4:30AM came around and my alarm went off. I made my way through the darkness and emerged from my room with everything I needed for a full day of temple tours. Our tuk tuk driver, Soeun, who we had booked through a recommendation, was at our hostel ready to go. The five of us crammed into the tuk tuk made for four and we went to the temple grounds. 

Despite the fact that I am most definitely NOT a morning person, getting to Angkor Wat for sunrise was incredibly worth it. The soft, pale, colorful light in the sky preceding the moment when the sun came into view was magical. The sillouette of the the temple towers as well as the palm trees in the area was picturesque to say the least. We left the mob that was waiting for the exact moment when the sun peaked above the towers and headed inside. There was so much to explore and it was easy to get lost in thought wandering the long halls; it was exactly the atmosphere I imagine practicing monks would need. Eventually we made our way back to the entrance and at that time the sun was just above the temple so we got our sunrise photo reflecting in the pool below after all.

Angkor Wat was only the beginning though. It is the largest religious grounds in the world and Soeun drove us around the whole complex. We stopped at a bridge and gate that marked one of the entrances to the city, explored another temple, climbed to the top of one, wandered through ruins of a temple that is being taken over by tree roots. It was an incredible day and these ancient structures are beautiful and awe inspiring but after 7 hours in the Cambodian heat we were losing steam(actually we were completely templed-out).

The afternoon was for recovery; napping, scrolling through the million photos we took, and a quick dip in the pool. We had to regain our energy for the night festivities. With no need to set an alarm in the morning we took advantage of Siem Reap’s nightlife. All the best bars are in one location, Pub Street, and it lived up to its reputation. We went to a couple places, met other travelers, danced our hearts out and I played pool and made friends with a group of Cambodian ladies(who were very impressed that I beat them). By the end of the night a dance party had broken out in the street and there wasn’t a single person in sight who was having a bad time.

We had certainly made the most of our first day in Cambodia and we were loving it!