Tuesday 3 October 2017

Day 9

Today we all rose early to make our way to Angkor Wat to see the sunrise over the magnificent Temple. After about 20-30 minutes of driving we arrived at Angkor Wat and the security checkpoint so they could check our tickets that we purchased yesterday. Following this, we made our way across a temporary, pontoon-like bridge to the entrance of Angkor Wat. We then sat over in a smaller Temple facing Angkor Wat as the sun rose over the Temple. Although, it was cloudy due to the heavy rain, we were greeted wi a beautiful view of the silhouette of Angkor Wat. After a few minutes of sitting in silence admiring the view, we made our way to the central part of Angkor Wat, and explored the detailed architecture that is believed to be created in 1200 AD by the King at the time. After a few hours of exploring the Temple, we made our way to the 'Blue Pumpkin' restaurant for breakfast and then headed back to the retreat centre for a rest, before meeting for lunch. After lunch we boarded our bus to make our way out to the Bayon Temple which contains several multi-faceted statues of Buddha, providing amazing views and photo opportunities includi one where, from a certain perspective, it loooks like you are touching noses with Buddha. We then decided to explore the Taprohm Temple which was created by the King at that time, in dedication to his Mother. The incredible view we were greeted with, was enhanced by the trees and native flora that had grew over and surrounded the Temple, creating a beautiful, natural scenery. It was also used as the set for films such as 'Lara Croft: Tomb Riader' and 'The Kingsmen 2' and it was easy to see why. We were then asked if we would like to visit the Phnon Bakhang Temple, also known as the sunset Temple and after a unanimous vote, we decided that it would be best to go to the Temple while we're in Cambodia. So we began the walk up the steep, rocky path and once we reached the entrance, we joined the queue to walk up the steep staircase to the Temple itself. After waiting for a while, we gained our passes to ascend the stairs, making our way to the top of the Temple, where we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of the sun setting over the horizon. After admiring the view for several minutes, we then continued to descend the steep staircase and make our way back down the hill. We then boarded our bus to the 'La Maison D'Angkor' where we shared our last dinner together as a group, as we reminisced on the highlights and lowlights of the Immersion. To conclude the night, we gathered for our final debrief session and then headed off to sleep ahead of our, long journey back to Australia tomorrow.