It was water bliss

The alarm went on at 4am again! This time we are heading to Tonle Sap Lake with the same tuk-tuk guy, significantly further and so we had to leave the hotel at 4.30sharp to catch the sunrise. We took along leftover pizzas from last night's dinner (four cheese pizza and beef pepperoni I think) as breakfast. Took a boat, accompanied by the tuk tuk guy, a young man who maneuver the boat and a young boy- to reach the middle of the largest lake in Asia. The sunrise was as calm as the lake, it was quiet as there was only 1 other boat in the middle of the lake. Due to the sheer size of the lake as it is monsoon season now, it felt like the lake is borderless, like we were in the middle of the ocean.The trip ended pretty early, as we munched the remaining pizza on our way back to the hotel, it was only 9plus in the morning. We proceeded to find a great place for a spa experience. Ended up in FCC for a 2hours spa. I must say it is splendid as the place is spanking new and posh yet it is minimalist. I had my milk bath out in the open garden with low shady trees. Heavy wood panels provided the necessary privacy from each of the 6 private rooms. Each room can fit in 2,but if you are there alone, all the better..dark and cool w organza maroon curtains behind the glassdoors, the room overlook the private garden, the bathtub and the open shower. Generous amount of water lilies were floating in my bath tub and the sound of trickling water and constant ray of sunlight as the afternoon sinks is pure bliss. The steam bath and massage were the usual but I really love the idea of soaking in a bath tub out in the green nature. A private swimming pool is open to spa guests but we did not bring our swimming attire.Again the pool is lovely too, as shady trees and green grass grew very near the pool, giving it a romantic feel.

See them before they are gone

Woke up at 4+am, the tuk tuk driver is already waiting for us in the dark outside the hotel. We are heading to Angkor Wat today, the main highlight of the trip. Sunrise is expected to be around 5.30am. The ride is leisurely and cooling,as we are reaching Angkor Wat,subtle rays of lights seem to magically illuminate the surrounding. It was breathtaking to say the least, attributable to the architecture of the temples itself. We are spending a whole day here, visitors are required to leave by sunset so it is vital to squeeze in as many temples as we can in 1 day. Our 1 day pass (USD20) does not require a passport photo,unlike the 3days pass. In short, we went to Bantreay Srei,Ta Phrom,Angkor Thom,Angkor Wat,East Gate,West Gate,Bakheng Hill to name a few. I cant recall most of the temples' names. At night, we went for a massage (daily necessity in SR for us) and walked in the rain and had a beer or two.

Cambodia

Silkair flight to Siam Reap.In a plane-loadful of Caucasians,save for a few SouthEastAsians,I can see how enthralled angmos are with the great architecture of the past. The moment we stepped out of the airplane, the heavily humid air of Siam Reap made me broke out in sweats immediately. Took a bike ride to our hotel near the Old Market. Helmets not included and the frequent loud honks from vehicles overtaking us is pretty frightening. Along the journey, I noted that Siam Reap is a barren land with nothing more than paddy fields, former land mines and ample line-up of both international and local hotels. There were no hills to be seen, let alone thick shady trees, that explains the high humidity though we are quite neighbours with Cambodia. We checked-in into our modest hotel (but it's a pittance compared to the hotel I can get in Bangkok for USD35/night) and walked around the Old Market area. Some streets are lined with restaurant/cafes/pubs/clubs that would make us envious of their nightlife.My favourite cafe has a very long bed-like seating, in white linen, with foldable "breakfast on bed" table. The waiter will hand u a ice-cold fragrant wet towel (for you to wipe your face/hands I suppose, although our feet is up on the bed). Beer is dirt cheap in SR,we found 1 supermarket selling Angkor Beer for 35cents! And it definitely tasted more potent that Tiger Beer to me. There's some Viet beers, Panther stout and the usual beers we can get. First day was spent visiting a silk farm, massage session, watched an Aspara performance.