Angkor Wat from an Hot Air Balloon, Siem Reap
A few weeks before returning home, a thorough check into our finances revealed that Heidi was able to save some money over the year we were traveling. These unexpected modest riches made her light-headed.
First thing we did was we hired the best, most famous guide in town, Mister Meas Veasna from Asia Trails to take us around Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. Costly, but worth every penny! We tried to soak up every syllable he said about the history and architecture of these monuments. The hardest part, requiring all of our concentration, was listening to the many folk tales, because we never could remember the names of the protagonists. The newly acquired knowledge helped us to enjoy our later excursions much more. Those we did on our own, just using the guide book. Without such expertise, it would become really tiresome and meaningless to tour the sites after a few days.
The other lavishness we invested in was to take a look of Angkor Wat from above. A helium powered balloon tied to a steel cable made in Austria, as Heidi immediately noticed, took us up 90 meters up. This short 10 minute trip gives you a bird eye of Angkor Wat and the vast green plains surrounding it. Rice paddies were glittering in the setting sun and Tonle Sap Lake rested in the near distant.
Unfortunately the last flight was before sunset, but nevertheless the view was awesome. It was a gorgeous day with blue skies, a little windy though. So Heidi was glad to set foot on the ground again after swaying around, even for such a short time. We truly enjoyed the ride although it was a stiff 15 USD per person. Strangely, we did not see any other temples, which made us realize how far apart they must be.
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