the vast majority of the extremely numerous temples in the Angkor region.

So we set off in the tuk tuk once again and stopped off to buy our passes. $40 for three days was a fortune by Cambodian standards, but we’d heard that it was worth it. We had to have a passport photo laminated into our pass. We’d got them done for our Vietnamese visas after we’d rolled off the overnight train into Bangkok, but it was only really now that we’d noticed how they were not half bad given the circumstances!! After a short delay, we were off to Phnom Bakheng (Bakheng Hill) to watch the sunset. On our way we got our first glimpse of Angkor Wat, the largest and most famous temple in the area. It was something of a stunning sight, although I’ll say more on it later!! The climb up the hill was quite taxing, there was the option to go on an elephant for $15, but we gave that a miss. Once at the top of the

hill, the temple steps were the next challenge. The steps at these places are very steep, high and somewhat worn, so are not easy to climb. Luckily there were only about a dozen steps, so it wasn’t too bad. The view from the top was literally stunning! The sun was setting over the jungle, and reflecting off the river, it really was magnificent. Back towards Angkor Wat, you could just see the tops of the main towers poking out above the jungle. It’s hard to find words to describe how awe inspiring the temples are, and this was just our first taster! We lingered for around an hour and watched the most beautiful sunset, and took around two hundred photos!! Then it was time to make our way back down. We opted to take the elephant path rather than negotiate the steep trail in the dark, and soon we were whizzing back to Siem Reap in our bike driven carriage!

Back at the hotel there was great