The great Ankor ruins

After one full day exploring the ruins, I've resolved to let go of the negative feelings of losing the camera. The evening before I had met a French student traveling in Asia after his studies - some how he's managing to do two months for $900 dollars. I had plans to wake up at 5am to catch the sunrise, so the Frenchman was more than welcomed to come. So now for $5, I had a driver from 5am until 6pm, sunrise until sunset to explore the greater Ankor area - a mighty empire long ago that slipped into history, to legend, then to myth; that know one thought to be real until a wanderer making his way through the dense jungles chopped off some thick branches to discover this glorious civilization of the past.

Sunrise over the famed Ankor Wat.

Incidently, there was a huge mix up with the tuk-tuk drivers and after watching the sunrise we got into a situation of sorts were we were held hostage by another tuk-tuk driver; a misunderstanding really, but it was hilarious how he refused to let us go unless we paid $2. Only in a foreign country!

From there, we went into the grand circuit of temple ruins and explored some of the more famous ones swallowed up by the jungle after centuries. Ankor has a very intense mystical aura, and you can be spell-bound simply sitting there reflecting on the glory of an empire that once was.

At the Preah Khan temple complex, where a massive tree has completely covered a gate.

Yes, I am in this picture! Just goes to show you the scale of the place. I'll share the more famous pictures from Ta Phrom temple when I return.

Couldn't resist a moment to goof-off.