Local time 11.30pm. Have been awake since 4.45am in order to catch the sun rising at Angkor Wat. Truly extraordinary. Feels like I have packed more activities into today (including 45km bicycle ride, boat ride, canoe ride, swim, night markets) than the rest of the year to date.
Two temple photo challenges today (similar to The Amazing Race). Didn't go so well in the first one - there are thousnds of carving of a particular goddess in the Angkor Wat building, and we had to find one of the very few where she is smiling enough to show her teath. Go figure. But we (my teammate Fiona and I) won the second, which required a sprint down the temple stairs (ncredibly steep) through the grounds and across the bridge to the finish line in order to edge out the opposition mere seconds.
The people here are incredibly friendly. Smiled, waved and called out hello and goodbye to hundreds of kids as we rode through their villages today.
Rode home tonight in a tuk tuk (motorcycle taxi) labelled the King Batman Luxury Batmobile. Have bought lots of souveniers. Paying for everything in US dollars and relishing the experience of the simplest currenty conversion in my overseas travel history. But please send more money.
80km bike ride tomorrow. Wake up time is 5.40am for a 6am start. The bikes are near new Trek 4 series so enjoying the ride.
