but it doesn't really prepare ou for how massive it really is once you enter.  Besides the sheer size, what's so incredible is how well it has withstood time.  It is not in ruins like some of the other temples we had seen.  It still had most of it's stone ceilings and carvings.  It truly is an impressive sight.  We walked around and Jet showed us the best places to take pictures and when we came to the stairs that you had to be 12 years old to climb, Jet sat with our girls so Bill, Carter, and I could go and explore.  This actually happened at a few of the temples.  Another great perk about having a tour guide.  

It was a day FILLED with temples.  We saw eight different temples that day, including the one where Tomb Raider was filmed.  We finished our day at Phnom Backeng watching the sunset.  Well, they actually closed before the sun set, but we watched it go behind the clouds.  It was a cloudy day so we were lucky to see a bit of the sun setting at all really.

It was extremely hot and humid and everyone was  constantly dripping with sweat.  The kids did complain a little at the end, but I was surprised how well they did.  It helped that the van was air conditioned and that they had cold bottled water waiting for us as well.  Overall it was a fun day.