[If you strictly follow itineraries suggested by popular tourist books, you will either arrive late in the evening or very early in the morning for your first time to Angkor Wat. While the former is more to squeeze in a free visit than to see Angkor at sunset, the latter is definitely to enjoy the majestic 800 year old temple at the golden hour.]
A Joe-average starts around 5:00 AM from his downtown Siem Reap hotel and makes it in time to catch the Angkor Wat sunrise. But since you are more adventurous, or love photography, or are unable to sleep in the hot, languid Cambodian bed, you will get up at about 4:00AM. You will have packed your backpack night earlier with a charged camera, empty memory cards, a powerful flashlight and a energy bar or two.
After 10 minutes under cold water, you will shrug into a light T-shirt, long shorts, and duck into a baseball cap with a Maui Jim perched on it. You will push your feet into airy comfortable sandals, pick up your backpack and head out. You will give the bottle of cold water a slip because by now you know it warms within minutes of taking it out of the fridge. You know it is better to buy a chilled bottle at one of the many shops anywhere.
Your tuk-tuk/car/ bike is waiting for you. You will take the Angkor highway to the west gate. But you will not enter from the west gate because everybody enters Angkor from the west gate. You stick to the road as it loops around the ancient moat until it brings you to the East Gate. Unless a lot of people start reading this blog, you will find it deserted.
(If you decide you want to take home a photo like the one below, you will ask your driver to stop at the northeast corner of Angkor and then follow this.)
Northeast corner of Angkor Wat at about 4:30 AM
You will hook around the laterite walls, walk along the northeast pool and find yourselves a spot as close to water as possible. It is the only way to ensure a lazy tourist does not saunter in later and block your line of sight. You will setup your camera. A pretty Khmer girl will bring you a chair. (Don’t worry, they are all pretty). Just as you are done fussing with your tripod, a hot cup of muddy, thick Khmer coffee will arrive. Make sure you do not forget to add the special Khmer sweet milk. It will be one of the best cup of coffee you have had in a while. You will then sit back and breathe in the fresh Khmer air. You have done what you could control. Now it is for the nature to do her bit.
Test shot of Angkor Wat. Waiting for sunup
If are lucky, you will have a clear sky with some clouds. Pray for the Cumulus as their tufts trap the early morning light the best. As the birds in the nearby trees start a ruckus, the sky will change color by the minute. A jostling crowd will steadily build around you.They will mercilessly cut into your space, into your angle. Shush them away shamelessly. At one point, the sun will tether behind the temple, like an experienced prima donna who takes that extra second longer behind the stage so as to up the anticipation. The crowd will collectively hold the breath and release it as the golden disk emerges turning the imposing silhouette into a beautiful temple.
The sunrise crowd at Angkor
Within minutes of the sun clearing the temple skyline, the crowd will disperse. They will follow the tourist book and go to Angkor Cafe for breakfast. You will too, just not now. You will peal a power-bar and then, you will surge to Angkor Wat, surge through the terraces, through to the inner sanctum.
While the crowd eats, you will roam the ancient corridors just like a privileged few did 800 years ago.
Alone.
