20 March 2019
Watching the sun rising over the ancient temple of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia is on many travellers’ bucket list. Although it is not in ours, we made it a point not to miss this experience although it meant waking up early and leaving our hotel for Angkor Wat at 5 AM.
Our driver was already waiting for us in his air-conditioned van, parked outside our hotel’s lobby, when we stepped out into the cool but humid night at 5 AM sharp. I was glad our group of 8 travellers were travelling together in the comfort of an air-conditioned van to Angkor Wat instead of using 2 tuk-tuks.
Our driver drove through the well-lit streets of Siem Reap towards Angkor Archaeological Park. We had already bought our 3-day Angkor Pass when we did the small circle tour of Angkor temples, so we went directly to the West entrance of Angkor Wat.
The walking route from the car park to the floating pontoon bridge was dark. We had crossed this bridge the day before when we visited Angkor Wat in the afternoon. This was a temporary bridge for visitors to cross the 200 meter wide moat surrounding Angkor Wat while the main stone bridge was undergoing maintenance and restoration works.
We were not alone. Many like us were also making their way across the slightly bouncy bridge. We were like platoons of soldiers, all excited but silent, with only one objective in mind.
Passing unscathed through the west perimeter wall, the horde arrived at the pond in front of the main Angkor Wat complex. Earlier waves of humanity before us had already established themselves on the edge of the pond, shooting away at the dark silhouette of the massive structure and its reflection on the still surface of the pond.
For a moment, we joined in the frenzy of shooting pictures ourselves. It was difficult to get good shots with people, about 4 to 5 rows deep, in front of us.
Dawn sky over Angkor Wat.
After we have enough of photos, it was time to step back to enjoy the dawn. Watching the sky changed from deep purple to pink to orange. A single bright morning star, probably the planet Venus, could be seen over the right side of Angkor Wat.
I left my travel companions at the pond and did a flanking movement down the right side of the pond to explore other views and photo opportunities.
Look at the number of “sun-worshippers” at Angkor Wat.
By now the sky had somewhat brighten a little. It was puzzling to see that many had left the pond area even before the sun had risen. We managed to get to the edge of the pond where we could now get better shots of Angkor Wat reflected from the surface of the pond.
It was about 6.30AM when we saw the sun peeping out from behind Angkor Wat. By now, the crowd had somewhat thinned out.
As March 20 is almost the day of the spring Equinox, we could see the morning sun positioned directly behind the towers of the Angkor Wat. Like many ancient religious sites, the temple was built to align with astronomical events.
Note: The Equinox is the time of year where the sun crosses the celestial equator, providing Earth’s hemispheres with an equal amount of sunlight and creating days and nights of approximately equal length around the world.
The morning sun positioned directly behind the towers of the Angkor Wat during the spring equinox.
The best place to shoot photos of the morning sun positioned directly behind the towers of the Angkor Wat is on the causeway leading from the West perimeter walls to the main Angkor Wat complex since it is aligned to the West-East axis.
Another good place for a photo shoot is at the two small buildings located on both sides of the causeway. These buildings served as the libraries for the temple.
Getting to one of the two small buildings located next to the causeway.
Inside one of the library, with the morning sun and Angkor Wat framed by a doorway.
By 7.30 AM, we are famished. A good place to have breakfast is at one of the many restaurants located next to the car park by the west entrance. A bowl of hot local noodle soup and a cup of Cambodia coffee tasted heavenly and marked the end of our Angkor Wat sun rise adventure and the start of another day of temple visits.
Although it was not in my travel bucket list, I was glad that I came, saw and shot the sunrise over Angkor Wat during the 2019 Spring Equinox. My only regret is that I did not capture a photo of the sun positioned right at the tip of the central tower. Maybe next time, during another equinox which only occurs twice a year.
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