Here comes the sun (Angkor Wat, Cambodia)

Ah, sunrise, dear reader. It’s a special time of day. I love the quiet, the soft light, being able to listen to the world wake up. Mostly. Being forced from bed before 4:15am so we could be dressed and on the bus to Angkor Wat by 4:45am to watch the sunrise with hundreds of other people didn’t tick my usual early morning boxes.

The temples in the region are spectacular at any time of day and watching the light change over the main temple as dawn approached was pretty special. Honestly though, I would have preferred it to be a lot less crowded. I say this despite our local guides telling us that Cambodia’s tourism levels have still not recovered after COVID.

There is something out there in the dark.

There were some among us who opted to stay in bed, although I believe they later claimed illness. This is totally believable, given the number of people coughing and spluttering their way through the day. 

Sunrise was at 6:03 but we arrived well before that because the main show isn’t the sun itself but the changing light. Unless of course it is the equinox. That is a major event. The sun rises directly over the main tower of the temple. The link between the sun and many civilisations dates back thousands of years. There is Stonehenge, the pyramids of Egypt, the Mayan and Incan temples and numerous neolithic burial sites across western Europe. No doubt there are other examples.

Looking back across the moat.

We arrived somewhere, not a carpark. It was dark, I couldn’t see. Reaksmey distributed torches and we made our way to the rainbow bridge that was lit up by many other torches. It resembled some bizarre pilgrimage. The sky was already changing colour and the traces of cloud were picking up the rays of the coming sun.

The gate.

After we passed over the moat that surrounds the temple, we walked through the gate in the wall and out onto the grassed area for our first glimpse of the silhouette of Angkor Wat. We were shepherded to the coffee area where we were to reassemble at 6:30, after our sunrise photo opportunity by the two ponds in front of the temple. Historically, these ponds were for ritual cleansing purposes, prior to entering the temple complex proper. The closest one still has a fence around it, covered in some sort black shade-cloth like mesh, even though rectification works finished quite some time ago. Along the bank above the pond stood over 100 people, cameras poised.

Pity about the fence.

I snapped a couple of pictures on my walk to the next pond. The view here was not impeded by an annoying fence. However, the many hundreds of people here meant my pictures would have revealed the top spires of the temple and the backs of many heads. I returned to the other viewing area in front of the fenced pond.

Here comes the sun.

The changing light as the sun dawned, did indeed colour our view of Angkor Wat. The reflection in the pond, through the fence, changed from black through to golden as the image of the temple sharpened in focus. Of course, this inspired today's title, another one from my favourite group, The Beatles. Here comes the sun.

We returned to our assembly place and passed up the opportunity to have what would have been an appalling cup of instant coffee. Once there was sufficient light, the hoards of tourists moved forward, swarming over the structure like ants. We stood back, waiting for the first wave to subside, while our guide explained that we were approaching the centre of the universe, the home of the gods, originally dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu the Preserver. 

Light on the main wall.

Then we moved into the temple itself, up one level, to begin our guided exploration of this ancient marvel, built by King Surya II (meaning sun) over a 30-year period. As with Bayon Angkor Thom Temple, the first level’s outer walls of carved stone, tell the story of glorious battles in intricate detail. After the depictions were explained and examined, we eventually moved through the next wall into the inner courtyard.

It's clearer in person.

A relief on the ceiling.

We climbed to the second level to pause and look at four pools that were part of the ritual cleansing for the more privileged who were entitled to go deeper into the complex. It was explained that these pools, along with the outer ponds, are part of a drainage system that is designed to maintain moisture levels in the sand foundation upon which the stone temple is built. If the sand were to dry out ever, the stability of the temple would be compromised.

One of the cleansing pools.

From there, we walked to the east to climb the 40 wooden stairs that have been built to allow access to the top part, the king’s inner sanctum, the third level of the complex. These stairs were steep enough, especially on the downward journey but I wouldn’t have been keen on using the original stone staircase. The view from the top was worth the climb and it would have afforded the king the opportunity to survey his kingdom.

Steep. No handrail. Clearly a WHS concern.

The view from the top.

Once we had reassembled as a group on the second level, our guide led us into the very heart of the temple where a square stone in the floor pinpoints the exact centre of the complex. To illustrate the accuracy of the stone’s position, he placed his mobile phone on the floor to reveal the zero degree reading and the centre of the universe.

The centre of the universe. Smaller than I expected.

We then edged our way past adherents who had come to pray in front of the statue of Buddha that was positioned towards the front of the first level, facing the ponds. We walked down the central causeway, out through the perimeter wall and, this time, traversed the moat via a modern pontoon platform that bounced disconcertingly as you stepped on each tile of the pontoon. 

Where have all the people gone?

A Buddha in the King's sanctum.

One last photo opportunity to capture the entirety of the five towers of Angkor Wat, and then it was time to reboard the bus to return to our hotel, while the 9am group tour of Angkor Wat was conducted.

The pontoon.

One last look.

Although this was not only excursion for the day, I feel you have read enough, dear reader, and I’ll save the ‘tomb raider temple’ for the next post. Back at the hotel it was breakfast and time for a rest.

Until next time.

 

Distant Sun (Wellington to Napier, New Zealand)

I would like to commence this post with a confession: Lexi is right. There. I said it. Well, I typed it. Don't give me that who-is-Lexi stuff, dear reader, here is a link to her work: avaycay.com and if you are not familiar with it - shame on you.

Random flower. Pretty.

I thought we could do justice to the North Island of NZ by staying 2 nights in each place. Lexi always cautions 3 nights is better. I am always worried about getting caught with nothing to do and we had really limited time on this trip ... so 2 nights at each destination it was. We have just arrived at Napier, our second base and already I know it should have been staying 3 nights - I didn't really want to leave Wellington. Ah well, you live and learn. When I can convince Jayne to retire, we'll have all the time in the world. And no money.

Today was a travel day, so we packed up and left Wellington to head for Napier. As a direct drive it is around 4 hours, but we decided to take the scenic route and stop along the way. So it was a full day event.

Just outside the town centre

Our first stop was Martinborough, just over an hour's drive from the capital. Theoretically this was my breakfast stop. We arrived about 10:45, found a parking spot on the square and headed for the OMG Café. Great name. The G stands for 'goodness' - wouldn't want to offend anyone, eh? The coffee was excellent. The service was great, but the time that elapsed before my toast arrived saw the sun  move through several phases. I got so bored I logged into free wifi at the real estate agent across the street. This then came up on my FB which prompted people to ask why I was looking at real estate in NZ. The answer? I can't continue to live in a country where Morrison is the PM.

The real reason we come here

Anyway, the coffee was worth the drive. The sourdough miche was not worth the wait. That said, Martinborough is a quaint little town and worth a visit. It has wineries, many of which are accessible on foot from the main street. Literally 10 minutes walk. There is also a wine centre in town if you CBF walking to the winery. Not for me though, we had to get to Napier.

The next distraction was Stonehenge. Yep. You read that correctly dear reader. No. Not on the Salisbury Plain, but somewhere between Martinborough and Carterton. The GPS was not kind on this journey and had us drive 6 km to turn around and head back to the correct turn off. Maybe it was some weird magnetic force.

Welcome to Stonehenge NZ style

Stonehenge Aotearoa was smaller than the original and far less crowded, but no less out of the way. It was $15 entry per adult, but hey, I'd driven all the way out here. We had a chat with the woman on the desk and then went to the 11 minute video presentation - it was fascinating and I learned a lot about the structure. It's been a few years since we visited the original, but I learned more here. The acoustics are incredible. Jayne stood in the middle of the henge and I leant against the outside wall and we had a discussion at normal volume and could hear everything clearly. We would have been 20 metres apart. 

The other key point of interest was the zodiac. I learned that I am not a Scorpio but a Libran (as are David and Cait while Dan is actually a Leo like Jayne). Well, at least we were the one star pattern initially. I'm not sure how I feel about the change. I've been lied to all these years. Apparently it is the fault of some Pope back in the 1200s - that makes eminent sense. If you dig deep enough, the Catholic Church and/or the British can be found responsible for most screw ups in this world. And probably the next. If it exists.

Following the Henge we headed for Pūkaha, a wildlife centre at Mt Bruce. The GPS lady steered us through Masterton and then just out of town announced that our destination had been reached. We were in the middle of nowhere. At that point I gave up. Reset the overly aggressive, shouty GPS to take us to Napier and about 30km down the road we came across the wildlife centre. WTF. I still have no idea.

We stopped. Well, we were there and it's not every day you get see a white kiwi and other assorted wildlife. Jayne amused the lady at the desk by asking if the walk was "up hill and down dale"? No, really amused her. She reached for a couple fo children's books that convert Australian colloquialism into plain Kiwi. Jayne's expression was not in there. Astounding.

Back in the car for the long haul to Napier. No more stops.

Reflections from the drive? New Zealanders love golf courses and agapanthus. Probably in equal number, they were everywhere. They don't like overtaking unless there is a dedicated lane. My aggressive GPS has a knack of issuing instructions way early or just a fraction too late. Despite that, we made it.

Again with the song reveal at the end of the post. I know, I apologise. The simple truth? Jayne's been trawling through titles while I finished the post. And in the end came up with Distant Sun by Crowded House. I'd be interested to hear from your interpretation as to why that is today's title.

Until tomorrow