After a fun night at road 60 filled with carnival games, rides and traditional Khmer food, the first thing the students, paretns and teachers were hoping for was a chance to sleep-in. But as reality set in, today saw the beginning of our weekend with the SSC Cambodia Group being woken up before sunrise (5am) to set off on a long day of touring the temples of Angkor.

In the pitch black we set off to Angkor Wat to experience the sun rise behind the temple. The group full of tired faces sat before the moat of Angkor Wat and waited untill 6:15 when the sun finally appeared behind the main tower of the outstanding stucture. The photo opportunity was spectactular!

We then headed back to the buses for a short trip to a neighbouring temple, Ta Prohm. Here we witnessed filming locations of the popular movie series 'Tomb Raider' featuring Angelina Jolie. It was amazing to see the structures still standing after 300 years of abandonment. The temple was surrounded by trees and in some cases covered by them. There were many interesting sites and stories about Ta Prohm which had us imersed in the ancient culture and civilisation that once lived with in.

After a quick breakfast and a friendly chat to the resturaunt's bird, we headed to the next of our destinations. A local villiage where our guide and friend, Pha, showed us around and invited us to experience his life in this villiage. The students were able to try local foods and compare this lifestyle to many of the more poverished villiages previously visited as well as our own luxury lives back home in Australia. Pha then took us to meet is wife and almost 2 year old daughter at their shop where many took the opportunity to purchase souvineers.

We visted another temple which featured many stone faces, for a quick look around and sighting of elephants and then made our way to our final desstination of exploration, Angkor Wat. It was amazing to see the well known temple many had seen in pictures come to life as we made our way over the moat. Many of the group ascended the almost sloping stairs to the top of the main tower, giving a scenic view of the surroundings as some hid in the shade to escape the sun that only made today's temperature worse or visited local markets for a chance to do more shopping.

After a long, tiring but eye opening day we made our way back to the Golden Villiage and took advantage of the air conditioning, showers and free time.

Today was a captivating experience for most, and it was magnificant to see the craftmanship and hardwork put in to builing such magnificant structures. I'm sure it was an enjoyable day for all!

- Chloe Johnson & Brianna Riordan