Sunrise at Angkor Wat

I got up at 4:30 a.m. to meet my tuk-tuk driver, Vanna, at 5:00 a.m. to make the trek to Angkor Wat for the famous sunrise over the temple. The air was nice and cool and I could have used a light sweater but what a welcone change from daytime temperatures! At the ticket checkpoint a few miles from Angkor Wat, the attendants there asked for my temple pass which had expired the day before. But since I had no intention of going inside the temple (as it is under renovation and the front terrace is covered in tarpaulin), my driver negotiated for me to enter the grounds but not the temple. This worked out perfectly and at 5:30 a.m., I was well positioned to view the sunrise.

First blush

From where I stood, I had a great view of the causeway and the first wall which has three round towers. Behind that are the three conical towers of Angkor Wat. There were many people around who woke up early to see this momentous event. On the causeway leading to the temple was a steady procession of tourists who wanted to catch a glimpse of the sunrise.

A few minutes later

The reflection of the temple on the man made lake surrounding it added to the ethereal beauty of this unique place. All was calm when everyone from the bus tours had entered the temple. It was really a beautiful time of day as I waited for the sun to soar higher in the horizon, but not too fast. I wanted to savor the magic.

The sun rises

As the sun rose slowly and gently, the colors of the sky changed from purple to blue to soft blue and the lake became a mirror of gradients of light and cloud formations. Until finally the sun dazzled us all.

And the tourists marched back to their tour buses to return to their hotels.

While others were about to embark on their early morning cycling tour.

"Life is a great sunrise." Vladimir Nabokov

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Images by Charie

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