4am alarm this morning. Not much fun! Our guide and driver were out the front to meet us at 5am. Our guide's name is Nicky - nickname of course as he comes from a small, very poor Cambodian village. There is a Buddhist monastery in his village. And the monks took him in and taught him. He actually studied to be a monk for 3 years. But then trained as a teacher. He now works as a guide as it pays more. But in the rainy season goes home to his village and helps out teaching. He is really lovely. And very knowledgable. Our driver is a great driver - thank goodness - because he sure as hell needs to be! He is always plying us with water and cold towels and opening and shutting doors. The Cambodian people generally are just fabulous. Friendly, happy, polite (except when driving!).

Nicky guided us in to Angkor Wat in the pitch black by torch. Honestly it was pitch black and there are no lights. And we took up our position at the front of the moat in front of the temple. Dean set up his tripod which saved us from getting squashed as the crowds built. It was amazing watching the sun rise over a temple that we couldn't even see when we first got there. There was not a lot of cloud this morning and so the sky wasn't really red but the silhouette of the temple is out of this world in any case. It was as beautiful as all the photos you see of it. I did have to elbow a few rude tourists who seemed intent on pushing me into the moat though....

Once it was light we moved back to the entrance and Dean climbed onto the wall and we watched the sun rise. The whole experience was unspeakably beautiful and eery.

After sunrise almost all of the tourists left and went back to the hotel for breakfast. Nicky took us for a tour of the temple. It was unreal touring at this time as it was virtually empty and the photo opportunities were limitless - all with no people in them. The temples are made of sandstone and the cheaper lavastone. Nicky pointed out how to recognise each. And explained about the asparas - the dancers, and the different Gods. Cambodia was first Hindu, then Buddhist, then Hindu again and then Buddhist again. Most of the people now are Buddhist. As a result some of the temples are Hindu (Angkor Wat) and some are Buddhist. And Nicky tried to teach us how to tell the difference from the carvings and representations. But we are very new to this and it didn't all make sense....

We saw loads of monkeys at Angkor Wat. They just wandered right up to us and sat there looking at us.

After Angkor Wat tour we came back to the hotel for breakfast. We had been out for hours and it was only 8am! Breakfast was good - omlette, cakes, fruit. Then it was time to crash and we lay around the pool. I was asleep in about 5 minutes! We probably stayed there for about an hour and a half then decided to venture into Siam Reap old market town. We took a tuk tuk. $2 for a ride. They are little carriages driven by motor bikes and quite clean. A tiny bit scary!

I think Dean and I freaked once we arrived at the old market town - for the first 15 minutes. But gradually realized all was good. We wandered the old market town and old pub street where all the restaurants are. There are some disgusting smells. But on the whole not as bad as I was expecting. A glass of wine in a cafe was a nice treat. And the people watching was amazing.

At 2 pm we started our afternoon tour. First stop was Ta Nei. This is a tiny off the beaten track, jungle temple - and we were the only people there except for one other party. You had to walk in through the bush along a sand track. Dean said the vegetation reminded him of Fraser Island. I would not have liked to have visited this temple without a guide. There are no signs, no people....

But the setting is what made it. There were many carvings in good condition. A nice temple, but certainly one only for those with a week to visit.

Next stop was Ta Keo. A massive undecorated Hindu temple. It was the first temple to be built entirely of sandstone. There is a central tower with 4 lower ones. It was never finished. It was huge. We took the "steps" up to the top level. The steps are carved into the stone. And the climb is vertical. Going up was ok. But coming down I kept having to sit on the step and grab onto rocks on the side. So I inched my way back down. It was damn scary!

Last stop of the day was the Tomb Raider temple - Ta Prohm. This is an amazingly beautiful temple. It is the one in the jungle that is slowly being strangled by the trees roots and vegetation. It is a bit sad that the jungle is destroying the temples, but it is also what makes it more beautiful. It is a Buddhist temple, built for one of the King's mother. There are many towers and courtyards with towering trees overhead. It is a real outerworld experience. I loved it! Of course everyone heads for the Tomb Raider shots - and we were no different...

What is amazing about the temples is that they almost 1,000 years old, with so much historical and religious significance. I think Nicky told us that any temples built with brick are 9th to 10th century, sandstone and lavastone are 12th to 13th century. Anything after this was built in wood. Nothing is left of the temples built in wood - so this makes the older ones all the more amazing.

I had a big talk with Nicky - he asked me how he could make his English better and told me about his dream to get his masters in the next two years, travel to an English speaking country to live for a few years and eventually return to Cambodia to work as a university lecturer. A uni lecturer earns a lot - $1,500 a month. He is incredibly motivated. And asks non stop questions about Australia. I told him about my sister being a teacher and loving the Buddhist and Hindu history and he was wrapped. Lou - he wants you to come and work here for a few years teaching!!

Tonight we ventured into pub street to a restaurant recommended on trip advisor. In the tuk tuk again. A severe dose of whiplash tonight! Dinner was at AHA Restaurant tonight - chilled tomato soups with some sort of creamed dumpling. It was just delish! Then Dean had a steak with 3 Cambodian sauces which sounded safe enough for Dean except when it was served one of the sauces was fermented fish sauce! Needless to say Dean had steak with no sauce. I fared better with sea bass with curry sauce. We both had honeycomb ice-cream that was to die for!

Tuk tuk home and again I think we were both asleep again within 2 minutes.