Cambodia’s most important tourist attraction, the Angkor ruins are located at Siem Reap, an hour by plane from Bangkok. Bus is also an option. Visas for Cambodia can be arranged over the internet, or at the airport. All prices mentioned below are as of February 2018.
Angkor Wat is the most famous temple ruin, but the area is full of ruins, so you need many days if you want do it thoroughly. You can buy a ticket as a 1, 3 or 7 day pass. We chose 3 days, and saw 5 larger complexes, and some smaller ones. It is also a question of what one can manage to achieve in the course of a day. It will be rather warm throughout the day and a lot of walking.
The ruins are located in an area 10-15 km north of Siem Reap and can be easily reached by tuk-tuk.
The hotels and tuk-tuk drivers will sell you a $ 50 round trip where you drive from temple to temple and the tuk-tuk will wait while you do your things. We wanted more flexibility and first took a tuk-tuk up to the first ruin, and then a new one between the temples. It typically costs 5-10 $ per trip depending on how much you bargain.
A good thing is that the Angkor area, unlike most of Cambodia, is malaria-free. A bit strange since there is a lot of open water in the area. Guess they’ve had something in the water.
The Angkor area has had an explosion in the number of visitors, and as of today it is about 2 million per year. This means that you are never completely alone in the ruins. Sometimes it gets a little to much, especially if you end up among the Chinese. The Chinese take up a lot of room. They come in great flocks, and are very concerned that everyone should be present in all images of all photogenic attributes, where they pose in turn. But there are many ruins, and with a little strategic choice you get enough elbow room.
Siem Reap is like a regular busy moped-filled Cambodian small town. We stayed a bit outside of downtown and ate the first few nights at local restaurants and sidewalk establishments, mostly surrounded by locals. If you are wondering where all the tourists are in the evening, then the answer can be found in Pub Street. They have chosen to gather all the bars and tourist restaurants under this well-known name. A lively neighborhood.
Angkor Wat – “Mother of all temples.”
Angkor Wat is big. The outer walls are 1000 x 800 meters, and the temple itself is about 200 x 200 meters. In total, more stone has been used in all the temples of Angkor than in the pyramids of Egypt. Angkor Wat is also the best preserved temple.
The impression you get when you approach is overwhelming. Inside, the temple gives a feeling of space as there are large open spaces between the almost black stone. The other temples we visited were far more compact.
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See also wikipedia – Angkor_Wat
Beng Mealea
Beng Mealea is located about 70 km from Siem Reap and is not included in the Angkor ticket. But we chose to visit it because it is unique in that it has not been excavated or restored beyond some structural support to prevent it from collapsing further. It is also only in recent years that it has become available after a road was built there. Thereby, the temple has preserved a very high Indiana Jones factor, partially collapsed and overgrown by huge trees as it is.
You can take an arranged trip there, or taxi. Taxi costs $ 50 round trip.
See also wikipedia – Beng_Mealea
Ta Prohm
Like Beng Mealea, this temple has been little restored and some trees that grow on the ruin have also been preserved to give it an authentic jungle look. Since it is located in the Angkor area, it is a good replacement for Beng Mealea. Parts of the movie Thomb Rider were recorded here and in Angkor Wat.
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See also wikipedia – Ta_Prohm
Ankor Thom / Bayon
Ankor Thom is a 9 km2 town that once housed up to 150,000 people. The area contains a number of larger and smaller ruins, with the centrally located Bayon as the most impressive. From the outside, it is perhaps even more spectacular than Angkor Wat, with its countless towers adorned with faces.
Inside, the Bayon is much cramped than Angkor What, and you move primarily on the outside of the structure. Admittedly, all the interior rooms in the Angkor ruins are small rooms or narrow corridors as the Khmers did not know about concrete as the Romans did, or vaulting of stone such as in cathedrals, and thus could not build vaults. With sandstone, the size of the spans can probably be limited due to the large compressive forces.
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See also wikipedia – Angkor_Thom
and wikipedia – Bayon
Ankor Thom / Baphuon
This is a large pyramid-shaped structure where you get a good understanding of what it means to build stone on stones. The ruin is very reminiscent of the Mayan pyramids, and the stairs are at least similar, if not steeper. Not suitable for those with a fear of heights.
See also wikipedia – Baphuon
More about Vietnam and Cambodia:
Vietnam backpacking – Hoi An
Halong Bay – Vietnam
Phong Nha National Park Vietnam
Hanoi Obstipation, or the dream of porridge.
Jungel trek with a fear of heights
