Cambodia: Angkor Wat, Day 2

This morning Erin and I were off in search of a cheap breakfast. After parting with the $40 fee for the Angkor Wat 3-day pass, not to mention the surprisingly high costs in Cambodia, we are on a serious budget. After a $1.50 breakfast (still too high for our liking), we rented bicycles and headed off for the rolling pilgrimage back to Angkor.

Fortunately, it was a cloudy morning, so we were able to avoid completely melting in the humidity. It only took about twenty minutes to weave through the lawless motorbike mania before we finally reached the entrance. We headed straight to one of the children we met yesterday to purchase the book "S-21," an account of the horrors of the Khmer Rouge, in preparation for Phnom Penh.

Our main attraction for the day was Ta Prom, sight of the filming of "Tomb Raider." Unfortunately, I mistakenly circled Ta Prohm on my map, which is a relatively unknown wat, and Erin and I biked around for about two hours in search of it, finally reaching the Siem Reap Airport. It was good, dirty fun, though, as we met many children in the neighboring village as we peddled through.

Eventually, I spoke with a tuk-tuk driver who correctly pointed out that "The map is not wrong...You wrong!" and pointed us in the right direction. By the time we reached the right Ta Prom, Erin and I were exhausted and hungry, so we sat outside the entrance and ate cheese and apples on a baguette (another sign of our money woes) and read aloud from our very painfully boring S-21.

Finally, we wandered around Ta Prom, and I quickly decided that The Bayon has some fierce competition, as this was an incredible place. While most of the other temples in Angkor have been preserved, this place is overgrown with gigantic jungle trees that strangle the stone walls.

After wandering through enchanting Ta Prom, Erin and I cycled past the Terrace of Elephants and back through the winding roads, eventually bidding adieu to Angkor Wat forever. Even though we purchased 3-day passes, we have seen enough and feel it is time to move on to Phnom Penh tomorrow morning.