Angkor wat temples

So we were taken by tuk tuk to see Angkor wat temples, but first we had to get our tickets . There were day, 3 day or week passes and it was $20 for the day passes, they took our photos and sent us on our way.

Our first stop was Angkor wat, Lucky dropped us off and waited ( he has a hamock that attaches to the roof of his tuk tuk so he can sleep - he does work 24 hours) Anyway Angkor wat was truely beautiful , it wasn't too busy but we feel it was the time of year as nowhere has been busy and Lucky said these two months are the worst for trade. You must walk around the whole of the wat as it is spectacular. There are a few people trying to sell you guides that start at 500 and go to 50 once you show no interest. There are also a few people that pass you incense sticks and show ypu how to bow to the statues as a sign on good luck but they are hoping you give a donation that they say they will give to the monks. There was a monk inside that would give you a blessing in hope of a donation. The restoration of the temples are quite dissatisfying and disappointing as they are cemented together and there is netting around parts are parts are man-made in concrete. i appreciate why they do it but it does ruin the authenticity and originality of the temples. When we wanted to climb to the top, they said we weren't allowed as we weren't covered up , but we had taken sarongs to cover ourselves but they wanted long trousers and t shirts. We wished we would have been told as we werent allowed us and it was very disappointing. We could have purchased stuff cheaply if we had known , there were enough stalls on the way.

Banteay Kdei
Ta Prohm (tomb raider)
Phnom Bakheng

These were all beautiful temples with trees growing around them and a lot were in there natural state with only the entrances restored. There were a lot of man made collections if small rocks piled on top if each other, Lucky said this was for good luck so we balanced some on top too.

There were some original carvings into the stones and statues galore. It was really nice to see these temples that were so old , still majority standing and in such good condition seen as though millions visit every year.

We then ate again at at the restaurant and told Lucky how much we were dreading getting the train back and he told us about the VIP buses for $25 pp that had air con and free water and would get us back in 6 hours.

This coach back was fine, a little bit squished and a bit of waiting on the other side of the border for the other coach, there was only 13 people allowed in the mini bus so it was ok.

Love S&L xxx