A sunrise worth an entire blog post -Thailand Blog

In pitch blackness, I rode with my bag clutched tight to my chest, easing into the bumps on the unpaved road that I couldn’t see, even inches from my feet. The low-riding tuktuk rickshaw with one faulty headlight was the only beacon leading us, the driver and I, into the night.

Or should I say early morning? It was 4:30 a.m. in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and I was on my way to see the most famous sunrise in the country, and for me, the best I had seen in my life.

Pulling over once to present my ticket that I had gotten the day before, and again at the gate, the shaky ride in the darkness then became the shaky walk in the darkness. At the last checkpoint for vehicles in the Ankgor Acheological park, I paid my driver and sent him on his way. While many brought along a guide and a car-for-hire to see the temples, I wanted to make this a true solo adventure. And so, I set off on foot in search of my sunrise. Crossing first a foot bridge and then a mile-long dock-like bridge that undulated under ones feet at each step, I saw what I could only guess was the spot of all spots to wait for the sun. Since I had chosen a Tuesday at a bright (well, not yet) and early 5:00 a.m., I landed a spot overlooking the center of the temple, sitting across from the pond in which the ancient ruins would hopefully be reflected as a perfect mirror image.

There was something quite eerie yet amazing, sitting alone but with a hoard of strangers. Hearing a full buffet of languages and accents surrounding me and watching families, couples, and other solo-adventurers of all ages gather in one spot, in one long moment of silence, is a rare thing to be a part of. All of us weren’t waiting for a train to get us from point A to point B, nor waiting in line to get some material item. We were all waiting in the blackness, simply for the sun to rise: a daily guarantee and yet in this spot, a privilege.

At around 6:00 a.m., the sky started to change, and hushed whispers fell silent, as if the sun needed a respectful audience if she were to make an appearance. Sure enough, as she poked her crown above the trees, the sky turned from its blackest black to a shockingly vivid purple. Only a few minutes later, a deep scarlet. Then light pink, violet, a softer shade of yellow, and then the early morning blue took hold to signal that the day had come and after our hours of waiting, our reward had been paid out in full.