On our first morning in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Mr. Selfish and I woke up at 4:30am. Our tuk tuk driver picked us up at 5:00am to take us to Angkor Wat for the legendary sunrise over the water. Unfortunately, we picked a cloudy day, and we couldn’t even spot the sun until hours later.

It was nevertheless an experience trying to jostle our way to the front despite the hundreds of other photographers, who wanted that epic photo. Even though we were all the way in the front and at a good angle, the photos were only mediocre due to the lighting and the massive amounts of construction being done on Angkor Wat.

I still can’t complain though. Angkor Wat was amazing. It was built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. It is the largest Hindu complex and the largest religious complex in the world. The most iconic part of Angkor Wat is the five lotus towers. They even appear on the Cambodian flag.

The bas-reliefs and carvings were quite impressive. Despite its age, Angkor Wat is quite well-preserved.

The front and main corridors of Angkor Wat were swarming with Chinese tourists, who were on holiday due to lunar new year. However, they never came to the side parts, which Mr. Selfish and I were able to enjoy (and take silly photos of).

Here’s my last photo of Angkor Wat. This was the best lighting we had the entire time we were there (despite two separate trips). You can make out the massive amounts of construction and repairs occurring.

Tomorrow, I’ll go over the nearby Angkor Thom, which is not as well known as Angkor Wat but still quite epic.