Day 95 - Phomn Bakheng Temple and sunset

One of the many picturesque views at Phomn Bakheng Temple summit.

Day 95 - 26th September

Saturdays are always a funny one. I always wake up here thinking I've either a. work to head to or b. breakfast to get up for. To clarify, neither are necessary to get up early for on a Saturday, yet every week I've been here, I've been up between six and six thirty am. I know, I sound crazy but it's annoying!

Deciding to make good use of my time, I sat down and worked on my book and too my surprise, I finished three of the four chapters I needed to add before it was completed, completed. 

What a beaut!

The Sun was a nice stop for lunch, even more so because I found out they had a BBQ pulled pork sandwich. Cha Ching! I was as happy as a pig in slops.

Almost at the top!

In the afternoon, a favourite Tuk Tuk driver, Mr Barang picked me up and took me back to the Angkor Wat sight for me to scale the heights of Phomn Bakheng Temple so I could see the sunset over Angkor Wat's main temple.

I had to have a selfie!

The sun was beating down as I ascended and I was glad to have had two shirts on (one to soak up the sweat, one to look normal). There were hundreds of people heading up at 4pm. I thought by arriving two hours prior to sunset, I'd be beating the queues. How wrong I was.

A poxy place to put and leave a crane! You can see Angkor Wat just to the right of my left ear though.

Anyhow, I climbed up the temple steps on the summit of Bakheng and looked out. Despite the 360 view being spoiled by a couple of cranes, the Cambodia landscape stretched beautifully as far as I could see.

I'm pleased with this one.

I found a good spot with which to take my sunset photos and I waited. Yep, two hours, I sat and did nothing. Well technically it's not true, I did some more writing of my book, but I sat in one place for the two hours whilst I did it.

Despite cloud cover, I managed to get one of a clear sun.

Stunning!

In keeping with my luck at The Great Wall of China, the clouds came and began obscuring the sun just as it was setting. The cloud coverage ceased ever so slightly so I could get a few good pictures but in the end, before the sun had even set, I abandoned post and headed back down.

What is this golden sphere? We don't have this in England.

The queues to still get in were incredible. People we lining the base of the temple in the hopes of getting after the five thirty cut off. It was now six and I didn't envy their chances.

I met Mr Barang back at the Tuk Tuk and we headed back to Bou Savy. He is such a great guy and was telling me about how grateful he was that I was using his services outside of Globalteer hours that really helped support his family. I thanked him for taking me when he should be with his family.

I stopped at my favourite noodle stop for dinner and set to work on my book again. It's almost finished and then I send it to people to review for me before the submission process to agents begins.