On our first day in Siem Reap, we hired a tuk-tuk and rode out to the floating village on Tonle Sap Lake. We zoomed off along the river in our own longboat with a lovely guide and captain. The waster was very low- only 1 and a half metres- but after rainy season it gets up to 8m and floods all the mangroves that line the riverbanks. We emerged onto the lake and spotted the first buildings floating on the water. It was not at all what I had expected. The buildings were spread across a huge area of the lake and were at least 10m apart meaning there were dozens of tiny boats buzzing around between the buildings. They had catered for everything. There were houses, shops, a school, a temple in which to get married, fish farms, a crocodile farm, pigs, chickens, cats, dogs; all floating on the lake! It was incredible.
The next day we awoke at 4:30 to tuk-tuk to Angkor for sunrise. It was overcast and cloudy, however, so there wasn't really any sunrise to speak of. The cool morning light made the temples feel very magical though. We visited Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. Angkor Wat was spectacular; it is the largest religious building in the world and you could wander round it for hours, still finding new nooks and crannies to explore. It is reminiscent of another world. The faded relief carvings which line the walls of the long corridors regale stories of great battles, demons, heroes and love. Angkor Thom consisted of a huge temple complex, the most spookily beautiful of which consisted of hundreds of stone faces staring out from the walls. Every corner you turned, eyes were always watching. Ta Prohm was my favourite. This ruined temple had been reclaimed by the jungle. The roots, vines and trees have crept through windows, doors and walls, breaking and ruining as they grew. We wandered past the giant trunks and mammoth piles of stone. It felt deserted and very Indiana Jones-esque.