Sunrise at Angkor

I arrive at Angkor Wat at five in the morning in blackness, amongst a convoy of lighted tuk-tuks. 

''Okay. We here. I wait for you outside when you finish.''

I wave my driver goodbye and walk along the uneven flagstone causeway. I can just make out the pointy towers of Asia's centrepiece looming in the darkness ahead.

I follow a steady line of tourists through the gatehouse; thankfully some of them are carrying torches to light the oppressive passageways. There is a real adventure element to following the dim lights through the dark caverns of ancient stone construction. Carvings of dancing "Apsara" grin dimly from the walls as we tread carefully along ancient stones.

The morning light is creeping in as I reach the other side of the gatehouse. I can see the three iconic Angkor columns against a background of murky blue. Tourists crowd the lawn on the left side of the causeway, by one of the great square ponds. I suspect this is the best place to grab that much coveted perfect photo. 

As the sun rises I am once again confronted with the classic 'world monument anti-climax' that hit me at Machu Picchu. I think the reason is this: films spread the lie that every sunrise involves a spectacular lion king style orb of yellow rising majestically against a background of shocking red. Your spectacular world monument of choice will be silhouetted against this masterpiece of nature and you will live smug and satisfied that you have experienced something truely unique and amazing that you will never forget.

At Angkor Wat, the sky makes a slow transition from murky blue to shocking pink. While this is not on a par with the lion king, the temple silhouetted against this pink results in a beautiful photograph, and I admit that the sky was ethereally beautiful.

I wait eagerly for enough light to filter through to explore the inner recesses of the temple. For me it's much more about nerdy exploration than magical experience, and I can tell these temples will not disappoint.