Have you ever dreamed of visiting Angkor Wat at Sunrise? I had for years, but then my dream came true.
Here I am amongst a growing crowd at 5:30 a.m. in absolute darkness. I remind everyone that there’s water on their right-hand side. No one can see it, and there’s no current, so you can’t hear it either. But trust me, it’s there. It’s best not to veer too far to the right.
We’re all looking down at our feet; there’s little else to see, but when we glance up and around, we catch a few bright beams from various torches, mobile phones and even iPads being used to light the way. As we pass other people in the shadows, we hear languages from all over the world – Chinese, French, Korean, Japanese, and some familiar English words…. And we can all feel the excitement and slight apprehension in the air. But we still don’t see anything at all.
Where is Angkor Wat?
“Where exactly is Angkor Wat?” someone asks our local guide. He directs us to stop and look ahead, “Can you see the five towers?” he asks and a few reply, “Yes…” with a hesitation that means not really, but once we’ve stopped walking and our eyes start to adjust to the black, one by one we start to make out the towers he’s described. Or at least, we all nod enthusiastically and give the impression that we can see something there. There’s a big shadow, maybe a bit taller in the middle.
We’ve stopped at the edge of some water just a couple of feet in front; some sit on the dusty square stones, others peer over their heads, everyone straining to get their first glimpse. Although we can’t yet see it, we know we’re looking at the biggest temple in the world, and somewhere nearby are the walls of an ancient city that once numbered a million people – that’s right, the guide did say a million people lived here. As we look on expectantly, the occasional aroma of strong Cambodian coffee floats by while we hear the vendors offering a cup in all the languages we heard en route. We hear camera shutters all around and see a lot of blank screens – the light hasn’t come yet… but both the crowd and the anticipation are growing.
Sunrise begins
At first, the sky seemed slightly lighter, and then the colours started to appear. Streaks of red, then orange and yellow begin to filter through. Black turns to blue, and the reflection on the pool grows more substantial. I can hear camera clicks and gasps of wonder all around me. The water reflects the sky above, and the colours change every minute. People start to move around to get a different angle and compare pictures and camera settings. And as the sky becomes bright blue, some of the details on the temple become clear.
We look behind us and see that many of the crowd have started to move away. For the first time, we see the 200-meter causeway over the moat. But Angkor Wat itself holds our attention. “Wait, just a little bit longer…” our guide suggests.
By now, it’s daylight, and we are wondering what exactly we’re waiting for. Our first views of the sun have already surpassed our expectations. There are no regrets about such an early start. Just as we think, it is time to move on the sun peaks over the top and slightly to the right of the central tower. It is breathtaking. As the bright yellow sphere rises, the temple becomes a silhouette in the foreground again, and everyone stops in their tracks to capture this majestic sight.
The smiles on the faces around me are as radiant as the rising sun. We all understand that this is a day unlike any other that will be etched in our memories for a long time to come.
Who could resist the majesty of sunrise at Angkor Wat? Check out the wonders of Cambodia with these amazing tours.
