Angkor Wat

The good news is gav has finally had a hair cut.

The area around Siam Reap is covered with Khmer temples, dating from the 9th to 13th century. The biggest is Angkor Wat. It was massive, very impressive - a small town rather than one building. We got there at 5.30 AM!!! to see the sun rise. The sunrise was a bit of a non event but the temple was stunning.

The complex measures about a square mile and is surrounded by a massive Moat. There is a long causeway that goes out to the temple. It's built on 4 levels, the stairs going up to the top level are verysteep and narrow. There are engravings all the way round the temple, and engraved Devitas (women) carved next to the doors. It took us about 6 hours to look round it!

The first pic is the temple reflected in one of the lakes, within the moat. The second is me within the grounds, No.3 is gav at the Library, (a tiny annex of the main temple - this shows you just how vast everything is). 4 is 2 naggers according to gav, me and a 7 headed snake known as a naga. 5 is two carved devitas, there are over 1500 throughout the temple, each one has a different face and lastly is the main temple from the back - each direction has its own entrance so it's almost the same from N, S, E & W

And now over to Gav to tell you about his little adventure .....

I shouldn't be allowed out on my own. When we got to mid-morning and Bec needed a catnap in the shade (she had been up since 4:30! boy, was she in a bad mood first thing!) I wandered off away from the main area down a dirt track. About 100 yds from Bec I came to a T-junction and turned left. On both sides of the dirt track were thick trees and it was so peaceful seeing as though there were hundreds of tourists only 100yds away.

About 70 or so yards down the track a big grey dog emerged from the forest, but its shoulders rippled like big cats' shoulders do when they're walking. The creature sat down in the middle of the track and I could see it more clearly - it was a monkey, about 2ft tall! I couldn't believe it how lucky, a real live wild monkey! I couldn't believe that I didn't have the camera so I turned back to go and get it. When I got back to the T-junction and started towards Bec another one popped out ahead of me, between me and Bec. That's when I realised I wasn't in a zoo and my path back to Bec was blocked by a WILD MONKEY. I'm a townie - the nearest I get to wildlife are the geese at Sale Waterpark!

I turned back and came to the T-junction, the first monkey was walking towards me, I turned round and so was the 2nd one. Don't panic. I walked away from them as calmly as I could and wondered where this path would lead. After about 10 seconds I glanced over my shoulder to see how far away they were and I shuddered as there were 4 of them now. I carried on "not panicking" down a track that could be a dead end. Why did I get myself into these situations -after swimming in the waterfall I'd wondered off and got lost and had to wade through a stream to get back on the path.

I thought I'd just check one more time to see if they were still following me, so I chanced a look and then I panicked. Their big brother had joined them, he was head and shoulders taller than them and was going for a mid-morning jog; towards me! "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.." I kept repeating these words, maybe I was praying.

It seems ridiculous now but I really did think that they were going to attack and kill me. I wondered whether I should pick up a nearby log for protection or would this provoke them? Just then the pat turned a corner and I've never been so pleased to see Japanese tourists in my life they were about 100 yds away crossing a path. At least they'd be able to video me being killed(!) I hurried towards them not daring to look behind me. They were long gone before I got there but at least I could see Angkor Wat again now. Just then a guy on a moped went past and he must have read the fear in my face as he stopped and offered me a lift - I could have kissed him. I told him I'd just seen 5 monkeys, he wasn't surprised, there were lots here he told me. He didn't laugh at the stupid townie foreigner he just took me back to Bec.

"I have your husband." he shouted cheerfully to Bec. Now I was safe I was excited again. "I've just seen some monkeys!" "Aww, why didn't you take the camera?" I started to tell her the story that I'd never been as scared in my life. Naturally Bec was concerned and laughed all the way through it...