Temples of Angkor
Some names I remember, most I have forgot
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As I have mentioned many times, I was ignorant enough to believe that Angkor Wat was a single temple that could be seen in a day. However, after getting a copy of Lonely Planet, I quickly understood that it is possible to spend a week or even longer in the area. Obviously, Lonely Planet has a tendency to exaggerate everything they do. Yuka and I spent three days in the area, and we were quite tired of seeing temples on the third day. Anyway, I will write a bit about the area, and then include some text from Wikipedia when I get tired. |
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| Siem Reap is a small city located close to all the temples, and let me first cover the hotel that we stayed in. The Hotel De La Paix is probably the most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed in. 5 stars, of course, but also small and intimate. | While not the most expensive hotel in Siem Reap (that prize goes to Amansara, which currently goes for $871 per night), the design and atmosphere of the Hotel De La Paix will blow you away. No matter where you stay, though, you will wake up seeing people sleeping on the street outside. Life is not fair, but at least the tourism industry is helping to pull many people out of poverty. |
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| Siem Reap is actually a quite civilized city, and as Wikipedia states: "Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market. In town, there are Apsara dance performances, craft shops, silk farms, rice-paddy countryside, fishing villages and a bird sanctuary near the Tonle Sap Lake". | "Siem Reap today, being a popular tourist destination, has a great deal of hotels and restaurants. Mostly smaller establishments are concentrated around the Old Market area, while more expensive hotels are located between Angkor International Airport and the town along National Road 6. There are a variety of mid-range hotels and restaurants along Sivatha, and budget to mid-range hotels in the Phsar Leu area". |
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| The Angkor Wat area gets extremely hot around noon, and then it is nice to escape back to Siem Reap for a shower or some sleep. Most of the temple pictures that you will see were therefore taken in the early morning or late afternoon. | After arriving in Siem Reap, we took a cab to our hotel from the airport. Since the driver turned out to be a nice guy, we hired him for the rest of our stay. While an alarm bell rang in my head when I decided to do so, it turned out to be a great decision. During our time in Cambodia, we discovered that Cambodians generally are trustworthy. |
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| Yuka got tired of temples before I did, but she did her best pretending to be interested in old buildings even though it was extremely hot. | If you go to Angkor-Wat looking for an adventure, you will be sorely disappointed. There were bus loads of people from across the Vietnamese border, Disneyland can seen empty in comparison. |
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| A random view of a sunset. | Some interesting carvings on a temple wall. |
More Pictures From "The Temples of Angkor"
Click Here for Part 2
Presented By Boots 4 You, Guide 2 Cambodia, and Janhoo.com.