12 & 13 February, 2024

Hi everyone,

Yesterday we got up at 4:30 AM to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. It was incredibly beautiful. We had reasonably clear skies, with some haze on the horizon that made for lots of color during first light before the sun came up. The temple seemed to materialize suddenly out of the darkness. 

After sunrise, our guide took us through the temple. Angkor Wat was built in the 12th century as a Hindu temple, later transformed into a Buddhist temple, and is the largest religious structure in the world. Lots of people go to see bas-relief depictions of Hindu gods, as well as many other depictions of gods, demons, and life back then lining the entire outer wall of the temple. These sandstone reliefs, making up much of the height of the walls, are incredibly detailed. They have quite a bit more depth than reliefs from earlier civilizations.

There are three levels to Angkor Wat, all of which are open. The final level was another steep climb but offered lovely views. The main temple is surrounded by several other buildings, a forest, and a huge moat, all part of Angkor Wat.

The temple is another example of a representation of Mount Meru, the mythical home of Hindu gods. It is aligned east-west and the towers are at precise locations of the solstice at sunrise. Sculpture work goes almost all the way up the towers, much of which are depictions of Apsaras. All in all, it was an incredible visit, despite the early wake-up call.

Our group returned to the hotel for breakfast and then had the whole day to relax and nap and prepare for our journey home. We indulged in a final massage at the hotel spa, which was lovely. In the evening, we had our “last supper” as a group – a dinner and performance of traditional Khmer dance.

There were three Apsara dances, which tend to be more metaphorical, having to do with celestial beings. The other two dances, our favorites, were more modern and related to people’s daily lives. The Coconut Dance, from south-eastern Cambodia, expresses joy in life and harmony amongst Cambodians and is often played at weddings. The Fisherman’s Dance is a rural entertainment dance that shows boys’ and girls’ attitudes toward love and courtship in a fun if slightly exaggerated fashion. They were both highly rhythmical and punctuated with shouts.

This morning we enjoyed a long breakfast with the remaining members of the tour group, including our guide. (A few people left last night and early this morning). We shuttled to the Siem Reap airport and flew to Bangkok with the two Canadian couples. Finally, we parted ways with everyone at baggage claim and checked in for our flight home.

We are biding our time at the Bangkok airport before our flight, and already missing our guide and all of the people we toured with. We will arrive home with fuller hearts, broadened minds, and heavier suitcases.

This trip and all of our new memories were made possible in no small part by all of you and the rest of our family and friends who contributed to our honeymoon registry or supported us in any way. For that – and for reading all of these emails – we would like to say: Kop kun krup / Khop jai / Cam un / Au kun / Thank you!

Lots of love,

Sarah & Spenser