The lost city of Angkor

Angkor has many temples spread over a large area which could easily take up a week. Its better to spend a few leisurely days taking it in slowly and to avoid the standard tourist circuits - temples have rather predictable peak times. Tours are highly recommended if pushed for time. Absolutely essential are The Angkor Wat, The Bayon and Ta Prohm. Take plenty of camera film - the scenery is breathtaking.

The chief attraction is the magnificent Angkor Wat. This stunning temple complex is the largest religious structure in the world and up there with the Great Wall and the Pyramids. Its a staggering and unique architectural achievement. A giant causeway leads to exquisite bass reliefs, courtyards and majestic towers. The temple is a joy to explore and can even be clambered to its loftier levels. Easily the most impressive site in Southeast Asia.

The second attraction is the small city of Angkor Thom, the highlight being the enigmatic Bayon. Giant carved faces smile contently at visitors exploring the nooks and crannies of this jumbled structure. Several lesser and collapsed ruins dotted within Angkor Thom could be missed if pushed for time. The gates to the city are worth a snap. The Bayon has perhaps the most character of any temple in Angkor - say goodbye to another roll of film.

Often top of the favourites list is the surreal Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm has been left pretty much as it has been for centuries - overgrown and tangled in roots. The jungle has enveloped the lost ruins. The result could be considered a work of art. Add to that the symphony of the jungle it wouldnt take much imagination to picture Indiana Jones popping up. Fantastic, cannot be missed.

Bantay Srei is one of the more remote temples further out and a little different to the grey stone temples around Angkor City. This small and well-preserved sandstone Hindu temple is a fiery copper colour featuring exquisite bas-relief carvings. The fine workmanship and condition of these carvings is striking. Well worth seeing and a contrast to the others.

All tours seem to include sunset at Phnom Bakheng, a small temple atop a steep hill. To be honest, this is Angkor tourism at its worst - everybody converges here at sunset and the air is thick with frantic cries from vendors. The view makes a good photo if you can exclude the crowds, but its certainly not a serene place. The temple itself is modest by Angkor standards, the novelty being the pricey elephant rides up to the top. If you dont mind the rush hour crowds its fine - if you do, forget it.

Another collapsing and tree-gripped temple is Preah Khan. This larger temple features some of the romantic disrepair of Ta Promh but is larger and in the open. Its size makes it easy to disappear down lonely corridors and emerge into deserted courtyards. Bold, imposing and quieter than some of the others.

Ta Keo is a historic construction site - it was never finished after a lightning strike was deemed a bad omen. The steep steps and towers are there but the sandstone was barely worked. Its pretty stark and rather average close up.

The brick Eastern Mebon is another that may be glimpsed from a passing car. This one warrants a mention as close up the bricks are full of drilled holes and the two well-preserved stone elephants are rare features. The carved towers are in good shape. OK for a wander.

Angkor artisans and Cultural Dancers

Ta Som is a quiet smaller version of overgrown and collapsing Ta Promh with a few faces of the Bayon beaming out. Often overlooked, its a good little spot that seems to have a bit of everything.

The Rulos group are ruins scattered 24km east of Siem Reap amongst local villages. The earliest surviving temples are made of crumbling brick and sandstone and are in varying states of repair. Less impressive and less visited but with a certain charm.

There are many other temples dotted about that are similar to those above but with lesser scale, atmosphere, craftsmanship or preservation. It can be very rewarding to visit them as you have the chance of having an ancient ruin all to yourself, at least for a while.

Note: Watch your footing! Its surely just a matter of time before someone plunges to their doom from the almost vertical steps of the upper tiers of the Angkor Wat. Also the uneven rugged blocks and floors and protruding roots that feature around any temple trip many a traveller. The heat and physical exertion required to clamber around is tough on older visitors.
 

Other Attractions
Siem Reap is modest with few attractions but its easy to get templed out in Angkor and well worth breaking up the trip with a few diversions.

A great and enlightening trip is the Vietnamese Floating Village. Crowded on the shores of the highly fertile Tonle Sap Lake, the traditional fishing community is an interesting spot full of character that makes for some good photos.

The Department of Defence has opened a War Museum with plenty of military hardware on display. For a reminder on how Cambodia has been ravaged by war, worth a visit.

Run by the Cambodian foundation for deprived children, the Exhibition on Tonle Sap is a well presented extract on the lake and how it supports the community. It outlines some of the success stories the foundation has had with child welfare and how much more there is to do. On the road to the temples and worth a short stop.

The Tonle Sap Lake includes several UNESCO biosphere reserves that protect the superb biodiversity of the area. Bird watchers in particular are in for a treat.

In the centre of town is the unusual Butterfly Garden. Worth a quiet drink just to enjoy the 1000 or so butterflies.

Most larger hotels put on cultural shows featuring traditional dancing. The Grand Hotel DAngkor has perhaps the best show taking place with a buffet on the lawns outside the hotel most evenings.

The Royal Angkor Sofitel Hotels inviting pool can be used by non-guests for a steep fee. Even during peak season its a quiet and relaxing spot. The stadium close by stages intermittent and varying local entertainment. Thai boxing is a popular feature.

The children from Krousar Thmeys Orphanage put on a shadow puppet play every Thursday at La Noria Restaurant - every cent goes to help disadvantaged Cambodian children.

Massage is widely available in Siem Reap, its usually very obvious to tell the legitimate establishments from the ones providing extra services. A good one is Angkor Massage on Airport Rd where you can be kneaded by the blind.

There aren't many top restaurants in Siem Reap. The finest dining is offered by the top hotels - some superb dishes are available at the sophisticated Grand Hotel D'Angkor and Sofitel restaurants. Restaurant food outside is average on the whole although the open atmosphere and prices are very attractive. There are a few good places worth sampling, probably the best being the FCC Siem Reap, sister to the successful restaurant in Phnom Penh. Outlets around the Old Market spring up and fall away so it's worth picking up a copy of the 'Free Angkor Guide' to see what is new.

The Angkor Wat and Preah Khan ruins

There are plenty of great pizza outlets in town - Happy Herb Pizza is perhaps the best known but theres little between them. Difficult to go wrong.

There are two Indian restaurants that serve up good, cheap and spicy fare. Little India and New Delhi are behind the old market - Little India is a little better. Sanctuary 36.5C is the sole Japanese restaurant and bar.

A trendy joint offering a good international menu is The Red Piano. Another popular western style one is Continental Caf offering a broad but fairly expensive menu.

Definitely over-rated is the Bayon Restaurant which has slow service and fairly bland dishes. Seems to have gone downhill with a few good write-ups in the past guaranteeing its customers a good meal.

There are several clubs and discos in Siem Reap that offer the only activity at night. Many double as pick-up joints for the nearby brothels and dodgy massage parlours. Bakeng Night Club and Martini are the most popular. Please be careful, AIDS is rampant in Cambodia, many of the taxi girls youll see and their patrons are HIV+.

The best place to pick up souvenirs and T-shirts is probably the Old Market in the town centre. Prices fluctuate wildly, from fairly reasonable to surely among the most outrageous in all Asia. Initial quotes for a small metallic statuette can be 15US on one day and 150US on another - depending on what you are wearing! Be merciless when bartering.

The Central Market is actually outside the town and is a fruit and veg affair.

Les Chantiers Ecoles is a vocational training centre with several hundred apprentices studying Khmer art. Visitors to the centre are led by guides through the workshops to witness crafts taking shape. Skilled carvings, sculpture and weaving works are available.

An interesting stop off is the Artisan Workshop of Tukvill which has a broad range of handicrafts in a scenic green environment. A little further out is The National Silk Centre. Guided tours of the centre take visitors from silkworm cultivation to spinning and weaving. Top quality silk is available.

The tasteful but pricey Les Artisans DAngkor opposite the Angkor Wat sells highly crafted stone and wood carvings, lacquerware and silks of the area.

Top designer names can only be found in the little shops of the Grand Hotel DAngkor.

Water Festival at Angkor

Note: The security situation can be questionable further out with the military a law unto themselves. However for those flying in and out, and not plunging headfirst into the jungle, seeing Angkors main attractions is easy and safe.

There are no taxis to flag down. Motorcyclists offering nippy transport around town, motos, are everywhere and cheap if haggled. Some have trailers for 2 people. Moto drivers are delighted to offer trips to the temples and many can double as guides. For the more remote temples the awful roads make motos a bad idea - expect gruesome saddle sore.

Hotel cars or the unmetered taxis available at the airport provide more comfortable travel. They are quite expensive compared to motos and steep by local standards but in many cases the best option.

Motorcycles can be hired for those wanting to get out and explore on their own. Bikes are available to a lesser extent - the heat restricts this to enthusiasts.

Siem Reap can be reached by boat from Phnom Penh and Battambang in 4 or 5 hours passing some great scenery. Boats can be chartered for trips of the lake.

Note: Further away from Siem Reap tours are a good idea as security can be shaky and bribing the military essential. There are landmines out there too, and snakes - stick to the path! Although guides arent essential as paths are often marked, all things considered they arent a bad idea.

Some of the more remote temples are offered as day tours. Bantay Srei is often combined with a trip to nearby Kobal Spien, a hike through the forest to some interesting ancient carvings in the riverbed.

A more energetic excursion is to the holy mountain of Phnom Kulen, the focal point of Khmer pilgrimage and a 2-hr climb. The military have total control here and foreigners must bribe them to proceed. Fit walkers see riverbed carvings, a waterfall, a temple and some excellent views.

An arduous trip by 4WD through dreadful roads can take you to the lost temple of Beng Mealea deep in the jungle. This gets very few visitors due to its inaccessibility. The usual bribing is required to get here, but this large and overgrown temple has barely changed since its discovery and offers visitors an idea of what Mouhot must have seen back in 1868.

Cultural shopping tours can cover the artistry and craft centres in and around Siem Reap.

Trips to the Vietnamese floating village or biosphere reserves on Tonle Sap Lake are available. Osmose Nature Tours offer nature trips which include a specialist guide.

The Khmers celebrate their new year in the middle of April. Chaul Chnam is a 3-day celebration involving temple offerings, traditional games, water fights and a spot of Spring-cleaning.

September sees a 15-day festival for the dead which peaks with the full moon. During the Dak Ben festival monks are offered food and the spirits roam the temples searching for offerings from their descendants.