Hello again! It’s Ellie. Today we woke up for an early breakfast at our hotel. I ate bread with butter and strawberry jam. We loaded up onto a new bus…our beloved purple one was taking a break, and set off early for Angkor Wat to attempt to beat the crowds for the first part of our adventure. We had to go to a separate place first and get our tickets. They took our pictures and put them on a pass that went in a lanyard we had to wear around our necks so they could check our tickets at the temples. They do this to avoid people giving or selling their tickets to others. After we got our tickets we headed to Angkor Wat. We spent the first half of the day exploring this massive, sprawling temple and learning about it from our guide, Len. Approaching the temple, we saw that monkeys ran around the outside, going about their monkey business as well as trying to take food from tourists.
After everyone came back from the bathroom we turned to the temple. The five towers of Angkor Wat jutted upwards, framed against the blue sky. Weathered naga carvings guarded the old sandstone temple, their many heads rearing up towards any visitors. Worn lions also sat at the entrance beside the nagas, their postures fierce and proud. Behind its protectors, Angkor Wat’s three levels lay sprawled across the ground. The first, lowest level of the temple complex was comprised of long halls, carved upon the walls were detailings of the army, even including rank, which was denoted by the number of parrisols that a commander had. Some men were on horseback, some even astride elephants, though most marched on their own two feet. Even the king was detailed here, astride his war elephant. The king had 15 parrisols, the highest number. It was unbelievable, beautiful in its age and artistry. From the architecture to the skill of its many intricate carvings it was a marvel to behold. We were so lucky to be able to see it.