Thom and Prohm

5.00am is not a time you want to encounter on holiday. But today was special. 30 minutes later we were in our car with Mr Lim, and breakfast safely tucked away in the boot for 'later'! Destination: sunrise at Ta Promh. 

After a short drive out of town we parked up on a patch of open dirt space, in the dark, and Mr Lim ushered us towards a hole in a wall by torchlight! The first thing we noticed was the noise - incredible sounds of the jungle (geckos, pounder birds, screaming squirrel) and the quiet murmuring of a few other voices. All very surreal until gradually, albeit within just a few minutes, the light improved and there in front of us was revealed the beginnings of Ta Promh. Founded as a Bhuddist monastery and university, unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found. These ruins are unique in that many of the ancient trees which once engulfed the monastery after it was abandoned are still visible growing through, on or over the stonework. All this makes for an incredibly atmospheric and eerie place, one where mosquito bats roost, where the jungle is within a few steps and where sunrise has never felt more mystical. 

The tree in the centre of this image is growing ON the roof.

Cheeky!

Actually it's another giant root.

At Ta Prohm - where the strangler figs engulf the ruins.

Moving on, as the heat of the sun quickly made its presence known, we arrived at Angkor Thom (Great City) which covers an area of 9 km², at the centre of which stands the king's state temple, the Bayon with the other temples clustered around the area. The predominant design style here is the four-faced Buddha in the shape of a lotus bud, of which there are hundreds, mostly bearing a charming and enigmatic smile. 

Arriving at Angkor Thom

Four faces, symbolic of the four seasons or something.

Within the Bayon.

Nosey! 

Elephumps!

And as if all this wasn't enough, when breakfast emerged from the boot of the car it was in beautiful wicker baskets containing fruit, pastries, yoghourt, and much more we simply couldn't manage. That was a pretty special moment - sharing an early morning picnic in the jungle, close to a dais where I later received a friendship bracket and a blessing from a monk!