First glimpse of Angkor

After a barely helpful siesta we made our way downstairs at 4pm to find our guide awaiting our arrival. Mr Lim Pengkhun, jumped up and placed his hands in a prayer like position and bowed. My attempt to mirror his actions was rather clumsy by comparison. After shaking hands it was down to the business of working out our plans for the day. A large laminated map was offered showing the vast area that the temples of Angkor occupied.

Today our main purpose was to purchase 3 day passes and catch a view of the sunset from one of the ruins. While we were discussing options, Susanna arrived, still a little groggy from her all too short nap. Once introductions had been made, we piled into his immaculately maintained 2000 Lexus SUV and began our trip to the Angkor ticket office.

 By way of an intro, Mr Lim, as I will call him is a  pleasant. 39 year old Cambodian Of Chinese decent. We were introduced on Facebook, of all places, by a mutual acquaintance from Toronto. Married with 2 young girls, he is a former teacher but found its salary was not commensurate with the work required. So now he acts as a tour guide while holding a part time job with the Siem Reap airport, transporting passengers. His English, while not perfect, is easily understandable and he seems to have a vast knowledge of the local historic sites which he eagerly shares with his guests.

 The drive to the ticket office was rather hair raising with bikes, buses and tuk tuks turning directly ahead with little attempt to warn other drivers. Apparently pedestrian/motor vehicle deaths are one of the main causes of death in Cambodia.
The main ticket complex is about 5 km from our hotel and is surrounded by large hotels where most Chinese tourists stay. 

 We lined up briefly while the ticket wickets re-opened before parting with $62 US for a personalized 3 day pass. As the main temple hours were till 6pm only, the ticket allowed us a free visit to one of several temples offering a sunset view. Based on Mr Lim’s suggestions we set off east to visit the complex known as Pre Rup since it was less crowded than the other sunset viewing areas.

 It is a walled complex dating back well over 1000 years consisting of several temples, the 5 main ones reached by steep sandstone steps. In spite of what we saw as a busy spot, Mr Lim assured us that it was far less crowded than Angkor Wat or the other viewing sites. We toured the grounds, examining the ruins and stopping frequently for photos. Mr Lim showed his expertise at using our camera phones, assuring us that we could abandon our own crude attempts at selfies for the next few days.

 Joining the masses we ascended the stairs to the viewing area and waited while the sun dropped ever so slowly over the vast expanse of jungle.

 The now blood red orb finally descended from view at around 6 pm and we returned to the city, dodging an endless stream of tuk tuks and scooters, most without adequate lighting as the darkness descended.