Explore CAMBODIA with me!
Cambodia known as the Kingdom of Cambodia is popular for the monumental temple of Angkor Wat.
Nestled between rice paddies and stretched along the Siem Reap River, the provincial capital of SIam Reap City serves as the gateway to the millennium-old ruins of the Angkorian-era Khmer Empire.
Designated a World heritage Site by UNESCO, the Angkor Archaeological Park, encompasses dozens of temple ruins including Bayon, Ta Prohm and the legendary Angkor Wat whose artistic and archaeological significance and visual impact put it in a class with the Pyramids, Machu Pichu and the Taj Mahal.
Siem Reap town is where you will probably stay during your visit. The area has been receiving foreign visitors to the temples for more than 120 years. The town is actually a cluster of old villages, which originally developed around individual pagodas, and was later overlain with a French colonial-era centre. Siem Reap offers a wide range of hotels, including several 4 and 5- star hotels, dozens of mid- range places and plenty of budget guesthouses, as well as an amazing variety of restaurants, lots of shopping opportunities and a vibrant nightlife.
Often missed are the many opportunities to experience traditional Cambodia: boat trips on the great Tonle Sap Lake to villages and the bird sanctuary, craft shops and silk farms, road tours through rice-paddy countryside to distant temples and beyond...
ANGKOR WAT
There are dozens of temple ruins in the Siem Reap area, many if the most significant within the Angkor Archaeological Park just north of the city, others further afield. The temples vary in importance, interest
and condition and are spread over a large area, often kilometres apart. In order to get the most of your temple visit, it is best to prepare at least a preliminary itinerary.
Any itinerary should include the legendary Angkor Wat & Bayon. These two temple ruins offer the most spectacular and unique examples of Angkorian art and as architecture. On the road trip to Bayon, you will also see the South Gate of Angkor Thom and other minor ruins. As it is within walking distance of Bayon, even the briefest visit can usually include central Angkor Thom with its artistically interesting terraces and massive "temple-mountains," Baphuon and Phimeanakas.
