Early morning flight

Why, why, why?

Up at the crack of dawn would be an understatement; we awoke at 3.30 for a 6am flight to Siem Reap having been told we must check in at 4am. Vientiane airport may as well be closed at 4am; but hold on, doesn't that board say check-in time: 04:00? Quick, while that security guard is still awake lets ask. With a cheeky little smile that I interpret as meaning 'another stupid tourist' he says:

"Sorry, not ready to check-in yet, you sit" he says pointing at uninviting and small black leather seats. I guess this is another example of the laid back Lao. I felt better when 'another stupid tourist', followed by another arrives five minutes later. Eventually at 04:20 the doors open and we check in.

Despite the fact that, according to Wikipedia, Laos Airlines have an atrocious safety record we arrived in Siem Reap on time and well fed, free beer was on offer but at 6.30am I really didn't fancy it.

After a quick nap, oh the years are catching up with me now: Nap! So, after my nap we went to Angkor Wat to watch the sunset. The sun began to set then all the tourists were ushered out. Hmmm..? What we didn't realise, and Lonely Planet didn't inform us, was that Angkor closes at 17:30, sunset occurs approximately an hour after that, DOH!

Angkor Wat

And again at sunrise

Me being me, I wasn't too impressed with the place at first glance. It looks exactly like the photos but the photos look better, does that make sense? Of course not! I'll rephrase: It is impressive, majestic, stunning. On a scale of which I cannot compare it to anything, the moat alone is 152m wide. ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY TWO METRES! WHAT THE FUCK? Puts Warwick Castle to shame. However, with 36^oC heat beating down and relative humidity nearing 90% walking around the ruins involves so much work that it would be easier to look at the photos.

We returned today, for the 5am sunrise, on our $20 ticket, of which each and every buck goes to a petroleum magnate, sick! Isn't it! Fair enough he is a Cambodian magnet but even so, that don't stick! GDP per capita here is $320 and this c*&t keeps all the cash; guess it's all about government corruption and scratching backs; this poor prole doesn't grasp the gravity of the situation.

After 8 hours on the site today my opinion changed. The intricacy of the carvings and dedication to detail all over these enormous temples is incredible. I'd like to post some pics but left my camera at home so i'll have to do so later. Long story short: A place worth visiting but maybe not in low season when the temperatures and humidity are conspiring against you.