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Editor Pick
Angkor....What? Temples of Angkor and Siem Reap
- July 2, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Cat19 from Stocking Pelham, United Kingdom
I generally found Cambodia a challenge to travel around due to poor transport links, but one places that is served well is Siem Reap and I chose to fly here from Phnom Penh. I used Siem Reap Airlines, I found their planes to be modern and the service good. The airport at Siem Reap is excellent for its size. There are several flights a day between the two locations, flight time is 50 minutes and the cost about US$50 one way. The true backpackers would of course choose to save a few pounds and spend six hours on an uncomfortable bus instead..
A couple of days earlier, I met a fellow Brit at a bus stop in Sihanoukville. We were both planning to visit the temples of Angkor next and decided to share the experience and the cost of a tuk tuk. Whilst I was flying to Siem Reap, my new friend decided to take the bus so he set off the day before me. I arrived in the town at around midday and met up with my friend in the lovely Red Piano bar restaurant and we worked out a sight-seeing plan. Most people would probably recognise the image of Ankor Wat, but there are hundreds more temples in the area, built over a period of 600 years by the Khmer empire. Tourist maps of the area are readily available so with that and a guidebook, it was fairly easy to come up with a plan of what we should see and in what order based on location.
Itinerary done and we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Siem Reap. I thought it was a very attractive small town with a good range of shops and places to eat and drink. At about 5pm, we decided to go and buy a three day pass (US$60) to the Angkor site. Entry for the evening before is included as a bonus, so we went to the Angkor Wat site to watch the sunset. We took a tuk tuk down to the gates to buy the ticket and we arranged for the driver, Mr Peach, to be our guide for our second and third days. His fee was US$8 a day and we saw no reason to haggle over this.
On the first of three days, we decided to go and see the temples situated further afield, some a good 20 miles from the town and a bit too far to go in a tuk tuk. Instead we hired a car and chauffeur for the day costing US$30. We explored the temples to the east of the site including Banteay Srei and East Mebon which were my two favourites of the five we visited in the morning. In the afternoon, we started to head back to the more central area and managed to fit in another five visits. Of these Ta Keo and Ta Phrom were my favourites. Ta Keo was a quiet site and the pyramids were incredibly steep. We started to climb up one side but then turned back because it was so steep and tackled it from another side instead. When we did get to the top and look down, it was so steep you could not even see the steps, it looked vertical. Climbing back down was pretty scary as it is so steep and there is nothing to hold on to. I had to offer to go first and my offer was accepted!
Ta Phrom is an amazing site and was probably my favourite of all the temples. This is quite a large complex and a decision was made not to restore it so it has been left exactly as it was found, that is being totally over run by trees. The roots and trunks of the trees have grown over the temples and almost become one. The size of the trees is an indication of for just how long the temples had been here forgotten. This is one of the more well known sites and accordingly it was busier than some of the others. But there are many temples to see and they are sufficiently spread out for there to be no real problems with crowds.
We went to see Angkor Wat on our second day, this is the largest and best preserved of any of the temples. It is the one most commonly used in photographs and of course one of the most popular. I too thought it was fantastic, it was great to be able to climb to the highest levels and this time there were hand rails to assist with coming back down again. It is a must see, but definitely not my favourite.
On our final day we went to see the oldest temples, known as the Roulous temples and dating back to 890. These are smaller and made of red brick as opposed to the grey and brown stone used elsewhere.
I am extremely glad we had three full days and four nights in Siem Reap. So many people and most of the organised excursions that I have seen, only provide two full days and three nights. I don't think it is enough and if you are going to go all the way to Cambodia, this will surely be the highlight so don't rush it.
The experience was truly remarkable and its position as Cambodia's top attraction is well deserved and unsurprising. It has to be up there as one of the best travel experiences in my life so far. I even ended up getting married to that chap from Nottingham that I met at a Cambodian bus stop and who shared this experience with me..
From journal Four months in Asia
Recommended Guide Service
For an unforgettable, personalized tour of the ruins and must see temples and sites of Siem Reap, we found what we think is the best professionally trained and certified tour guide available. Soluy Loeut. She was the finalist after extensive research and personal interviews. She can be reached at Soluy Loeurt
E-mail Address:
soluy_2008@yahoo.com
Phone:
Although you probably won't duplicate our exact experience, I am highly confident you can receive the same level of superior professional and personalized guide services. After seeing the many temples and country side of Siem Reap, my wife and I spent Chinese New Year at home with the family of our tour guide Soluy Loeurt. It was the absolute highlight of our 5 week trip to South East Asia!
Being a tour guide has been her lifelong dream. When Soluy was a youngster, she used to stand at the central cross roads of her town waiting for a tourist who might need some help finding their way. Few things bring her more pleasure then sharing the sites and intriguing stories and history of the Angkor Temples and surrounding sites.
We especially want to pass along this unsolicited recommendation because she is a bright, caring, & friendly young women fighting the odds. In Cambodia, there are very few female guides, especially ones who care as deeply about the future of her country and her people. As we toured the sites, it was apparent she is respected by her colleagues.
We like to approach travel as eco tourists and take pleasure in passing along tips that may promote the same experience for others. Meeting and benefiting from the services of Soluy allowed us to have multiple unforgettable experiences in Cambodia.
guide who we highly recommend
For an unforgettable, personalized tour of the ruins and must see temples and sites of Siem Reap, we (my wife and I) found what we think is the best professionally trained and certified tour guide available. Soluy Loeurt. She was the finalist after extensive research and personal interviews. She can be reached at
E-mail Address-
soluy_2008@yahoo.com
Phone: (855)92-12-20-69
Although you probably won't duplicate our experience, (we were holiday guests at her family home) I am highly confident you can receive the same level of superior professional and personalized guide services. After seeing the many temples and country side of Siem Reap, we spent Chinese New Year at home with her parents, brothers and sisters. It was the absolute highlight of our 5 week trip to South East Asia!
Being a tour guide has been her lifelong dream. When Soluy was a youngster, she used to stand at the central cross roads of her town waiting for a tourist who might need some help finding their way. Few things bring her more pleasure then sharing the sites and intriguing stories and history of the Angkor Temples and surrounding sites.
We especially want to pass along this unsolicited recommendation because she is a bright, caring, & friendly young women fighting the odds. In Cambodia, there are very few female guides, especially ones who care as deeply about the future of her country and her people. As we toured the sites, it was apparent she is respected by her colleagues.
We like to approach travel as eco tourists and take pleasure in passing along tips that may promote the same experience for others. Meeting and benefiting from the services of Soluy allowed us to have multiple unforgettable experiences in Cambodia.
Angkor
- November 11, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
PonyGirl2 from Clearwater, Minnesota
These ruins are amazing. A bit overwhelming at times. We had a guide, which was nice for the first few days. But it would have been good to take the next few days and explore them alone, at your own pace, perhaps with an informative book. Be aware that their are tour buses that swarm down upon the temples, and it is always a bonus if you can avoid them.
You will find venders set up outside all of the temples...I believe it is a good idea to patronize these vendors for refreshments and souveniers...think of it as supporting the local community. As far as the persistant children that want to sell you things while walking in/out of the temples, please be sure to say no with a smile. Often times, they will be more than happy to just talk to you, and smile and wave as you drive off. It makes for a much more rewarding experience.
From journal The Siem Reap Experience
Editor Pick
Angkor Wat
- September 26, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
baroudeur2004 from Liege, Belgium
I had planned to visit the magnificent site of Angkor for three days with a moto and its driver for 35 USD. To visit Angkor and its surroundings, you need to buy a pass (20 USD for 1 day, 40 USD for 3 days, and 60 USD for one week. It is definitely worth every cent).
After the entrance, we still had to drive several kilometres before arriving on the main site, Angkor Wat, and I could barely see anything after having arrived at the car park. The place was buzzing with tuk-tuk drivers, buses, retailers, beggars, cops in front of the entrance of the Wat hidden behind a high stone wall. The atmosphere was full of the effervescence of a good Sunday Market, but dustier.
So, it was only at the very last minute that I could contemplate the eighth wonder of the world, a symetric Hindu temple and mausoleum whose domes partially reminded me of Borobudur Temple in Java.
It was only 8am but it was already very hot and humid (in April). Before being able to contemplate Angkor Wat in full, I had to cross a crowded gallery and a few seconds later, I had the monument before my eyes.
It was total amazement, total grace, a feeling that you only experience when you see one of the few true architectural wonders of the world. It was really difficult for me to describe what I was feeling when looking at the 12th-century monument, the biggest religious building of the world. I had only felt like this twice before in my life. The first time was at sunrise in Palmyra, Syria and the second time in front of the Taj Mahal in India.
As for any majestic monument, it is very hard to capture on photo the magic of the place you are visiting. Angkor is one of these kinds of monuments, one of the architectural wonders of the Middle Ages.
The monument is huge and I could have spent hours admiring its fine sculptures of army battles, of beautiful women, of stories of Hindu Gods, starting by the west side of the temple or losing myself in awe in the temple galleries.
The three majestic domes are absolutely picturesque and the best photos are taken early in the morning (just after sunrise) or late afternoon (when the sun is behind you when you are looking at the Wat.
Also to have a panoramic view on the site, I was driven to Phnom Bakheng, about 400 m south of Angkor Thom (the Royal enclosure) just before sunset. From there, after a steep walk uphill, it is possible to take great photos of Angkor Wat.
From journal Angkor, the Eighth Wonder of the World